Day 1627 & Updates After Sickness (Flossing Superhabit)

Day 1627 Record Keeping
Day 1598 Fixed Meditation (10 min, vipassana)
Day 1473 Writing (3, 20 min Pomdoros)
Day 1012 Rowing (DID NOT DO)
Day 753 Mobility/Stretching (DID NOT DO)
Day 111 Sunday Groceries
Day 63 Flossing (SUPERHABIT, 6 teeth)
–
Great sleep. 

Updates After Sickness (Flossing Superhabit)

I'm finally back.

I've been sick for almost a month. I thought I was getting over it 9 days ago, but it came back with a vengeance. While it has completely messed up a lot of my individual instances of habits, I have kept a few things up.

First, I've been keeping up my flossing, both recording it and doing it. Flossing is now a SUPERHABIT, after achieving scores in the 80s on the SRHI for the last week. I plan on experimenting on the best ways to stretch the habit, which should be easier since it's a simple matter of counting teeth. This should get me a full 3 dimensional graph of the entire process of long term change from a behavioral standpoint. 

I've also successfully kept up with my Sunday Grocery habit in a new location, and eating has worked pretty damn well. I've been pairing this with a very specific thus far off-blog experiment - a 90 day no beer challenge. I'm on day 19, and the technique I'm using is working both effortlessly and flawlessly. More on that in a later post. 

I'll also be posting on two other projects. The first, a new take on getting up early, got interrupted by my sickness, but I think I still got some interesting data from it. The second, on writing, is still a work in progress, but I hope to soon set up trials on how to level that up shortly.

But before all that, I intend to slowly get back to my full complement of habits at levels back before my sickness.

 

Day 1355

Day 1355 Record Keeping
Day 1327 Fixed Meditation (visualizations)
Day 1202 Writing (DID NOT DO)
Day 741 Rowing (1 hour, walking)
Day 482 Mobility/Stretching (10 min, back smash & hip stretch )
Day 132 Social Media (reading for future posts)
--
Day 72 Meal Prep (DID NOT DO)
--
XXEarly to Rise
XXDay 510 Sleep Recording  (DID NOT DO)
XXDay 481 Bedtime Curfew (DID NOT DO
XXDay 319 Wakeup Alarm (DID NOT DO)
–
Ok sleep. Incredibly depleted. Still trying to get back on schedule. Nixing my entire Early to Rise project. I haven't done any of the elements in a while due to the massive amounts of interruptions in the last several months.

Day 1082

Day 1082 Record Keeping
Weekend Habits
—–
Eating
Day 306 Pantry Check (DID NOT DO)
Day 304 Food Recording (DID NOT DO)
—
Early to Rise
Day 237 Water (DID NOT DO)
Day 237 Sleep Recording  (1|1:30|9:20|11)
Day 208 Bedtime Curfew 
Day 46 Wakeup Alarm 
–
Ok sleep, ok wakeup. Definitely had problems sleeping cause of all the tea I drank before bed last night (friends from China are visiting). I’m formally declaring the implosion of Pantry Check, Food Recording, and my Water habit.

I think my Pantry Check habit does nothing for my food habit - a solid Sunday Meal Prep does so much more. My Food Recording does nothing either - I have a post coming up on the Whole Life Challenge, and the reason I like it is that it’s more functional. Recording food on most apps is more about calories, and I’d rather get away from them to focus on quality of food. So instead, the Whole Life Challenge has you taking off points for every serving of a non permitted food item. The “Flash Diet” also seems more functional in that it provides an in-the-moment method of stepping back AND a food log. Lastly, my water habit had no impact on whether or not I woke up early, and I really don’t have much to go on in terms of research for the pure act of hydrating more. If I need it, I’ll add it as a regular habit.

I think there are items I’ve brainstormed that can replace these - for example, a new food recording system, something in the morning that gets me happy and eager to get out of bed (like my original bacon and water habit was meant to do), and, most importantly, a process-oriented half step between Meal Prep Sundays and my goal of eating mastery. But first I’ve got to clear the path.

