Ask HN: What habits did you achieve this year?

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33654331

by zakokor • 4 years ago

37 71 4 years ago

news.ycombinator.com

This year I managed to eat 2 servings of fruit daily and I was wondering if anyone else achieved new habits

p0d• 4 years ago

For the last 2 years I have walked 2.5-3 miles every day. I have lost 35kg.

malux85• 4 years ago

That’s impressive! Well done!

I’m slowly working my way there, 2-3 times a week I do 3-5km, lost 10kg so far

revskill• 4 years ago

- Writing: I try to write everyday, but only for about 30 mins each.

- Exercice: I try to walk 1 hour per day after working time. My sleep is better and deeper.

zakokor• 4 years ago

Interesting, what do you write?

cpersona2• 4 years ago

- I walk 30 minutes a day before work.

- I do 100 pushups a day. Day 39 of doing so. 25 x 4 within 10 minutes or so. I started the year at 5 pushups after a long hiatus.

I can see the changes to my physique that come from the pushups and am starting a full workout routine to augment the pushups as a result.

melling4• 4 years ago

How many pushups at once? “Grease the groove “?

https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2019/09/bro-do-yo...

I see you’ve answered but the technique is still worth mentioning

ahmadmijot• 4 years ago

Wow thanks for the sharing. I hope I'll do some greasing the groove for my sedentary lifestyle.

cpersona2• 4 years ago

That's actually how I started. I would do 10 pushups, 10 sets throughout the day. A week later, 15 pushups, 7 sets throughout the day. In that way, I think I was following the technique laid out in the article and heartily recommend it for someone starting out. I was also dealing with some level of tendonitis in my elbow when I started so doing it this way also helped deal with the pain and working on my form to eventually reduce it and remove pain from the process.

Eventually, I decided to work on building muscle as well and started doing them in a smaller time frame, within the morning, for example. Now I do the 100 within 10 minutes or so: 4 sets with a 3 minute rest in between. I feel like I've seen changes in my physique since entering this latest phase.

steveads• 4 years ago

I've read twice as much this year as previous years.

I joined a book club back in January that meets bi-weekly. I really enjoy it and met some friends that I now see occasionally outside of our meetings.

aliljet3• 4 years ago

This probably sounds absurd, but I wake up at 4:30 AM to start my day every day and I used to be convinced I could only really be effective after waking up at 9 AM.

thebigspacefuck3• 4 years ago

When do you go to bed?

johnchristopher• 4 years ago

I am betting ~4 and a half hours sooner than before.

nemo1618• 4 years ago

I'm still "jet lagged" after returning from Europe -- I wake up at 6 or 7 now instead of 11 or 12, and I love it!

I imagine I will eventually slide back; guess I'll have to keep flying west? :)

mingusrude• 4 years ago

Started IF, not sure if it paid off but it's pretty cool knowing that I can go without food for a longer period of time.

dtjb• 4 years ago

Is coffee "allowed" during IF periods?

vinyl7• 4 years ago

As long as there's no cream or sugar in it

ducharmdev3• 4 years ago

I went from completely sedentary, to running 5km 3 times a week. I managed to run my first 5k race this year too!

My goal for next year is to participate in a 10k race, as well as improve my 5k times.

aliljet3• 4 years ago

I'd love to know how you pulled this off...

purrcat259• 4 years ago

Couch to 5k is an awesome resource to achieve this.

justsocrateasin• 4 years ago

My big tips for this -

1. Sign up for a local 5k race 3 months into the future, thus forcing yourself to train.

2. Set up all your running gear the night before.

3. When you wake up and don't want to run, tell yourself all you need to do is put your shoes on and then you can go back to bed / not do it (at that point, a lot of "well I'm already up" kicks in).

4. Run slow. Really slow. Walk whenever you need to. Hell, walk the whole time if you have to.

5. Follow a couch to 5k program.

6. I personally enjoy running as a form of exploring streets I've never been down, trails I don't know the end of, and cities I'm new to.

