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Ask HN: Is there a new habit you cultivated recently that is really paying off?

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Re: Ask HN: Is there a new habit you cultivated recently that is really paying off?

#371

Post by Psilidae »

coreymaass wrote: post #153
leonroy wrote: post #33

Stop buying stuff. I was a compulsive spender. Never bought on credit mind but I’d blow my entire paycheque after bills on stuff like cameras, hifi, the latest Apple doodad, etc. I literally stopped buying anything not required for my day to day sustenance. No Netflix, started renting what I wanted to watch which forced me to be more picky with my expenditure and time. No more eating out except for special occasions.…

Our local library, connected to seemingly every other library in the country, provides me with every book and movie I've wanted for years. Such an amazing resource. Request it online, pick it up locally, usually within two days.

Great recommendation! I haven't really used our local library because I keep forgetting that it's an option. But, I just checked and it looks like ours has the same Inter-Library Loan process for requesting books.

Thanks, I'm going to try to remember this and start using it more. Hopefully it'll help me both save money and reduce the number of unread books collecting dust on my already full shelves.

Re: Ask HN: Is there a new habit you cultivated recently that is really paying off?

#372

Post by biastoact »

matt_the_bass wrote: post #68
biastoact wrote: post #6

I set a goal of using my feet to walk around and engage team members in 5 work conversations (unscheduled) each day. The change in culture and the identification of problems, road blocks, oppertunities has been eye opening. As a natural introvert who’d rather be heads down it has made me much more effective in the team.

How do you prevent disruption on those that you interrupt?

I find that as long as it isn't every day and I show up to ask about their public deadlines, compliment them on progress, and offer to help where they are stuck that people don't react like it is a disruption.

Re: Ask HN: Is there a new habit you cultivated recently that is really paying off?

#373

Post by biastoact »

rimliu wrote: post #15
biastoact wrote: post #6

I set a goal of using my feet to walk around and engage team members in 5 work conversations (unscheduled) each day. The change in culture and the identification of problems, road blocks, oppertunities has been eye opening. As a natural introvert who’d rather be heads down it has made me much more effective in the team.

What does team think about this?

As far as I can tell they like it. If it is a topic area we've previously discussed or tried to reason the best way forward they will now often proactively reach out when they need help or want someone to tell them how awesome they just were.

Re: Ask HN: Is there a new habit you cultivated recently that is really paying off?

#374

Post by staunch »

iamatworknow wrote: post #183
staunch wrote: post #46

1. Stopped drinking diet coke at home. I had a relapse on this but now I'm back to not drinking it anymore. I'll drink one with pizza but won't stock it ever again. Glass bottles of Pellegrino sparkling water is my replacement. 2. Stopped eating after 8PM entirely. Never done this before and it's excellent. Lost some weight and I feel better. Chewing Xytol gum when I feel the urge to eat but mostly don't need it. 3.…

>Glass bottles of Pellegrino sparkling water is my replacement. Get a SodaStream and throw out the flavor things that come with it (they taste bad anyway). I love sparkling water but the cost of things like Perrier, Pellegrino, or La Croix really add up, not to mention the added waste from the bottles and cans that need to be recycled (or worse, aren't recycled at all). You can exchange the CO2 canisters for ~$15 a p…

It's a good suggestion but the luxury of the nice glass bottles and great taste makes me enjoy it more. I recycle all of the bottles. It's a bit of a vice but not a bad one as vices go.

Re: Ask HN: Is there a new habit you cultivated recently that is really paying off?

#375

Post by reitanqild »

sAbakumoff wrote: post #120
bartoszhernas wrote: post #88

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Same here! Keto + eating at evenings only + StrongLifts.com. Improved my mood, my energy levels. I feel so much better with it and every time I slip and do a cheat-day I do feel really awful after. Cannot imagine going back to eating any sugars now.

One of the common side effects of Keto is Reduced Physical Performance. You guys must be unicorns or something..That's not a surpise because you definitely need to be "special" to restrict yourself from eating all day long LOL.

IIRC some combat divers use keto as it reduces the risks associated with rebreathing gear; this should indicate that excellent physical performance is possible while on keto.

Re: Ask HN: Is there a new habit you cultivated recently that is really paying off?

