Habits

Newsflash. Building habits are good for you.

Well, it's not really news, but it seems like everyone needs to learn this for himself, and in my case, re-learn it. But I just finished reading The Power of Habit and it was the lesson I needed at the right time. Earlier in 2012 I read The Happiness Advantage which is a book about building good habits as well as a new-ish trend in psychology called positive psychology, which is basically about building habits that can turn your attitude around.

Then I listened to Mac Power Users episode on Geek Fitness. I jumped in. The apps in question are Lose It and Good Habits. I've wanted something like Good Habits for a while. Basically it's a streak builder, e.g. if you've exercised for 10 days in a row it will show 10 next to that habit, and if you skip a day it cycles over down to zero, so the pressure is on for you to keep going even when you don't want to.

I'll have more to say on habits over 2013, hopefully good things on them, but for now, like many people at the beginning of a new year, I'm excited about trying to build some better habits in my life.