Day 1081

Day 1081 Record Keeping
Day 1053 Fixed Meditation (10 min)
Day 927 Writing (3/13 min, revision)
Day 467 Rowing (LISS, 30 min, 4800 m)
Day 208 Mobility/Stretching (10 min, hip stretch, back smash)
—–
Eating
Day 305 Pantry Check (DID NOT DO)
Day 303 Food Recording (DID NOT DO)
—
Early to Rise
Day 236 Water (DID NOT DO)
Day 236 Sleep Recording  (3:50|5|12|12:30)
Day 207 Bedtime Curfew (DID NOT DO - VISITORS)
Day 45 Wakeup Alarm 81 SUPERHABIT
–
Great sleep, ok wakeup. Declaring my wakeup alarm habit a superhabit, so no more recording. The visitors here caused me to stay up really late last night, but I’m pretty happy with that deviation. 

Day 1080

Day 1080 Record Keeping
Day 1052 Fixed Meditation (10 min)
Day 926 Writing (2/13 min, revision)
Day 466 Rowing (HIIT, 15s:60s, 14 min, 2600 m)
Day 207 Mobility/Stretching (10 min, back & hip smash)
—–
Eating
Day 304 Pantry Check (DID NOT DO)
Day 302 Food Recording (DID NOT DO)
—
Early to Rise
Day 235 Water
Day 235 Sleep Recording  (2|2:50|11:30|12)
Day 206 Bedtime Curfew (DID NOT DO - VISITORS)
Day 44 Wakeup Alarm 81
–
Great sleep, ok wakeup. Visitors in town. I THINK I nailed down my biphasic sleep due to jet lag - I took a sleeping thingy to try to adjust. We’ll see how it works out tomorrow. Surprisingly excellent work today. 

Day 1079

Day 1079 Record Keeping
Day 1051 Fixed Meditation (10 min)
Day 925 Writing (2/13 min, revision)
Day 465 Rowing (LISS, 30 min, 4200 m)
Day 206 Mobility/Stretching (10 min, back & hip smash)
—–
Eating
Day 303 Pantry Check (DID NOT DO)
Day 301 Food Recording (DID NOT DO)
—
Early to Rise
Day 234 Water
Day 234 Sleep Recording  (12:30|12:50|1:30|2:10)
Day 205 Bedtime Curfew
Day 43 Wakeup Alarm 81
–
Ok sleep, ok wakeup. Still waking up at 3 am and not able to get back to sleep till early. ARGHHHH!!! Friends coming to stay with us for a while. Challenging myself to stay the course. Must formalize eating challenge.

Day 1078 & Resetting Sleep After Jet Lag

Day 1078 Record Keeping
Day 1050 Fixed Meditation (10 min)
Day 924 Writing (2/13 min, draft)
Day 464 Rowing (HIIT, 15s:60s, 14 min, 2500 m)
Day 205 Mobility/Stretching (10 min, hip stretch, back smash)
—–
Eating
Day 302 Pantry Check (DID NOT DO)
Day 300 Food Recording (DID NOT DO)
Day 30 Sunday Meal Prep 71 (retroactive from Sunday)
—
Early to Rise
Day 233 Water
Day 233 Sleep Recording  (12:30|12:50|2|3)
Day 204 Bedtime Curfew
Day 42 Wakeup Alarm 80
–
Ok sleep, great wakeup. Woke up again at 3 am. I really need to learn how I can

Reset Sleep After Jet Lag
I think the biggest problem with resetting sleep has to do with my relationship with writing. Writing is my biggest challenge. When I started out seriously writing, I got more sleep because if I was tired at all there was no way I could choose the words I needed carefully and really think. It wasn’t like a regular job where people regularly show up with half a mind. As a writer I have to be totally alert and rested, and I can barely make it through when I’m at 100%.

I’m beginning to see that as the old way of doing writing. Rather than thinking of writing as a super cerebral perfect choosing of poetic words emphasizing specific turns of speech from the get-go, my new model of writing has to do with several passes done at a rather low thinking level in order to avoid perfectionism and resulting writer’s block.

