2020 Year in Review
2020 was a crazy year. As for many, it included a lot of setbacks, but also a lot of forced growth
HABITS
This year I made some of my most efficiently formed habits yet. I tested out methods to form a habit in a day - which ultimately failed, but I learned a lot about the process and hastened it significantly. From that came a potential habit equation, something I’ve long theorized on, but never had the technical or mathematical ability to uncover.
I also tested a novel method - what I call “habit splicing”- to smoothly connect two habits together in order to cross train the larger behavior.
THEORIES AND EXPERIMENTS
Habit splicing was brought on by a new meta model that goes beyond habits into “lifestyles” - a sequence of habits in a row used to bypass skill plateaus and the lag time needed to efficiently form a habit.
I tested methods to extend Cal Newport’s theories of “Deep Work” - stretching out my focused concentration by manipulating larger variables like energy. This got me into some really interesting research on how to work on both sides of the concentration and willpower divide, exploring activities that are actually BOOSTED when willpower is low.
I also successfully mapped out a bad day, using a number of techniques to replenish willpower, even when I had nothing left in the tank. I measured this using a hand grip dynamometer, a device some old studies used, which matched quite well with my subjective feelings of self control. This opens the door of further direct testing on willpower and how it would play into a larger potential self help equation.
I sketched out the problems of “lazy” polymathy - learning multiple skills in tandem - and the behavioral techniques it would theoretically rest upon. I completed a 90 day tally clicking challenge on anxiety, which worked spectacularly well. It is, as far as I can tell, the first graphed out map of mindset and how to scientifically and accurately change it.
This - and a chance video posted on the Houston Stoic group - gave me the idea of fusing behavioral science with Stoicism in order to better achieve emotional mastery and deal with all my mental health issues in one fell swoop. I started that project about a month ago, and it seems to be progressing well.
MISCELLANEOUS/APPLICATIONS
I came up with a number of new techniques during 2020. These include a new resiliency meditation that borrows from vipassana and loving-kindness practices. I also used a dating reality show to practice “Awkwardness Meditation”. I tested out micro meditations of 1 -2 minutes, made gratitude PowerPoints, and used an electronic tally counter for a mechanical, external form of mindfulness that I believe is a fantastic entry into the practice - and worked especially well when I was feeling overwhelmed.
I took part in an incredible, full on Vedic ritual with my parents to imbue my tally counter. I started other rituals like “shitty art nights” and resurrected my weekend menus.
I got several other counters (finger and a necklace) to accommodate the large amounts of clicks from my resiliency training project. I bought an HRV monitor to try to track meditative states. I got an assault bike for HIITS, Timular (a physical device to track multiple broken up projects), a rower, and a trampoline to test “rebounding”.
LEARNING
I also grew my personal library of antiquarian self help books (most from a hundred years ago). They are fascinating in their many good AND bad ideas. I learned more about other ancient forms of self help - tantra, Western occult, Theosophy, New Thought, Stoicism, Epicureanism, and Ralstonism. Looking to the future, I researched Artificial Intelligence theories and their take on advanced nonlinear planning. I found out about Applied Behavioral Analysis and their methods on training autistic children, an approach remarkably similar to my own. And I finally figured out how to use my local library system to get full access to science journals. In the past I had two jobs where I had to build databases of journal articles for very niche topics. I never thought it would come in handy, but I’ve already begun doing the same with this project.
I started bouldering at my climbing gym before it closed, took up whittling, learned to design on Canva, took classes on site traffic, website SEO, and Instagram.
Most importantly, I finished a very intense course on meditation - the Finder’s Course - rigorously trying over 30 different types of meditation, many of which I had never heard of before. This lead to some very advanced practices and experiences.
ATTEMPTED AND FAILED
It wasn’t all good. I had spectacular setbacks in publication. I pitched almost a 100 different magazines. And while I’m glad I had positive feedback and “almosts” with some high end ones - The Washington Post, the BBC, Yoga Journal, Scientific American, and The New Yorker - it all went horribly wrong. In some cases, I had commissioned articles pulled after working a great deal on them.
TRAVEL
I got accepted for a press trip to go on a UNESCO pilgrimage in Japan where I would stay at traditional inns, eat super local food, hang out with a Yamabushi monk, and forge a knife with a Kyoto sword maker. I got accepted to write it all up for Travel and Leisure, a magazine that has long eluded me.
That, of course, was all cancelled due to the pandemic. I did however learn how to travel in different ways. I went on a trip to the Texas hill country and did a lot of local exploration, visiting old towns, old shops and antique stores in the many villages and neighborhoods in and around Houston
I reconnected with a lot of old friends - taking part in and organizing group zoom calls, boardgame nights, movie nights, socially distanced picnics, book clubs and long phone calls.
I walked in parks a lot.
PUTTING MYSELF OUT THERE
Zoom made conferences easier. I checked out the Embodiment Conference, and ones put on by Adobe, Issuu, and Later. I applied to be a speaker at StoicCon (and didn’t make it). I applied for a Gotham Fellowship and entered a flash fiction writing contest (also a no from them). I participated a lot in a Facebook writer’s group and started answering questions on Reddit on my project.
My failures in publishing forced me to to focus on my own brand. I used a lot of methods from my classes to boost traffic to my site, increasing visits by 214% from last year. And I grew a completely new instagram account from nothing to over 6K followers. Most recently I collaborated with a friend on an Instagram Live discussion on habits - my first foray into video.
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2020 didn’t go the way I had planned. But I learned a whole hell of a lot along the way. I hope you did too. Happy New Year!