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- ❤️ What Wordle Can Teach Us
❤️ What Wordle Can Teach Us
Janie Kokakis
October 12, 2023
Happy High Noon (EST). The Open Journal series is LIVE in this newsletter. Keep the questions and stories coming by commenting on our satisfactory poll.
Today’s Topics:
What Wordle Can Teach Us: guide to consistency.
Open Journal: I hate walking.
Tidbits & Recipes: Salad to keep you energized.
Did You Know: Habit loop.
What Wordle Can Teach Us
Do you remember Wordle? or maybe you still play it? I'm sure you haven't forgotten your streak.
For those of you who haven't played here's how it works. You have 6 attempts to guess a 5-letter word every day. Your streak is how many days in a row you've guessed the word right. If you miss a day, your streak goes to zero.
Seems random that I'm talking about this but we can learn a lot from it. Especially when it comes to creating habits.
So let's break Wordle down and how it can help us:
Doesn't take up much time.
Takeaway: Instead of trying to start with a long workout every day. Start with 5 minutes.
Perfect amount of hard.
Takeaway: Find that middle ground. Too easy, why bother? Too hard, you’ll give up fast.
Rewards.
Takeaway: Every time you guess in Wordle, you find out what letters you got right. Dopamine hit. Try listening to your favorite podcast only when you walk. Want to finish it? You'll have to walk again.
Clear win or loss
Takeaway: You know if you lose or win the game right away. Create your habits this way. " I'll work out 5 minutes each day”- it’s a clear yes/no goal.
Accountability & Competition.
Takeaway: You have that person that you share your streak with and see if you got the word faster than them. Find a group of people with similar goals to check in with. Nothing wrong with a little friendly competition.
Open Journal
Q: How do I get into walking? It’s so boring to me. I've tried listening to podcasts, and music, and walking in different places, and it all just feels like a chore.
A: Totally get it. I don’t think you need to get into it if you don’t like it. Try getting your steps in during your daily activities. Can you park farther away at the grocery store? Can you walk from store to store instead of driving? Rest assured that you don’t need to get worked up about getting in 10K steps. We talk about the magic of 2K steps here.
Learn to Scramble Well(ness):
While eating your lunch, waiting for your lunch, or letting go of your lunch, try our wellness-themed word scramble. It's one word a day, and you can find the answer at the bottom of this newsletter - good luck!
ARVEIHOBDid You Know? Like Really Know…
I used to have a late-night sweet tooth. It all started when I was pregnant, but stayed with me long after. When I was ready to change it I leaned into the habit loop. And it helped me stop.
What's the habit loop?
It has three components: cue, routine, and reward.
The cue triggers the habit, the routine is the behavior itself, and the reward is the positive reinforcement that reinforces the habit.
Let's break it down.
Craving something sweet (cue). Instead of grabbing cookies, eating an apple and nuts (routine). Not feeling guilty about late-night snacking and sleeping better (reward).
Next time you’re trying to quit or start a new habit, use the habit loop!
P.S. Here’s my book recommendation on creating habits.
Tidbits & Recipes:
Nothing better than a good salad for lunch. I don’t feel I could take a nap after I eat and actually feel energized. Like we should, right? Here’s a yummy salad to try for your next lunch.
Today’s Top Workout Song on Spotify
Scramble Answer:
BEHAVIOR
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