I think a big reason people hate running is they run too fast too soon. Run 15 minute miles if you have to. Shuffle! Slowly! The joy is in being outside and moving your body.

haunter• 4 years ago

I can recommend Couch to 5k but there are many similar plans https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/exercise/running-and-aerobic-ex...

The Runkeeper guided 5k is also very popular (only first 3 weeks are free) https://support.runkeeper.com/hc/en-us/articles/360020249332...

thebigspacefuck3• 4 years ago

If you’re capable of walking for 60-90 minutes, Couch to 5K is a good place to start. Otherwise losing weight and walking 6K+ steps a day 3+ times a week is a good place to start, just to get your feet prepared for the load that running will put on the body. I started with couch to 5K at the beginning of August and completed it in September. I just got to the point of being able to run 5 miles in one go and I’m now running 15 mpw. All it takes is being consistent and you will see rapid improvement.

probablypower• 4 years ago

I'm not OP, but I can share how I did.

I needed to do some soul searching into my excuses for not running. I'd always think to myself, "I'd like to run, but I'm tired", despite having done nothing physical all week beside walking between the coffee machine and my desk, or getting into/out of my car, or walking the grocery isles.

I ended forcing myself to think of tiredness in a more granular way. If I feel tired, I classify it as either "mentally tired", "emotionally tired", or "physically tired". I realised I was quite often coming home from work mentally and emotionally tired, and using that as an excuse to do no physical exercise. I didn't "care" to run because my soul and mind were depleted. Then I recalled all I've known and read about physical exercise cleansing the mind and the soul (somewhat). So I started thinking of it as a way to solve mental and emotional exhaustion.

I promised myself to grind for a few weeks on the habit (IF: home from work & emotionally | mentally tired THEN: run 2-5km). It absolutely sucked for 2 weeks, as I was just adding physically tired to the pile (as I felt like a sack of shit afterwards and felt down on myself for being unfit). The 3rd week however started to feel a bit better, and from that point on I was starting to feel a net positive impact on my 'tiredness' after running. Once I hit that point it was a positively reinforcing habit that, literally, had legs.

Sukotto• 4 years ago

I also successfully set up a "three times a week" running program and typically run 5km each time and sometimes 10km on the weekend. Today I completed Year 2, Week 52, Run 3. So I'm feeling pretty good about that.

I'd love to know how you pulled this off...

Here is what worked for me. Maybe some or all of it will work for you.

The foundation rule is: I will not injure myself. (I'm pushing 50 and don't heal like I used to)

To avoid all-or-nothing thinking I explicitly decided against making this a lifetime commitment. Instead I would re-evaluate at 4-week intervals if I wanted to continue. Knowing there was a GO/NOGO milestone in the near future really helped me get through the first few weeks. (After the first few cycles I had integrated the jogging habit into my lifestyle and didn't need the GO/NOGO milestones anymore)

Then, I sat down and figured some stuff out in advance. Namely:

1) Deciding (and committing) what days and times I will jog.

For my schedule, Tue/Thu/Sat mornings before work was best.

2) Decide what I will do if the weather is bad, or there is some other reason why I could not go at the scheduled time.

3) Define a set route to follow.

I follow the same route every time. I never need to think about it and I don't get bored since there are several unique stretches of environment along my route. Also all the plants and things change through the seasons which is something to notice and appreciate.

What worked best for me was to follow a set path until mid-way through my run, then turn around and retrace my steps. (Setting a countdown timer on my watch to beep when I was halfway through the session, rounding the session time up a bit if necessary.)

4) Follow an established program.

I chose the popular "Couch to 5K" program. Using the "NHS Choices 5K" podcast with Coach Laura.

5) Set the bar for success as LOW as possible.

For me, a run "counts" if I put on my jogging clothes and shoes. Then step outside my front door and walk even a single step away from the house. Seriously. I can turn around right then and go back inside and it counts as a win.

For my personality, consistency and reliability are FAR more important than time spent or distance travelled.

6) Accept that I'll need to repeat episodes. Let go of needing to progress through the program at the pre-determined pace.

