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Matthew Levine’s Blog

  1. Resolutions for 2008

    Posted January 4, 2008

    In addition to making resolutions specific and measurable, publicly declaring my goals should increase my chances of success by making me more accountable. So without further ado, my resolutions for 2008:

    1. Fitness: Get body fat percentage below 12.0%.

      A few months ago, I bought a scale that measures body fat so I can take daily measurements. While the value fluctuates considerably based on things like fluid in the body, I imagine that a decreased measurement correlates at least roughly to decrease in actual fat. I'll calculate this by using the 7-day trailing average with the aim of getting it below 12% by the end of the year. As of this writing, my trailing average is 16.7%.

      Tactics: keep a daily food diary, walk to work every day when weather permits (about half an hour each way), go swing dancing at least four times a month.

    2. Finance: Save at least 40% of net income per month.

      While the cost of living in San Francisco is higher in many respects, the urban lifestyle does afford substantial savings (like being able to get by without a car). I recently signed up with a CSA farm as well, so I'll have fresh, seasonal produce to cook for a fraction of what it would cost in a grocery store.

      Tactics: track daily expenses, cook dinner at least 4 times per week, set up automatic savings plan for 40% of net income.

    3. Productivity: End each day with fewer outstanding tasks.

      I've been practicing GTD off-and-on for several years now. I'm hoping that by making a twice-daily measurement of my outstanding workload, I'll find it easier to keep my trusted system current. To facilitate these mini-reviews (and provide a bit of extra time to complete a few tasks), I'm aiming to become an earlier riser.

      Tactics: wake up between 6am and 7am at least twenty times per month, do mini-reviews every morning and evening (in addition to full weekly reviews), carry pen and notepad everywhere for ubiquitous capture.

    I plan to put regular updates on this site for increased accountability. More on this soon.

  2. Successful Resolutions with Daily Measurement

    Posted January 3, 2008

    A few years ago, I heard a story on NPR about a woman who, after years of resolving and failing to take up running, finally stumbled upon a way to guarantee that she ran nearly every day. Rather than trying to motivate herself to jog several miles, she resolved to merely put on running shoes and walk out the door without any stipulation about what she did once outside. This minor shift in perspective produced a major change in results.

    The logic of this “gateway goal” technique is brilliant in its simplicity. When you're inside and comfortable, it's tough to muster the willpower to run for 30 minutes. It's quite easy, though, and only takes a few moments to put on shoes and step outside. Once there, there's no reason not to jog once or twice around the block. After you've covered a mile, you might as well make it two or three. Thus the stubborn mind is eased into action.

    My preferred approach is to combine gateway goals with quantitative, measurable resolutions. Measurable goals are always preferable to vague ones, but can be insufficient to produce the desired outcome. The problem is that many such goals are not directly actionable; what physical action can you take right now to come closer to saving 10% of your income? If you're unable to devote energy toward achieving your goal, it's easy to lose motivation.

    The solution is to provide a gateway goal for these measurable resolutions. The perfect gateway goal with such resolutions is to make a daily measurement of the quantity you're trying to improve. If you want to lose weight, weight yourself daily. If you want to become an early riser, keep a log of the time you wake up each morning. If you want to save money, track your expenses.

    Daily measurement takes only a few minutes a day and helps in several ways:

    1. Small daily successes provide a constant source of focus and motivation. The sense of satisfaction after completing your daily weigh-in can boost your motivation and willpower to get more exercise.
    2. Regular feedback lead to adjustments of behavior. Seeing how much you spend on a daily basis by tracking your expenses can highlight problem areas and reveal ways that you can save.
    3. Measurement helps cultivate mindfulness. Simply by paying more attention to the food you eat by keeping a food diary, you're more likely to make good choices.

    Moreover, there is empirical evidence that regular measurement works: studies have found that people who use pedometers walk more and that people who weigh themselves daily lose more weight.

    While daily measurement alone won't guarantee that you reach a specific weight or account balance, it is an excellent habit to develop that can greatly increase your chances of success.

  3. Hello, World!

    Posted January 1, 2008

    I’m always caught unprepared at the end of the year. Great hopes and ambitions have a way of getting lost under twelve months of unremarkable daily routine. This year, rather than abandoning my time to the fickleness of human memory, I want to start producing something, to give dimension and permanence to my experiences. I hope that in doing so I’ll occasionally create something that others find useful.

    And so I blog. The irony is not lost on me that in the fifteen months I’ve worked at Technorati I’ve yet to write a single post. My perfectionist tendencies are largely to blame: I'm afraid of exposing my unpracticed writing in public. A better perspective is that blogging is a process, not a state of being in which beautiful prose springs fully-formed from one’s head. Perhaps, like Norman Mailer, with time I can get the bad writing out of my system. Or perhaps I just need enough practice to find my voice.

    Ultimately, as with any process, the most important thing is to get started. After sullying the blank page with these first few hastily-written paragraphs, the rest will inevitably be much easier.

    New projects, like new years, are full of promise. But while the ineluctable passing of time ensures that the potential of a new year is eventually (if imperfectly) realized, the intoxication of perfection can leave a project indefinitely suspended. The first day of the new year seems like an excellent time to let go, embrace imperfection, and just start.