Interesting Things From December 2024
A free habit tracker, a book for introverts, and an alternative to health insurance.
If you’ve made a commitment to starting new habits in 2025, you can download a pdf of the printable habit tracker I use by clicking the link below. To use it, just write the habit you are trying to reinforce and mark off the box each day you do the thing. You want to string together as many days as possible but don’t stress yourself out about missing a day. Just try not to miss two days in a row. I like to use a bright color to mark days off as a reward for my brain.
Why use a tracker?
Habits form through a neurological process called "habit looping," which involves three main stages: the cue, the routine, and the reward. The cue triggers the brain to initiate a behavior, the routine is the behavior itself, and the reward reinforces the habit by releasing dopamine, creating a sense of satisfaction. Repetition strengthens the neural pathways associated with the habit, eventually making it automatic.
Using a habit tracker enhances this process by making habits more intentional and measurable. It provides a visual representation of progress, which serves as both motivation and a feedback mechanism. Believe it or not, just marking off that you did the thing on your habit track will be perceived as a reward by your brain (especially if you use a colored pen that makes you happy). Seeing the streak of completed habits taps into the brain's reward system, encouraging consistency and building momentum.
I made my own tracker because I wanted something simple, uncluttered, and printable. I also prefer having a physical tracker because my brain finds it more rewarding than an app or digital document.
I’ve used basic habit tracking like this to build a workout habit, read more, use social media less, eat “on plan”, and many other things that are just how I live now. I also use it to remind me to do things that I want to do on a regular basis but don’t have to do every day and don’t have to do on any specific day but need a reminder to do, such as self-care things (face mask, red light therapy).
Building habits is stupidly hard. Habit trackers are a simple but effective way to make it easier.
What I Listened To
A Little Bit Easier (shameless plug): I co-host a podcast with a brilliant leadership coach, Sarah Lang. We just published our annual new year planning episode and on the 1st we’ll publish our end of year wrap up episode. The wrap up episode turned into an awesome conversation about bringing intention to how and where you direct your energy which is really apropos for starting a new year. You can find A Little Bit Easier anywhere you get your podcasts and on the Podcast tab of this newsletter.
Panic World podcast: Panic World describes itself as being “about the moral panics, witch hunts, and viral freakouts that bubble up out of the weirdest corners of the internet.” That’s true but what I like about it is that it lets me, someone who hardly uses social media and spends almost zero time around anyone under the age of 35, learn about interesting internet things that I wouldn’t have any other way of learning about. If you’re a parent it would be a good podcast to listen to to get insight into what your kids are being exposed to online.
They cover topics that seem unimportant on the surface but when you dig in, they have big implications on society. I recommend the episode titled “Did gender influencers doom Gen Z?” This episode was such an interesting look at how social media is pushing people to absurd extremes and how that is impacting the ways people are interacting on and offline, including the impact on dating. There’s so much more to the topic that I can’t do justice to in a paragraph so give it a listen and let me know what you think.
What I Read
It’ll Be Fun, They Said by Jess Pan: I have a low tolerance for reading long posts online. I will sit down and read a book for two hours but give me a long internet article and it better be damn good or I’m out after 2 paragraphs. At best I’ll skim to the end but I always read Jess’s posts in full. She is funny, she’s real, she’s me and you and everyone who has ever done something embarrassing while just trying to live as a human.
Her recent post, Sorry I’m Late - I am a criminal, had me laughing and cringing because I have been the self-righteous jerk insisting I was in the right seat when I wasn’t. My cheeks are getting hot right now just thinking about that feeling when you’ve been so loudly certain you were right only to discover you were so very wrong.
After finding her on Substack, I read her book Sorry I'm Late, I Didn't Want to Come: One Introvert's Year of Saying Yes. It was more self-help than I expected but it was a good read.
