habit
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To-Do, but With Focus
Dear Conscience, I am still experimenting with this to-do list effort. On one hand, I want to just develop a habit of keeping and managing a to-do list, even if I am not very good at checking things off yet. On the other, it feels pointless just transferring the same tastes to next day, without Continue reading
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Stumbling and Ironing
Dear Conscience, As I stated yesterday, the first week of a habit introduction is crucial, and needs full attention. Yesterday I stumbled, by falling asleep together with my daughter. So I didn’t have any evening routine when I’d usually put my phone away and then handle my to-do list. Sleep is important when I do Continue reading
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Make or Break Period
Dear Conscience, I think that an important element in a quest to introduce a desired behavior is to initially really focus on it intensely in the first week. The failure rate in the first 10 days or so is very high (after about 3 days of initial excitement about a new habit). We know well Continue reading
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No Judgment, Just Habit
Dear Conscience, In order to successfully integrate a practice of managing a daily to-do list, it has to become a habit. In thinking this throng, I realized that my so-called 3 “basic” or “core” habits are more about following rules I set out for myself, instead of the “micro” “tiny” or “atomic” habits recommended more Continue reading
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Why Do I Write Here?
Dear Conscience, I have been writing to you daily, and publishing my letters on this blog, since last summer. It is not really blogging, it is more like public journaling. And I definitely experience the widely touted benefits of journaling, the habit has been helpful in my daily life. The question is, why is my Continue reading
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The Trouble with Streaks
Dear Conscience, I have a love-hate relationship with streaks. They can be an easy motivation, and just as easily a motivation killer. I am talking about this today, because today is my 66th day of writing here in a row without breaking the streak. 66 is one of the magic numbers being thrown around in Continue reading
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Integrating a Habit
Dear Conscience, it’s time to start trying out my new system. The little notebook (tiny moleskine that fits in my back pocket with a tiny little fabriano pen attached to it, all sleek Italian design), the new to-do / focus app (complish.ai, designed for ADHD brains, which even though I don’t have a diagnosis, might Continue reading
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101 Posts
Dear Conscience, this is my 101st post since I started this self-accountability blog journal. And if you look at the post history, it is patchy. I started with daily writing. Then I skipped some days. Then I had a lull of a couple of months. And here I am now, on a 30-day streak, the Continue reading
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Habit Cue
Dear Conscience, I think having a reminder pop up on my phone really helps me remember to check in, even if I don’t do it as soon as I see it. I’ve read many times that habits need a cue. My two other habits also have my devices helping me keep them (by requiring me Continue reading
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Return to Conscience
Dear Conscience, Yesterday, I just completely forgot to write to you. It wasn’t the worst of days, but still, I know your value and it is my core conviction that I should write to you daily. What would be the best time to write to you, so that it might become a habit, but also Continue reading
About Me
I got my first nickname when I was 4 years old. It was “bakitza”, which means ‘an old lady’. I’ve always been an old lady on the inside. And as I progress towards being an old lady on the outside too, I want to take control of this journey. To reach the full fledged bakitza level with a peace of mind I always associated with that life stage. I thought it would come on it’s own with age. But now I realize that I have to take control over the mess that my life currently is in order to be a thoroughly satisfied bakitza one day.
Becoming Bakitza 