In this column I share articles, books, research, and thoughts related to the science of self-help, along with experiments and random rabbit holes I’ve gone down across the previous month.

This month I finished David Kadavy’s Mind Management, Not TIme Management, which is a fantastic book fusing behavioral elements to planning. I’ve been thinking a lot about planning, and how my inability to juggle multiple projects and project their completion is an incredible thorn in my side.

I’ve also gotten into data science. I’m retaking Experimentation for Improvement, which gets into multivariate testing and uses statistical programs like R to analyze and conduct experiments more efficiently. I’ve quit this course several times, but I’m hoping another course, part of a Google Data Analytics Certification, will give me the background to continue through. So far the analytics course has been really useful, something I should’ve done a while ago to organize all the data from my project.

I’ve also grown more fascinated with the oft-repeated phrase “you’ve gotta fall in love with the process”. Yeah, but how? I’ve started reverse engineering what that process is actually comprised of to apply it to other behaviors, even things I might hate.

What’s New

More podcasts! I recorded one with my buddy on his soon to be launched embodiment show, and another with Ishani at My First Step Ever. My previously recorded podcast with Harshad Manglani at What Works for You, a productivity and self experimentation podcast, just came out.
I’ve been approached by a few brands to rep or collaborate with. It’s a new thing for this project, so I’m still learning exactly how I can work with them.
I’ve also been approached by several app developers. Some of these are quite interesting, and I’m very curious how they pan out.

Interesting Articles

Machine learning used to analyze the effects of coffee consumption (New York Times)
The amazing fertility of the older mind (BBC)
Why it’s not too late to learn new skills (New Yorker)
The science of spiritual narcissism (Scientific American)
Bruce Lee’s library (Art of Manliness)
Coffee causes insulin resistance - but don’t panic! (Thomas DeLauer, Youtube)

Research

How Paulo Mantegazza coined “sleep hygiene” in 1864
The effect of Samatha meditation training for students with ADHD (study)
Self compassion can lessen feelings of loneliness
The connection between gut microbe diversity and loneliness (press release)
Personal rituals can ease loneliness by increasing meaning (study)

Experiments and Things I’m Looking Into

Hapbee - a wearable device to hack your emotions
Month 4 of applying Tally Clicking to the mind. I successfully did this with anxiety, but now am trying to apply it to all negative thoughts, my version of fusing dog training and mindfulness with Stoicism.
Month 7 of testing food month to month. It is not going well despite high levels of adherence.

Social

How to fuse mindfulness with video games (Reddit)
A discussion on the “pitfalls of sleep” (Instagram Live)
How to discipline yourself to not binge watch the weekends away (Reddit)
Completeness, an Element of Change (Instagram)
How to meditate through pain (Reddit)
How to extensively learn and research a subject on your own (Reddit)
Problems creating the perfect planning system (Reddit)
How to push through periods of low motivation (Reddit)
A theoretical framework necessary to efficiently becoming a polymath (Reddit)

Miscellaneous & Esoteric

12 concentration practices from 1918
A discussion of what might be Air Force funded jhana practice
The relationship between mindfulness and flow
The Law of Attraction’s roots in black magic

If you’ve got any interesting links, books, comments, or suggestions, shoot me an email at scienceofselfhelp (at) gmail.com. I’d love to hear from you!