The important thing was getting out and moving. The program is advertised as taking 9 weeks. It took me a lot longer than that but I accepted that up front so it didn't bother me.

I quickly found that carrying my phone in my hand was uncomfortable, so I bought an armband holder for about $10.

I also found using wired earbuds was a hassle (the wires) and maybe dangerous (they block environmental sound). So I bought a pair of "AfterShokz" bone conduction headphones for about $150. They're great and I'm glad I got them.

Finally, I should note that I only started the jogging plan after I got my weight down to under 200lb. For that, I went with the "Slow Carb" eating plan since it was simple to follow, seemed sustainable long-term, and gave me a "cheat day" once a week. Honestly, as far as I can tell, just about any popular eating plan will work. So if you need to lose some fat (like I did), just pick one and try it for a few months to see if you like it.

xu3u322• 4 years ago

Similar. I went from being glued to the couch to training for my third half marathon this year!

ducharmdev3• 4 years ago

That's super impressive. Have you been a runner in the past, like high school or college?

I'm starting this in my late twenties after a fairly inactive decade; hiking has been the only thing that's kept me active over the years.

petargyurov3• 4 years ago

I've been reading! I actually made a little virtual bookshelf [0] that was well received on here [1]

I think I've also learned/learning to be kinder to myself.

[0] https://petargyurov.com/bookshelf/

[1] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31293727

zigman1• 4 years ago

Hey, reaching out to you here, as it your blog it says your company runs a monthly book club. Could you share some info how is it run? Do you collectively decide on the next book, meet in person or discuss it? Is the meeting heavily moderated or more informal over drink? I'm asking because I want to organize something similar in my work :) Thanks a lot!

petargyurov3• 4 years ago

Hey! I'd be glad to share.

First, we're a fully remote team, so all meetings are virtual. Super informal, fun and casual.

We all put it suggestions for what we want to read then we let a random wheel decide for us. Nobody is forced to read anything they don't want though! We sometimes try to alternate fiction and non-fiction.

We normally give ourselves a month to read it. Some of our team have dyslexia, so they prefer listening to it.

If everyone's finished it, we meet up and talk about the book. If someone hasn't, we delay the next meeting to allow them to finish it. At the end of the chat we ask everyone if they would recommend the book or not (we wanted to avoid "rating" the books out of X)

That's it basically.

wordyskeleton2• 4 years ago

This is so cool. Might steal this idea

petargyurov3• 4 years ago

By all means! The GitHub repo is linked on my site.

david4222• 4 years ago

Nice. Just read Atomic Habits and am attempting to use some of the tips. Also just reading Dune for the first time too!

mbrd• 4 years ago

I started an exercise habit on the Concept2 rower (which I already had but wasn’t using).

The big factors for me were:

- accountability/competitiveness with a friend where we texted after each row

- a plan to follow. Namely https://thepeteplan.wordpress.com/beginner-training/

rex_lupi• 4 years ago

Journalling.

autotune• 4 years ago

Stopped taking Adderall, started running daily with my dog, and being more diligent about both what I eat and food portions. Immediately gained like 6 pounds but have burned off 4 of that or so in the last couple weeks. Work has not seemed to suffer in the new role.

fshee• 4 years ago

- From sedentary to rock climbing quite frequently. Climbing has had the nice benefit of also:

    - Losing 15 pounds, gaining a few back in muscle.

    - Journaling of the experience outdoors (125 pitches worth!).

    - Making good friends.

- Near zero alcohol consumption.

- Regularly attending church.

melling4• 4 years ago

I’m 26 weeks into doing machine learning on Kaggle every day. Slow and steady practice.

https://www.kaggle.com/mmellinger66

I’m also part of a small Discord study group that is learning ML theory. We’ve gone through this book completely:

https://mml-book.github.io/

Just finished the foundations part of Murphy

https://probml.github.io/pml-book/book1.html

Two of us have started to independently study the MIT Probability course, while working through the problems together

https://ocw.mit.edu/courses/6-041sc-probabilistic-systems-an...

