12 HABITS CHALLENGE [OPEN]

Plan A for Spanish (13)
Plan A for push-ups (10)
Nofap (10)
Extra work-related task (2)
Meditation (2)
Fruit a day (1)

The list is growing. I guess it's the power of the streak. Stress is less acute. Anxiety comes and goes. But not now.

 

Thanks Slider.
I found this on the web.It's similar to what you sent me but it looks easier to understand for me.


PMO and gaming were a total waste of time and energy. Also they made me more demotivated and angry.

 

I've watched the podcast after work and then ... I took a nap . Beating procrastination is hard. Also I find myself procrasting to use the tools to fight procrastination. As regarding this challenge what works for me is lowering the difficulty and effort necessary to meet my daily goals, eg. 6 push-ups for the rest of the week or 2-minute workout (I can't find an excuse not to do them). An apple, banana or pear a day is not a struggle. I follow the example of @Mr.Tony and his approach to developing his meditation habit.

 

Plan A for Spanish (14)
Plan A for push-ups (11)
Nofap (11)
Extra work-related task (3)
Meditation (2)
Fruit a day (2)

 

Right I have few options of delegating. Sometimes my wife does something for me. My daughter hardly ever. These options are available for superiors.

 

I survived Thursday at work. Now I'm dead on my feet. No meditation today. Plan B (half-assing) for Spanish (half of app 1, anki reviews, a third of the Spanish dict, duolingo - one lesson to keep the streak alive) but Plan C for Spanish would have been worse - doing nothing

Plan A for Spanish (14) Plan B for Spanish (1)
Plan A for push-ups (12)
Nofap (12)
Extra work-related task (3) Plan C (1)
Meditation (2) Plan C (1)
Fruit a day (3)

Arnold is not happy. I don't believe that he has never had plan B.

 

I did better than when I used to relapse. At least there's no compulsion to catch sleep.

 

Right. It was a perfectionist trait.

 

Friday
Plan A (full planned activity) Plan B (partial plan) Plan C (failure)

Plan A for Spanish (14) Plan B for Spanish (2)
Plan A for push-ups (12)
Nofap (12), Plan C(2)
Extra work-related task (3) Plan B (1) Plan C (1)
Meditation (2) Plan C (2)
Fruit a day (4)

What I'm proud of:
- a 12-day streak (that was something)
- there was no day without Spanish but the last two days were hard and insuffient
- no Plan B and C for push-ups (an easy goal - this week 6 push-ups, so there's no excuse and no internal friction to do that)

 

Saturday
Plan A (full planned activity) Plan B (partial plan) Plan C (failure)

Plan A for Spanish (14) Plan B for Spanish (3)
Plan A for push-ups (13)
Nofap (12), Plan C(3)
Extra work-related task (3) Plan B (1) Plan C (2)
Meditation (3) Plan C (2)
Fruit a day (5)

Sunday
Plan A (full planned activity) Plan B (partial plan) Plan C (failure)
Plan A for Spanish (15) Plan B for Spanish (3)
Plan A for push-ups (14)
Nofap (12), Plan C(4)
Extra work-related task (3) Plan B (2)Plan C (2)
Meditation (4) Plan C (2)
Fruit a day (6)

 

Yesterday I wondered why I can't get myself to do some work-related tasks. As the first answer came the length of time required and the mental suffering while doing it.

I decided to analyze the things that I do and I divided them into 4 groups. During the meditation I came to some conclusions about them.
Group#1 - hygiene - brushing my teeth and face, shaving, a cold shower, some push-ups and stretches (things I do for myself, for my self-care and self-esteem; they require very little time and effort but offer a quick dopamine boost) I love them. Time required to complete: up to 5 minutes.
Group#2 - cleaning my surroundings - making the bed, cleaning after meals, taking out the rubbish, cat-related duties (things that I do for my family to have a clean place to live, they require very little time and effort but offer a quick dopamine boost as well). I love them. Time required to complete: 5 -15 minutes.
Group#3 - selfcare - meditation, wash my hair, elliptical, a cold bath (things that I do boost my mood and well-being, they require a little more effort and time, so I sometimes skip them). I like them but sometimes I can't get around to do them. Time required to complete: 15 -60 minutes.
Group#4 - growth - learning Spanish, reading, learning to play chess (started), learning to play an instrument (in the future) (they cover my need to develop as a person, I still want to achieve some success, my inner child scientist / explorer needs that; they require attention, time and effort). I absolute adore them. They crucial for my NEEDS but they are not essential for my survival. Time required: 30 - 60 minutes.
Group#5 - work-related stuff (I find myself procrastinating those tasks, I do them for people I don't often like, I am criticized for my efforts if I make a mistake; some of the mistakes result from being misinformed; they require a lot of effort, concentration, trigger me to PMO, lead to stress, it's hard to tell how much time they will require). I absolutely hate them. Time required: 1h - 4h.
Group#6 - useless things - PMO, overeating, poor diet, gaming, mindless browsing the media. Addictive. Time required: 1-5h.

Groups#1-4 provide some pleasure to me. They affect my life in a positive way.
Group#5 - today I realized it during my meditation session. I need it to keep the job. This thought can ease the stress a bit and may lower procrastination.
Group#6 - totally useless, a playroom for the inner child - close the door and f#ck everything attitude; safety valve; I feel anger when I think of them. They cause remorse, anxiety, anger at myself, the fate, the world.

I realized that they are related to Maslov's diagram of needs. It explains why I feel I HAVE TO do my Spanish reviews at the expense of my work-related stuff. I don't want to be "my job". I want to be something more. Without group#1-4 I would feel like a robot. Group#5 is required for my social presence. I hate being social but I have no choice. I'm very introverted. Sometimes I feel I could live without that element. However, the society requires me to do something in order to get paid for that. And I devote a lot of time and effort to meet those requirement pretty successfully. No fireworks, though. I just don't want that part of my life to swallow the rest of me. I need to be more disciplined (less emotional) and creative and sometime I need to live in anxiety and fear of criticism struggling to improve my work-life balance.

I also realized that I need group#4 for social reasons too - to impress, to boost my self-esteem, to stand out somehow. This groups also is my sail for motivation.