Here are the notes that I took during this course. Hope it helps someone.

They can also be found here: https://roamresearch.com/#/app/MyTeenageLifeNotes/page/fhF34dcRv

Thanks, Thomas for making the course!

Introduction
- This is a course on how to build habits that last
Perfect is the enemy of good
- Don't try to perfect everything, its ok to start out crap
Determining your goals
- Make your impossible list easy to access
- Why does this goal matter to you?
- Which Goals Should You Focus On?
  - Commit only to 3-4 goals
  - Warren Buffett's 5/25 strategy
    - Make 25 goals that you want to accomplish
    - Then pick and focus on only 5
  - The Dip (Seth Godin) is no fun at all. It's the point when things get hard
  - Your "Do Not Do" list will help keep you from getting distracted in the dip.
- Three Types of Progress
  - Gear acquisition
    - Getting the equipment required to learn a skill
  - Learning
    - Going on a course
  - Deliberate practice, aka work
    - Where the gains are the slowest
- What if I can't achieve my goals?
  - You never will achieve everything that you have
- What if I don't have any goals?
  - Go look at bucket lists of other people
Setting Yourself Up for Success
- Make the goal specific
  - Achievable
  - Break it down if needed
- Environment is important
  - 20 second rule for good habits and bad habits
  - Tailor your environment for this rule
- Making them a habit helps it re
- Three stages of habits
  - Cue
  - Routine
  - Reward
- Summary
  - What is your goal?
  - What is the daily amount in order to do this
  - How can I make it easier to do it
Using External Systems
- Self-discipline can be used along with external systems
  - They augment your self-discipline and help it grow
  - Training wheels
- Soft way: Encouragement
  - Use a habit tracker
    - Visual record of progress over time; don't break the chain
    - Habitica is Thomas' favourite
      - Can do it with others
      - Daily habits
      - Positive and negative habits
      - Difficulty
    - 750 words
- Do it even if it's garbage
- People who show up every single day are the people that become professionals
- Output goal: How much you do
- Input goal: Time
External Systems: The Hard Way
- Real world punishments
- Read the Motivation Hacker
- Beeminder sets up a consequence
- Automated version of the don't break the chain rule
- Use Beeminder with buffer to make him wake up on time
- Track how many days he went to the gym
- Imagination is the limit
- Drawbacks
  - Setting up too many goals; over-zealous
- e.g. wasting money if you don't practice for vocal lessons
Anticipating Pain Points
- People get derailed for their habits; pain points
- Embrace the suck
  - When you want to quit doesn't force you to quit
- Dealing with unforeseen circumstances
  - Commit to smaller goals and push past them
    - e.g. going to do 15 mins guitar practice, but if i'm in the zone I can do more
  - Be observant of what causes friction and then reduce it
    - e.g. had to set up camera to shoot video; leave the equipment up
  - Don't be too hard for yourself
    - Make sure to get back on the course
- 3-5 potential pain points and how to solve them
  - I could be tired
    - Do it earlier in the day
    - Take a day off
  - Hitting a rough patch in my learning
    - Recognize that that is ok and take a break
    - Maybe take a break for an hour or two and then get back to what I was going to do
  - Don't want to do it
    - Remind myself of the benefits that can be derived from doing it
Tracking, Reviewing and Reflection
- What gets measured gets managed
- Doesn't have to be elaborate; depends on what you are doing
- If the body of work acts as it's own record use it
- Two week system
  - 1st to 15th, 16th to end of month
  - - is an actual failure; reminder that he is hurting himself
  - o is out of your control
  - Ask yourself if the previous goals worked; should I do something different
  - The benefit of not building up a chain that you don't need anymore
- Track your routines for tow weeks and then reflect
What to do When You Fail
- Don't let a single failure derail you; don't make the second mistake
- Start smaller again, you can't go straight back to where you were; spiral back then spiral up
- Failure is inevitable but don't let it stop you

Alex Wilson

15 year old blogger, who loves learning

1

6