Study groups often start out with 6-10 people but if you can find only 1 good person who you work well with, it’s extremely motivating.

rychco2• 4 years ago

How'd you get the study group started? Some peers you already knew? I've previously considered trying to gather some people to regularly read/practice other books/topics but wasn't sure where to begin gathering others.

melling4• 4 years ago

It’s extremely difficult. Through Meetups, Discord, …

A group of us made it through Hands on ML last year.

https://github.com/ageron/handson-ml3

But that group didn’t want to do heavy theory but someone from another Meetup did so I invited them to our group.

Then someone who didn’t want to do the theory changed their mind.

Try meeting people online with a well-defined common goal.

For example, not simply “I want to learn machine learning” but I want to study a particular book or MOOC.

Getting people to agree can be difficult. No one else in my group wants to do Kaggle, for instance. Lots of cool project ideas that don’t go anywhere.

Discord seems like it should be the perfect place to meet people but most servers aren’t very active.

Here’s an OpenCourseWare server I found a few days ago that’s disappointingly not very active:

https://discord.gg/CSKeQegY

Ideally math, physics, writing, history, or whatever could be served by dedicated servers.

jackallis• 4 years ago

yeah, i am about to wrap up the MIT probability course. Very very good course, i will be happy if i retain 50% of what i learned. Markov Chain is my favorite so far.

melling4• 4 years ago

Harvard Stat 110 might be an interesting follow up in a few months.

https://projects.iq.harvard.edu/stat110/home

Videos on YouTube and his book is available on Gdocs

mrmincent• 4 years ago

Started exercising most days, at least 15 minutes high intensity a day. My blood pressure and anxiety have really improved since making it a daily habit.

I’ve also started writing down my daily to-do list and kept my notes in a big writing pad. So far it’s working a lot better than a collection of index cards I used to use.

broast• 4 years ago

I started eating vegan every other day for almost the whole year now

bohmerforever• 4 years ago

I quit porn.

glanzwulf2• 4 years ago

I went from sleeping 4h a day, eating junk food and living a pretty much sedentary lifestyle, to sleeping 8h minimum, counting my macros and calories daily, and exercising 6 days a week.

During the summer I read "Why We Sleep" and thought "damn... maybe I should change my lifestyle". So I went 0 to 100 in no time.

It's been almost 5 months of consistency and I've never felt better and now I can't see myself going back to the way I was.

mattmaroon• 4 years ago

Curious: were you sleeping 4 hrs a day intentionally? Did you use an alarm? Or did you have a hard time sleeping more and figured that out?

glanzwulf2• 4 years ago

It was intentional.

So to wake up I had an alarm since I had to be up for work in the morning. But for bedtime, I would go to sleep super late every day. I'd spend the time playing videogames, watching movies, etc.

The reasoning was, I wanted to "enjoy" the time I had after work and didn't want to sleep, because going to sleep would mean after a couple of hours I'd have to wake up and go to work. So I'd prolong that time as much as I could.

slothtrop• 4 years ago

Leetcoding and study, further reduction in social media time, and working outside the house at least once a week. I already eat healthy, but have had stops and starts with exercise this year after a few life events. My winter exercise habit is to skip rope and shadow box, and lift weights. I "journal" most mornings by writing text into the ether and not saving it, except for important notes that come to me.

wordyskeleton2• 4 years ago

Trim and lineup my beard every morning. Small thing but feel and look more put together every day.

Also started making my bed every morning—takes 30 seconds and if I don't have the discipline for that then that's a bad sign.

thebigspacefuck3• 4 years ago

I started running in the morning. It’s been a very slow build up, I’m currently only at 15 mpw, but it’s all about being consistent and preventing injury to keep the habit as long as possible. I’ve also begun tracking my food intake and have lost 20 lbs. Being consistent and seeing incremental progress toward my goals has made me realize the need to set goals and consistently work toward them. I’ve been writing down my goals and making plans to achieve them. A large part of this is reclaiming meaningless screen time to make a small but consistent amount of progress toward a goal each day.

gamerDude• 4 years ago

Daily gratitude journal. And when applicable I will share out to the person I was grateful for. It has made relationships better and life more satisfying.

davidn20• 4 years ago

I don't know if achieve is the right word, but two months ago. I decided to do one healthy habit every day. It could be meditating, working out, or spending time with friends. I believe I have only missed 1 or 2 days so far. It feels good.

david4222• 4 years ago

I read Make Your Bed and Atomic Habits.

