There are tons of "Don't Break The Chain"-style motivation tools in the iOS App Store and online, but I'm having trouble finding one with a feature I find essential: the ability to skip days
on the fly without breaking your streak.
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posted by Ian A.T.
on Apr 13, 2013 -
15 answers
Do you know about any researchers studying human behavior with regard to motivation, habits, and goal-setting, or books/papers about those topics?
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posted by markbao
on Dec 19, 2012 -
9 answers
Some weeks/months, you feel closer to your partner. Other weeks/months, not as much. Time and the natural course of things usually propel the cycle back around – is there anything you can do to hasten the process? What strategies do you employ in your relationship to rebuild closeness in your long-term relationship/marriage?
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posted by booksandwine
on Nov 20, 2012 -
28 answers
If I wrote down all the witty/funny/odd/insightful things that cross my mind all day long, I'd have tons of ideas for creative projects. The problem: I'm missing the part of my brain that says "Hey, write that down!"
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posted by Rykey
on Aug 21, 2012 -
13 answers
I need more sleep and I have the means. But I don't seem to want to, you know, actually sleep. What gives?
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posted by iamkimiam
on Jul 17, 2012 -
38 answers
I am a messy person who doesn't like to clean. Should I put more effort in being cleaner, or just accept this part of myself and get over the guilt? How? Or is this a psychological problem? Or maybe it's normal.
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posted by lacedcoffee
on Jul 8, 2012 -
58 answers
This is for my mom. "Luke, baby i keep, ten months old, keeps spitting/blowing for lack of a better word, his food out. he is still on baby food plus a little table food. does it to both of them. does it to his mom too. what can we do about it? Will you ask people you know with babies about this situation? not fun."
posted by bleary
on Jul 7, 2012 -
11 answers
How can I stop messing with my cuticles and nails? I don't want sad-looking hands forever!
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posted by sucre
on Feb 24, 2012 -
26 answers
The guy I am dating has unusual tendencies, is this a part of his ADD? Or his quirkiness? How should I approach the subject?
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posted by Chelsaroo650
on Feb 13, 2012 -
75 answers
I'm freeing up two hours a day in my schedule, and thinking about my mortality. In the next five years I'd like to spend that 3,600 hours to get really good at something in the area of music, art or programming, or some combination thereof. Which areas are most likely to show dramatic improvement with 3,000 hours of practice?
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posted by mecran01
on Feb 2, 2012 -
26 answers
What did you do
without removing your tonsils that helped reduce the frequency of your bouts of tonsillitis?
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posted by telegraph
on Jan 3, 2012 -
16 answers
I am a 27 year old girl and I'm still living like a teenager or college student. I have no adult habits and put absolutely no effort into taking care of myself. I don't understand how I got this way or how other people my age have transformed into real adults.
I don't even know what I'm asking.. I guess I need help figuring out how to develop good habits, how to take care of myself, and hear from people that have experienced this same problem.
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posted by chickibaby
on Oct 22, 2011 -
42 answers
One of my reactions to stress is to stop eating. It's not a conscious thing, food just stops being palatable and my hunger vanishes. Two days of nothing but coffee leaves me in a worse state and I ended up more stressed and it just starts over again. How do I force myself to eat when I really don't want to and break this cycle and/or what can I eat that will give me enough energy and nutrition to plow through a mood and not end up on accidental fasts?
posted by The Whelk
on Jul 2, 2011 -
35 answers
What are some handwriting uses that encourage regular, repeated sessions? Difficulty: Meaningful output (i.e. not rote exercises), creativity optional (i.e. writing short stories, composing lyrics are less desirable).
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posted by brentajones
on Jun 29, 2011 -
17 answers
I feel sometimes like I'm fighting a losing battle with myself: to accomplish certain things, stave off certain bad habits, develop certain good ones. How do you actually change yourself for the better when your lizard-brain is fighting you every step of the way?
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posted by Ziggy500
on Jun 2, 2011 -
24 answers
One of my few habits is that I have no regular routines/habits. Is this something I definitely need to change or is there a way to leverage this to do everything I want to do in life?
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posted by thorny
on May 31, 2011 -
19 answers
I'm looking for an app I can use for checking the same things off every day. I use iPhone and have Windows.