Thinking less is actually pretty helpful for busting out a rough draft. Thinking less is really helpful for removing The Editor mentality when scamping for sentence level rewriters. James Patterson’s idea of progressing quickly through many rewrites to prevent getting stuck at any one point backs this point up. It switches the whole endeavor to a more mechanistic, workflow driven emphasis that has less to do with one specific success or mistake. I like it.

It also means that I should at least be able to force myself to get up earlier, for at least a reset. Unfortunately I’ve been doing my sleeping one way for quite a long time, so in the moment I naturally default to habitual behavior. Time to change!

Day 1074

Day 1074 Record Keeping
Day 1046 Fixed Meditation (DID NOT DO)
Day 920 Writing (12/13 min, revision, great work, deadline)
Day 460 Rowing (DID NOT DO)
Day 201 Mobility/Stretching (DID NOT DO)
—–
Eating
Day 298 Pantry Check (DID NOT DO)
Day 296 Food Recording (DID NOT DO)
—
Early to Rise
Day 229 Water (DID NOT DO)
Day 229 Sleep Recording  (11:30|2|3)
Day 200 Bedtime Curfew
Day 38 Wakeup Alarm 81
–
Horrible sleep, horrible wakeup. Fantastically horrible sleep - I appear to have gone biphasic. Was on a deadline, had horrible failure to start issues, was depressed, but I managed to have some great writing work.

Day 1073

Day 1073 Record Keeping
Day 1045 Fixed Meditation (10 min)
Day 919 Writing (4/15 min, revision, great work)
Day 459 Rowing (HIIT, 15s:60s, 14 min, 2400 m)
Day 200 Mobility/Stretching (10 min, hip stretch and back smash)
—–
Eating
Day 297 Pantry Check (DID NOT DO)
Day 295 Food Recording (DID NOT DO)
—
Early to Rise
Day 228 Water (DID NOT DO)
Day 228 Sleep Recording  (11:30|8:30|9:40)
Day 199 Bedtime Curfew
Day 37 Wakeup Alarm 80
–
Horrible sleep, ok wakeup. But I think I reset my sleep cycle, provided I don’t take a nap today. 200 days of mobility. My wakeup alarm habit is almost a superhabit. I have to decide wether or not I’m keeping my pantry check and water habit, and when I’m going to start up my food recording after a long hiatus.

Day 1071

Day 1071 Record Keeping
Day 1043 Fixed Meditation (DID NOT DO)
Day 917 Writing (2/30 min)
Day 457 Rowing (HIIT, 15s:60s, 14 min, 2500 m)
Day 198 Mobility/Stretching (10 min, hip stretch & back smash)
—–
Eating
Day 295 Pantry Check 
Day 293 Food Recording (DID NOT DO)
—
Early to Rise
Day 226 Water
Day 226 Sleep Recording  (11:20|3-9|2:30|3:30)
Day 197 Bedtime Curfew
Day 35 Wakeup Alarm 79
–
Weird sleep, ok wakeup. Had to get up really early, so weird sleep. Did not have time to do my meditation today. Started a new 8 week HIIT program. Need to formalize Whole Life Challenge.

Day 1070

Day 1070 Record Keeping
Day 1042 Fixed Meditation (15 min)
Day 916 Writing (a LOT of catch up)
Day 456 Rowing (20 min/3300 m)
Day 197 Mobility/Stretching (10 min, hip stretch and smash)
—–
Eating
Day 294 Pantry Check (DiD NOT DO)
Day 292 Food Recording (DID NOT DO)
—
Early to Rise
Day 225 Water (DID NOT DO)
Day 225 Sleep Recording  (11:30|12|6:30|8:50)
Day 196 Bedtime Curfew
Day 34 Wakeup Alarm 78
–
Bad sleep, ok wakeup.

