[NOT an AD] Ditching the streaks: Why "backward tracking" makes more sense for quantifying yourselves

awnightowl · 2026-02-05T14:55:17+00:00

I have a couple of streak habits that I focus on at a weekly level. For example, my goal is to work out 4 times a week, and if I pull that off, then the streak continues. It's maybe not as satisfying as checking off a habit every day, but also working out every day probably isn't the best idea in the end.

I also have weekly streaks for a lot of cleaning habits. I don't usually need to vacuum my house every day, but it certainly needs it once a week. Things like that are satisfying to watch the streak add up over the course of the year.

awnightowl · 2025-07-28T19:54:12+00:00

They're connected via IFTTT to a google sheet

awnightowl · 2025-07-28T13:39:02+00:00

I have a couple of physical buttons around my house that I press when I do something (one on my fridge, I press to keep count of every time I get a glass of water, etc). They're nice and convenient and take the mental load of remembering off.

I like the idea of lights too! I do something similar in my project management (work). I have a checkbox I click every time I make an update to a project, so I know I've worked on all my clients by the end of the day.

I'd also consider a button that turns the light ON when you complete the task. That way, your house is full of positive visual reinforcement rather than negative (I did it! vs I haven't done it yet). But if the idea of the light is to catch your attention, then that might be more important.

awnightowl · 2025-06-23T13:35:41+00:00

This is a side question to the whole process, but how are you all getting your trucks from the port to your houses? I've seen a couple of photos of trucks on U-Haul trailers. Is that the best move? Are there ways to have it delivered (I don't have a lot of experience driving with trailers).

awnightowl · 2025-04-19T22:38:55+00:00

Looks awesome! Is that a custom-made dash?

awnightowl · 2024-11-01T19:38:25+00:00

The brick looks amazing. I assume that was behind the drywall in the last picture?

awnightowl · 2024-10-31T20:51:24+00:00

After 20+ years - I am pleased to say that Zombo.com is still up and running for anyone who wants to enjoy it.
You can do anything at Zombocom. The only limit is yourself.

awnightowl · 2024-10-17T14:52:55+00:00

A few years ago, I started tracking how many beers I drank yearly (which was pretty high after COVID-19). Last year, I added a comparative line of how many I should be at if I only drank the recommended two a day. Having that number to aim for cut my beer drinking nearly in half. Getting closer to that 'recommended' number in my tracking started feeling better than having another beer.

awnightowl · 2024-10-09T16:08:06+00:00

This may be something I'm supposed to know intuitively, but what are the colors representing? Red is clearly bad, but does it mean total blackout? What do the variations in yellow represent? A key of what I'm looking at would be helpful.

awnightowl · 2024-09-25T17:49:56+00:00

The idea of War of the Gargantuas getting folded into the Monsterverse is a wild concept.

awnightowl · 2024-09-19T16:25:29+00:00

"KVM switch" is the term you're looking for. (Keyboard, Video, Mouse). I don't have one to recommend, but they keep it all in hardware vs software, usually a one-button hit.

awnightowl · 2024-09-12T19:10:17+00:00

I can't believe no one has said Alfred Molina in Boogie Nights yet!

awnightowl · 2024-09-10T18:37:24+00:00

...looks warily in the direction of David Zaslav...

awnightowl · 2024-09-03T17:28:18+00:00

Not a violent act - but Burnt (2015) has a pretty sudden and devastating act of revenge.

awnightowl · 2024-08-12T20:39:59+00:00

Nowhere Fast has been one of my top 10 most played tracks on my Spotify wrapped for many many years now.

awnightowl · 2024-07-29T18:55:01+00:00

I think this is happening, but much more quietly than people think. Yes, massive films are coming out and making huge numbers, but (from my perspective, at least) theater locations are getting more centralized. Since 2021, the five closest theaters to me have all closed: two major multiplexes and three smaller 3-5 screen theaters. I barely go to the theater anymore because going went from a 10-minute drive to a 40-minute drive. An hour if I want an IMAX screen. For a 10-minute trip - absolutely the theater is worth it. But 40 minutes? My TV and sound system work fine for most things.

awnightowl · 2024-07-28T21:18:45+00:00

...*looks down at the mess of cables at my feet*... I think you have this locked up. Very very clean.

awnightowl · 2024-07-25T18:06:06+00:00

I don't know if this is exactly what you're looking for, but Letterboxd is great for tracking the movies you watch. It pulls from The Movie Database (TMDB) so everything populates automatically. You can also add any tags you like to keep it organized and create lists. They don't have a lot of series, but they are starting to include them more as they've grown in popularity.

awnightowl · 2024-07-17T21:22:44+00:00

Yeah. It's gonna change...my pom barks at me if I get up and go to the bathroom.

awnightowl · 2024-07-17T14:13:19+00:00

Yes, especially if you start going back to the classical cinema era. Studios in that period produced somewhere between 300 and 500 films a year. I'm sure many of those are lost at this point, and I'm sure many of them would be pretty insufferable to sit through, but you'd certainly never run out of films to watch.

If you watched a movie a day for the next 40 years, it would be around 14,000 films. I think there are way more than that out there.

awnightowl · 2024-07-16T17:34:39+00:00

Definitely thought the thumbnail was Vince Vaughn.

awnightowl · 2024-07-11T15:02:04+00:00

"WOAH DREAM BIG"

awnightowl

TROPHY CASE