

The science of new year’s resolutions - jasonshen
http://blog.bufferapp.com/the-science-of-new-years-resolutions-why-88-fail-and-how-to-make-them-work

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kirse
When it comes to something as abstract as "willpower",I can't help but think
that these "facts" only serve to hinder potential. Every "scientific"
discussion regarding willpower always presents the same old rehashed
Marshmallow experiments, blah blah blah. Same as the quick fact at the bottom
of this article which argues that strong willpower isn't a character trait.

To all those "facts" I say "so what?". So what if you're a bit delusionally
optimistic? So what if you genuinely believe that you have the willpower of an
ox? So what if science tells you not to tackle too many habits, why not try?
When it comes to these scientific "facts" about abstract concepts, especially
when the scientific facts begin to place limits on what I can or can't do,
then I just discard them.

At the end of the day, belief is what gets things done, period. It reinforces
commitment, breeds passion, and instills hope when others would give up.
Belief accomplishes what "rational" humans will exclaim is impossible. If that
involves a little bit of ignoring the "facts" then so be it.

I think the rest of the article makes great points about visualizing highly-
specific habits to achieve abstract outcomes, but other than that, don't let
science define your beliefs on what is or is not possible.

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sonabinu
I guess instead of having a resolution that goes 'great at programming in a
year', switch that to 'write a program to do xyz in abc language within 6
months. Make a list of the basic concepts of the language. Set deadlines by
which one has an understanding (not mastery) of each concept, working towards
the goal of writing xyz program.'

