Everyday Systems #41: The "What the Hell" effect and negative qualification

Convenience is stronger than you are. Accept this fact. But with a little planning, the convenient thing doesn't have to be too awful. Case in point: "optimize your oatmeal."

7 Feb 20079min

Stop using evasive euphemisms. Own up to "failure" or you become it.

31 Jan 20075min

Moderation isn't mushy. Learn from extremists by drawing hard lines -- just draw them in different places. Get the clarity of cold turkey abstinence without the sweeping deprivation.

25 Jan 20078min

No time to exercise? Get philosophical. Use enlightened self-mockery, a neo-Kantian personal categorical imperative, and an existential leap of action to get you moving.

17 Jan 20078min

How to use index cards for todo lists at the three scales of the chain of command: daily, monthly, yearly.

10 Jan 200711min

Organize your self improvement efforts on three temporal scales: year=general, month=officer, day=footsoldier.

3 Jan 200710min

Make your goals fun, important, and attainable with Personal Olympics.

14 Dec 20067min

A month is a much better granularity than the more typical yearly resolution we make on new years, because you can estimate better on that smaller scale, and recover and reset faster. And it's long en...

7 Dec 20065min