#376

Post by SauciestGNU »

lawrenceong wrote: post #293
SauciestGNU wrote: post #74

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Coffee and tea can be inexpensive if you brew it yourself. Coffee even less so if you roast it. I've been roasting my own coffee for years now, started with a $100 machine which lasted about 4 years/100 lbs, and then I upgraded to a $350 machine. A pound of coffee costs between $4 and $7, and tastes comparable to something that a boutique roaster sells for $15/12oz. The upfront cost is relatively high, but if your en…

if you don't mind, can you share the brand of the machine, and your source for preroasted beans? i'd like to get into this too but am not sure the best approach

So I'm currently using the Behmor 1600+ as my roaster, and Happy Mug Coffee as my green (unroasted) coffee bean supplier and also my tea supplier.

If you want to start with a less expensive roaster you can find recommendations on reddit at /r/roasting.

Re: Ask HN: Is there a new habit you cultivated recently that is really paying off?

#377

Post by madeuptempacct »

oregontechninja wrote: post #200
madeuptempacct wrote: post #133

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"At a bare minimum I memorize the order of a pack of cards, but I try and work in other exercises when I have the time." How long does it take you? Do you use any mnemonic techniques? Would your time not be better spent memorizing foreign vocab? Do you see an improvement? Have you checked for cross-task improvements? What got you doing this? What differences do you see?

I use video game locations as memory palaces. I use Pokemon to represent numbers. It takes me 10 minutes to memorize a deck. It took me two 20 minute training sessions to learn how. I will eventually use it to learn a new language. I read half of "Moonwalking with Einstein", worked out some exercises, and started practicing. By the next day, I could remember the order of the deck of cards! I can't believe I went my w…

Cross-task improvements refers to improvements carrying over beyond the practiced task.

For example, if I run every day, did I just get better at running or will I see improvements in my swimming, biking, and skiing?

A HUGE concern with memory training of any sort is that you only tend to get better at the task you train on, i.e. memorizing cards. Cross-task improvements would be being able to memorize a phone number more reliably.

A far cross-task improvement would be improved IQ.

Re: Ask HN: Is there a new habit you cultivated recently that is really paying off?

#378

Post by scarface74 »

The “habit” I’ve gotten into over the past year are slow, incremental changes based on a simple framework of priorities in order:

1. Health

2. Relationships (wife first, children second, family/friends third)

3. Finances.

Yes my health comes before my wife and family. If I’m not healthy, I’m no good for my wife and family.

That being said, I also knew from the 10 years that I stayed in shape as a part time fitness instructor and surrounded by equally fit gym friends not to do any diet/exercise combination that wasn’t sustainable long term

Because of changes in my personal life (married vs. single), health changes (nothing serious) and being more invested in my career over the past 5 years I stopped working out consistently until late last year.

First change is a version of the “S diet” that I didn’t realize I was doing and eating food lower in saturated fat, sodium, and cholesterol because of high cholesterol and high blood pressure.

I equipped a spare bedroom as a home gym meaning I can work out anytime and my wife works out with me occasionally when she doesn’t go to the gym and I have a consistent (T, Th, Sat) and tracked workout schedule. But mostly it’s 2 hour calorie burning sessions.

I’ve lost about 20 pounds and I’m near my former fitness instructor body.

Next steps....

- Eat more fruits and vegetables

- add muscle building exercises on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Sundays)

- add high intensity interval trainings on (Mondays, Wednesday’s, and Sundays)

————

On the family front, stay off of my phone while I’m spending time with my family and budget “date nights” more often with my wife.

Re: Ask HN: Is there a new habit you cultivated recently that is really paying off?

#379

Post by stnmtn »

bantic wrote: post #370

I took a month-long sabbatical last Fall to learn a new skill (machine learning). I had a project goal to keep me focused on making progress and staying practical: making an ios app that will use ML to "recognize" the letters on a Boggle game grid and "solve" it, printing out all the words on that grid. I made large strides during the month but the project wasn't quite working at the end. After the sabbatical it was…

I think the last bullet point you listed must be really helpful. I don't remember where I read it, but I recently heard Hemingway used to do something similar where he would write to a point that he really wants to continue, then stop for the day, so tomorrow morning he excitedly picks back up and finishes what he was so excited to write the day before. I feel like that's probably an incredibly effective habit for keeping a streak going

Re: Ask HN: Is there a new habit you cultivated recently that is really paying off?

#380

Post by xutopia »

ponderatul wrote: post #207

Quit Facebook( which really means just access it 2mins per week on a Sunday, just because I'm on a few groups ). Close down Instafart. Quit watching porn, after realising the health risks are not worth the benefits. Quit buying sweets of any kind, especially sugary ones, for myself. I still buy chips for everyone when meeting with friends. I still eat sweets as long as they are made at home. And yes, I have cheat day…

What health risks are you implying there are?
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