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buybuydandavis comments on Two methods on akrasia / unhealthy habits / addictions - Less Wrong Discussion
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I just read Willpower, by Baumeister, and I've started on another book, Superhuman by Habit, and was thinking something similar. It is probably the Habit book where it came from.
It's probably in line with your recent posts on self control vs. willpower as well.
Take a meta focus. Focus on process.
How about simply shaping your identity as a person who builds good habits?
I think that basic argument is in Superhuman by Habit. Maybe you'd like it. Part of the process is the level of commitment to executing the habit. There is always immediate gain through blowing off the habit for a day. It won't really kill you. It's only a day. But if you set up an artificial goal of doing the habit, and keeping your streak alive, then you've busted your streak that you've been working on.
The streak doesn't really matter for the end result. You could skip. But once you're thinking in those terms, you're hosed. The streak is meaningless, so it needs to be invested with meaning.
I really wish there was a "Gamify your Life" android app, where you get points all day for doing things. Bling! You took your vitamins! Bling! You went to bed at a decent hour. I play Ingress, and I've noted how much time and energy I and others will put into "points". Just call them points, and I'll do anything. It's insane. But potentially useful, if only I had a game aligned to my goals.
Google delivers: HabitRPG https://habitrpg.com/static/front
Looks like it's open source too.
The problem I have with the other goal tracking is the cost of all the measurement, and then the incommeasurabilty of all the different goals, and then the Getting Things Done issue of all the other things you might be doing weighing on your attention for what you are doing, or more likely, are not doing. Somehow that "but what about improving this other X" has to get turned off.
I'll give the app a try (maybe), and if so, let people know what I've found.
Or, promise future goodies to the Lower Self. The Lower Self is forgetful. And if you delay often enough, you've effectively cut down on the rate of the bad habit. Maybe that was from Baumeister, with an associated study or two.
Cf. Crossfit: "Men will die for points" X-)
I'm partially cheered, and partially disturbed that my insanity is so widespread.
It is so sad really. CrossFitters discover why sports are a good idea, and then turn around and go back to the stupid idea of fitness:
"In implementation, CrossFit is, quite simply, the “sport of fitness.” We’ve learned that harnessing the natural camaraderie, competition and fun of sport or game yields an intensity that cannot be matched by other means. The late Col. Jeff Cooper observed, “the fear of sporting failure is worse than the fear of death.” It is our observation that men will die for points. Using whiteboards as scoreboards, keeping accurate scores and records, running a clock, and precisely defining the rules and standards for performance, we not only motivate unprecedented output, but derive both relative and absolute metrics at every workout. "
The issue is, obviously, that beyond health and sexiness, most modern people have no need for fitness at all. Their definition of fitness, "increased work capacity across broad time and modal domains", is wonderful except we don't actually need to do that sort of work. We sit at desks and get paid for it, and mainly want to be sexy and healthy, that is what we expect from the gym.
The reason sports are are better is that they give a reason to be fit. They give an actual real life goal to use fitness for.
I don't agree and think you're generalizing your viewpoint a bit too much. Having a well-functioning, capable body that doesn't squeak, creak, and complain as you do a variety of things -- other than sitting on a chair, that is -- is a pleasure in itself, beyond health and sexiness.
There are many of these kinds, HabitRPG is fully general, Fitocracy is more specific etc. I don't like them... too unserious. I dislike a silly robot calling me awesome for doing my pushups (Fitocracy) or HabitRPG havint the visuals of the JRPGs of old consoles I always found way, way childish (my old RPGs were like Dark Knights of Krynn on the PC).
I would use such an app if it would treat me like a grownup.
I will reflect about the other parts of your post later, but that takes some thought and research, this part was just faster.
Making these apps "skinnable" on feedback is a hugely important design feature. Having different modalities for the skins - audio, video, image - would be important. User skinnable would be best. Different strokes, for different folks.
It's like that crazy woman on the audio loop at Safeway (a grocery store), who is just a little too damn perky for my taste. I berserker rage rises in the gorge every time she ever so cheerfully tells me about the fantastic values I can enjoy.
Maybe the core framework should be provided as a web service, like SOAP or REST. Most users don't want to invest time into skinning. It would be more likely to have web designers, programmers, basing new sites based on the service.
Wait, this actually sounds like an important project. Since sites like this are likely to make a lot of lives better - I am currently testing Happify for me - an ecosystem of one web service and a hundred sites on top of for various tastes and attitudes sounds like something that could make quite an impact. Anyone from the Silicon Valley listening? :)
By skinnable I meant a facility whereby a motivated user can create a skin and make it available as a selection to the less motivated users.
Where the point is to plow new ground in personal motivation, I'd consider configurability important for expermenting and disseminating improved setups, and then personalizing the user experience.