I’m an introvert in the sense that I am drained by large groups of people and would rather stab myself in the eye than do small talk. But I’m an extrovert in the sense that I love entertaining others with stories and being the center of attention (as long as it’s not because I’ve done something embarrassing). Despite that, I am more likely to turn down an invitation to a party, especially if going means I won’t be in bed by 9:30pm, and a line from the book that addressed how Jess feels when thinking about parties - “It gives me great pleasure not to be there” - made me feel very seen.
But, the book wasn’t about how great it is to be alone on your couch in comfortable clothes not going to parties you don’t want to go to. It was about the great things that can come from stretching out of our comfort zones, meeting new people, and trying new things especially when we really don’t want to.
I think that’s a great message for all of us given the shift that’s occurred, especially since the pandemic. People are spending less time than ever making true connections with others. On a whole, people are lonely, disconnected, and discontent. We want more but need a push to go for it. This book just might be your push.
What I Watched
The documentary Tsunami: Race Against Time on Hulu, about the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami that killed 250,000 people, was stunning. They gathered actual video footage from people who were there and told stories from people who survived, of people who didn’t, and of the scientists trying to warn of the danger. Seeing how quickly the water went from a thin white line on the horizon to a slow, strong death trap was unbelievable and the heroic actions some people took to save strangers was inspiring.
What I Bought
Health Insurance
I didn’t technically buy this in December though I did pay for it so I’m counting it. Health insurance in America is insane and it’s not going to change for the better any time soon. I’m going to assume you already know that and don’t need convincing. If you are looking for a saner alternative, I recommend Knew Health. They are a cost sharing healthcare program that is an alternative to traditional insurance. (This is not a paid endorsement. I just believe in the company and their mission.)
In their words:
“Our Members are empowered to take charge of their health with daily wellness services, preventive coverage and savings to invest as they see fit. Whether that’s alternative medicine, organic foods, or other wellness resources.
Knew Health Members are also part of the Medical Cost Sharing Community which helps in the event of medical emergencies, illnesses, and pregnancies. By sharing these expenses among our Members, we reduce the financial impact on each individual and keep costs affordable and stable.”
If you are self-employed and generally healthy, they are a fantastic option that can significantly reduce your insurance costs. With Knew Health, we pay about ⅓ of what traditional insurance would cost for two people.
Experiences
My mom and sister came to visit for a few days and we packed them full of memories. One of the things we did that was new to all of us was visiting the Living Desert Zoo and Gardens in Palm Desert. It is a zoo in the sense that there are animals in enclosures, which I’m always conflicted about, but they also have large open spaces where the animals are confined but not in cages. We were able to get within a few feet of giraffes, wallabies, and rhinos which was very awe inspiring. If you are in Southern California, it’s worth a day trip.
They also had holiday decorations and fun photo ops after dark which made for a nice evening.
This month was also my partner’s birthday so we celebrated with sushi for dinner, drinks at a local “speakeasy”, and a walk to see the holiday decorations and Christmas tree.
After nearly 16 years of being together almost 24/7, it can be hard to come up with things to talk about over a meal, so throughout the night I asked CK questions that sparked conversation, such as “What was your most embarrassing moment?” and “If you could go back in time to revisit one moment without changing it, what would you pick?” (I chose our first date. He chose a soccer game he played well in.)
I highly recommend these types of questions to learn more about people you think you know everything about or to get to know your parents in a new way. If you need some inspiration for questions, there’s a product called The Question Game that is a box of cards with interesting questions on them. The book I recommended earlier in this post addresses having conversations like this to truly connect with people and get past surface level talk, just in case you needed another reason to read it.
I hope you have a happy, healthy, and delicious week.
Pam
Disclaimer: This post may contain affiliate links. If you buy things using these links, I may receive compensation for the referral. This is a good thing. It allows you to discover new products that I recommend while I get compensated for my time so I can provide more content for free. I will never recommend a product I don’t love because I care more about my reputation than making a couple of bucks so you can trust that if I’m mentioning it, it’s not because I’m getting paid.