The current habit I'm attempting to do is put things away immediately after using them instead of waiting for clutter to pile up. Put away the dinner dishes, put away the tools, put away my clothes, empty the dishwasher etc.

Karawebnetwork• 4 years ago

Eat breakfast. The solution was to accept to eat it in the form of meal replacement powders (Soylent, Holfood, etc.).

It's worth it, because even these powders are not the perfect solution. I feel like I'm really fueling up for the first time in my life.

zython• 4 years ago

I installed tiktok and now spend 2 hours mindlessly scrolling for that sweet sweet dopamin hit.

zuzuleinen• 4 years ago

Stretching every morning.

Meditation every day with Waking up App.

Eath between 12-18 with a 3 days fast every month.

tsol• 4 years ago

I've been doing well. Dropped painkillers I was taking for migraines, dropped alcohol. Picked up weekly running and daily saunas. Started keto diet, dropped 15 lb. Fiber supplement and mushroom supplement a few days a week too just to keep things running well

perlgeek• 4 years ago

Learning a bit Norwegian every day.

cainxinth• 4 years ago

I didn't start a habit, I killed one: F2P mobile games designed to hook you. Never spent a dime on Hearthstone but I could tell that I was playing less and less for entertainment and more out of habit and chasing some quick hit of dopamine. I dropped that one a few months back but almost relapsed on Marvel Snap when it became available last month. It is in fact a really good game but I had the good sense to delete it after just a few weeks of trying it out. No shame for anyone that likes these games, but I could tell they weren't healthy for me.

mattbrewsbytes• 4 years ago

That's awesome. I realized this year I too was playing games out of habit and now do kind of a starting check to see if I'm playing for fun or if I'm feeling compelled to do things in a game because of one or many feedback loops that have been engineered to keep me "engaged". Most of my history of playing video games is solo games with campaigns/stories, etc. so the always online multi-player games have these feedback loops with FOMO, stats on weapons/gear, etc. that make it appear to be worth your time to be constantly playing.

It was hard to pull away sometimes but became much easier when you realize the top tier loot you grind for isn't making drastic differences in outcomes of playing for an average player like myself.

Tade0• 4 years ago

Only habits I can think of are the ones I dropped.

I haven't had a box of instant noodles for more than a year now after years of eating such things regularly - I have one last box in my cupboard as a reminder, but I don't see it as food anymore.

Fast food is also now something I indulge in maybe twice a year.

I also don't try to stay up when my body tells me to go to sleep - this was a major problem for me in the past.

I don't feel particularly different or haven't lost any weight(I've never had weight issues), but I suppose the benefits will become apparent once I get older.

azaras• 4 years ago

I close my Twitter account the last week.

lukaszkups• 4 years ago

Maybe not habits, but I've managed to get back to trampoline/airtrack acrobatics which is an result of couple years of getting back into shape and general condition.

I've also started drinkin way more water (earlier I was drinking coffee only and diet Coke)

P_I_Staker• 4 years ago

None. For those of us with ADHD that are shut out from effective treatment, habits feel pretty much impossible to form.

gmays• 4 years ago

For those looking to build habits, something that helped me immensely is https://habitsgarden.com

I started using it earlier this year and my current streak as of this morning is 226 days.

Before using this to track consistency I actually automated commits to a GitHub repo for certain actions :D

whelton• 4 years ago

Worked on (ironically) my habits and goals platform Conjure[0] every day, now 664 days in a row.

Building it solo and bootstrapped I ensure I track a minimum amount of time every day to maintain momentum.

[0] https://conjure.so

Ask HN: What habits did you achieve this year?

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