Everyday Systems: nosdiet: message 2351 of 3212

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Donna,

--- alexfallsmom@... wrote:
> 
> i have had 3 red slash days ( in the past 7) but
> monday and tues were a wash 
> for me--
> i feel my luck running out and it scares me....
> thought that if i posted it 
> would give me a boost.... thanks to all donna o

I've been using the slashed out days trick for a
non-diet related habit, and though I haven't quite got
it down yet, I smell blood, I know this is going to
work. But I've been thinking of it in slightly
different terms than slashes which I think is helpful.

Like a lot of computer programmers, every day my code
is tested by a number of automated tests. If all the
tests pass, the web page that reports their status
lights up green. If any fail, it lights up red. It
occurred to me that this daily red/green report was a
lot like slashed out days, except better, because the
red, even though it indicated a failure, was useful.
It was much better than *not knowing* a failure had
occurred, which is what would have happened without
the test. When you know something is broken, you can
fix it.

So I've been thinking red/green instead of slashes,
because a failed attempt is better than a non-attempt,
and it's easier to recognize and build on these this
way. The habit I'm currently working on also has
nothing to do with diet, so the slashes are no more
appropriate than red/green. You can do the same thing
with slashes by counting "broken slashes" (=red) I
guess. The important thing is that you recognize the
importance of a failed attempt as opposed to a
non-attempt, or ignorance, and build on these.

Remember Diane's recent post about how many failures
it takes most people to successfully reform a habit.
Take heart. These failures count. I'd literally count
them.

Hang in there,

Reinhard