Day 1060

Day 1060 Record Keeping
Day 1032 Fixed Meditation (10 min)
Day 906 Writing (6/20 min)
Day 446 Rowing (DID NOT DO)
Day 187 Mobility/Stretching (DID NOT DO)
—–
Eating
Day 284 Pantry Check (DiD NOT DO)
Day 282 Food Recording (DID NOT DO)
—
Early to Rise
Day 215 Water (DID NOT DO)
Day 215 Sleep Recording  (11:50|12:30|8:30|9)
Day 186 Bedtime Curfew
Day 24 Wakeup Alarm 74
–
Good sleep, good wakeup. Still in travel mode. Excellent work, I think I’ve made a lot of progress in writing. Some things here while in another location aren’t quite do-able because I’m on someone else’s time table, but what I can do I’m getting done. Time zone switch has not adversely affected my waking up. I leave for Spain tomorrow, which is a really difficult time zone switch.

Day 1059

Day 1059 Record Keeping
Day 1031 Fixed Meditation (20 min)
Day 905 Writing (many rounds, on deadline)
Day 445 Rowing (DID NOT DO)
Day 186 Mobility/Stretching (back smash)
—–
Eating
Day 283 Pantry Check (DiD NOT DO)
Day 281 Food Recording (DID NOT DO)
—
Early to Rise
Day 214 Water (DID NOT DO)
Day 214 Sleep Recording  (12:20|12:35|8|8:30)
Day 185 Bedtime Curfew
Day 23 Wakeup Alarm 75
–
Good sleep, good wakeup. Horrendously depressed, but continued to do all the habits I could do. Traveled yesterday, so didn’t record, but still managed to do my mobility, meditation, water, sleep recording, bedtime curfew, and wakeup alarm. Not bad.

Day 1057

Day 1057 Record Keeping
Day 1029 Fixed Meditation (10 min)
Day 903 Writing (2/30)
Day 443 Rowing (25 kb swings, 1x25, russian style, 25 lb)
Day 184 Mobility/Stretching (back smash & hip stretch)
—–
Eating
Day 281 Pantry Check (DiD NOT DO)
Day 279 Food Recording (DID NOT DO)
—
Early to Rise
Day 212 Water
Day 212 Sleep Recording  (10:50|12:30|7:40|9:30)
Day 183 Bedtime Curfew
Day 21 Wakeup Alarm 73
–
HORRENDOUS sleep, slow wakeup. Lowered volume in kettlebell workout, low energy overall. Flight and drive tomorrow to Greenville, SC. I do like these later flights combined with waking up at a decent hour, as it helps me get my routine over with.

Day 1056

Day 1056 Record Keeping
Day 1028 Fixed Meditation (15 min)
Day 902 Writing (1.5/30)
Day 442 Rowing (75 kb swings, 3x25, russian style, 25 lb)
Day 183 Mobility/Stretching (back smash & hip stretch)
—–
Eating
Day 280 Pantry Check (DiD NOT DO)
Day 278 Food Recording (DID NOT DO)
—
Early to Rise
Day 211 Water
Day 211 Sleep Recording  (11:30|12:40|8:40|9:40)
Day 182 Bedtime Curfew
Day 20 Wakeup Alarm 74
–
Good sleep, ok wakeup. Really tough doing kettlebell swings today. Writing was curtailed due to errands and a time constraint today. Really busy weekend. Hosted a party, and despite it all, kept up with my bedtime curfew, sleep recording, and waking up automatically, even if I didn’t have time to actually do my formal recording here. That’s progress!

I’m also beginning to see that despite having busy days, I’m able to do a majority of my habits - that’s not just because of waking up early, which of course helps by freeing up time, but also because I seem to see them as a solid foundation to my day. Just like this NaNoWriMo where I kept up with the majority of my habits. That’s awesome progress as well.

Day 1053

Day 1053 Record Keeping
Day 1025 Fixed Meditation (on the go)
Day 899 Writing (DID NOT DO)
Day 439 Rowing (DID NOT DO)
Day 180 Mobility/Stretching (back smash & hip stretch)
—–
Eating
Day 277 Pantry Check (DiD NOT DO)
Day 275 Food Recording (DID NOT DO)
—
Early to Rise
Day 208 Water
Day 208 Sleep Recording  (11:40|12:20|7:50|8:20)
Day 179 Bedtime Curfew
Day 17 Wakeup Alarm 69
–
Bad sleep, ok wakeup. TONS of errands that lasted the entirety of the day. Talking to Lydia on quality of sleep had her bringing up a Mark’s Daily Apple post where he talks about drinking bone broth/stock right before bed. Mark apparently experienced some great sleep, and linked to a study on glycine and quality of sleep. Tonight I just happened to have some broth I got from the local Vietnamese restaurant, so I did my mobilization before bed and drank a small cup of the broth. We’ll see how it goes tonight!