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posted by dubadubowbow
on Mar 23, 2011 -
14 answers
How did I develop such an aversion to looking people in the eye, and how I can overcome it? It was recently pointed out to me that I unconsciously avoid eye contact in all but the most intimate circumstances---one on one conversations, with friends, etc. Apparently, this makes me look "shifty-eyed" or even like I'm trying to peek down a woman's shirt, so I'd like to stop, but it's very difficult. Not only do I do it unconsciously, but making eye contact with strangers or more casual acquaintances actively feels wrong.
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posted by d. z. wang
on Feb 21, 2011 -
24 answers
Amazing skin forever? At my ritzy gym I constantly see older gentlemen with the most amazing skin quality: smooth, clear, even tone, even lightly tanned. What have they done to get/keep this peternatual skin quality and what can I do now as a younger man to get it?
posted by The Whelk
on Feb 18, 2011 -
27 answers
How do I make a habit of failing successfully (or at least in ways interesting to myself and others)?
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posted by Bwithh
on Feb 8, 2011 -
15 answers
In search of hacks/tricks/secrets and/or simple ways that you have successfully trained your two year old to go to sleep on their own.
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posted by joyride
on Jan 12, 2011 -
19 answers
I realized recently that I prefer licorice when it's gone so stale it's almost rock-hard, and similarly I also would much rather eat dry, horribly overcooked turkey than a properly-cooked, moist bird. I think pristine new leather on bags or furniture looks ugly, and prefer it when it's battered and beaten up. I understand and appreciate the qualities that makes the "good" versions of these things good, but they just don't dovetail with my subjective experience. What are some other things that are
better when they're worse?
posted by hels
on Dec 5, 2010 -
102 answers
Help me make my science-fiction story more realistic: what kind of mistakes might give away a bunch of born-and-bred military types trying to go undercover as civilians? Or, if you had military experience, what habits did you have to unlearn/relearn after discharge, that might be confusing or difficult if you hadn't had a civilian life previously and your off-duty time was much more regimented?
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posted by d. z. wang
on Aug 19, 2010 -
62 answers
I want to learn as much as possible about the psychology of purposely forming new habits (like exercising each day) or sticking to something which requires daily work (like learning a language). I am especially interested in the role that social pressure of peers can play in a person's success (Alcoholics Anonymous, study partners, even the recent findings that
a person's weight is related to the weight of those close to them may be examples). Books, articles, jumping off points -- academic or otherwise -- would be very much appreciated!
posted by the jam
on Aug 17, 2010 -
8 answers
My roommate is a pretty heavy drinker and smoker and he spends his Saturday nights passed out on the love seat in the den. His feet extend over the arm of the love seat. He sleeps on his back and I'm concerned that the pressure on his leg from the arm of the seat could cause a blood clot. Is this a real danger? Example of his position
here.
posted by zzazazz
on Jul 31, 2010 -
14 answers
Please share your systems, rules, habits, routines--I want to minimize my repeated small choices.
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posted by lemonade
on Apr 5, 2010 -
60 answers
Cook-once-a-week round 2: What low-GI, high-protein food can I cook on Sunday night and then reheat for
lunch/dinner Mon-Fri?
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posted by Vorteks
on Jan 15, 2010 -
29 answers
What low-GI, high-protein, portable food can I cook on Sunday night and then reheat for breakfast Mon-Fri?
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posted by Vorteks
on Dec 28, 2009 -
41 answers
What is a reasonable/normal amount of time for dirty dishes to be left in the sink, before they should be cleaned up? (This is a roommates question)
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posted by raztaj
on Sep 29, 2009 -
45 answers
Why do people develop bad posture? If it is true that good posture requires less energy to maintain, lines everything up correctly, and is more comfortable than bad posture, then why do people develop habits of slouching and otherwise maintaining bad posture?
N.B. I am not wondering why people who have already developed bad posture tend to maintain that habit or why people will occasionally reposition themselves for a few minutes in order to loosen up or relax their muscles. My question is why people learn to regularly have bad posture if good posture is so much "better" mechanically.
posted by philosophygeek
on Jun 3, 2009 -
23 answers