Day 1051

Day 1051 Record Keeping
Day 1023 Fixed Meditation (15 min)
Day 897 Writing (2/30)
Day 437 Rowing (100 25 lb kb swings, 4x25, Russian style)
Day 178 Mobility/Stretching (back & hip smash, hip stretch)
—–
Eating
Day 275 Pantry Check (DiD NOT DO)
Day 273 Food Recording (DID NOT DO)
—
Early to Rise
Day 206 Water
Day 206 Sleep Recording  (10:20|12:20|8|8:30)
Day 177 Bedtime Curfew
Day 15 Wakeup Alarm 72
–
Bad sleep, good wakeup. Hard workout - moving from 15 lb Russian to 25 lb Russian was tough. Incredibly distracted today - had a bunch of errands to run. As a result my writing was filled with procrastination. Did what I’m calling my Procrastination Protocol - which I’m adding to day by day - and it worked yet again. Will continue to tweak it a little more here and there before describing it on this blog. My Wakeup Alarm habit is pretty solid - need to begin thinking of my next behavior. First day in another town after travel, and I still woke up automatically.

Day 1050

Day 1050 Record Keeping
Day 1022 Fixed Meditation (5 min)
Day 896 Writing (DID NOT DO)
Day 436 Rowing (bike ride)
Day 177 Mobility/Stretching (couch stretch)
—–
Eating
Day 274 Pantry Check (DiD NOT DO)
Day 272 Food Recording
—
Early to Rise
Day 205 Water (DID NOT DO)
Day 205 Sleep Recording  (11:40|12:45|7:40|8:20)
Day 176 Bedtime Curfew
Day 14 Wakeup Alarm 68
–
Bad sleep, good wakeup. Traveled to Houston today. Did my meditation, albeit shortened, on the plane. Went on a lovely bike ride, stretched.  I’m very curious to see just how ingrained this wakeup alarm thing is when switching time zones and locations. As usual I felt so invigorated and relaxed after my bike ride. It really got me thinking about the value of self care, doing activities that fill me with energy, and of the importance of expanding base resources - All variables I have not taken seriously in this project.

Day 1049

Day 1049 Record Keeping
Day 1021 Fixed Meditation (15 min - EXCELLENT)
Day 895 Writing (DID NOT DO)
Day 435 Rowing (125 15 lb kb swings, 5x25, Russian style)
Day 176 Mobility/Stretching (back & hip smash, hip stretch)
—–
Eating
Day 273 Pantry Check (DiD NOT DO)
Day 271 Food Recording
—
Early to Rise
Day 204 Water (DID NOT DO)
Day 204 Sleep Recording  (9:45|10:45|7:15|8:40)
Day 175 Bedtime Curfew
Day 13 Wakeup Alarm 66
–
Good sleep, good wakeup. Really depressed this morning. I think I’m going through what I’ve called a Vortex Force or Repletion problems. That’s when things are going really well, and depression hits because I feel I’m not doing enough.

Today I looked at a bunch of people on social media, like I usually do while waking up, and saw people doing amazing things. And it made me realize just how heavy that mountain is - how much I have to do, especially with writing. And even though I’m nailing my sleeping, waking up early naturally for 13 days which has never happened and is worthy of a book in and of itself, I wasn’t happy. I nailed my workout, my mobility, my meditation is excellent, and none of that is enough - all I could think of is how I’m not doing enough.

I know I need to hold off on doing more, especially since I’ll be traveling tomorrow and then again in a week. But maybe there are other ways to combat this - like looking at cute cat pics or doing affirmations or whatever in the morning.