Running is amazingly good for your body. If you're not doing it, start. I know you like biking more. But, it's like a 5-1 calorie difference. And you can learn to love running, too.
Here's the problem. We don't create good incentives for new runners. We say something like "Try running 30 minutes a day." But time is not a good incentive to work harder. Distance is. I think we should recommend that the new runner jog/run 3 miles a day. Because if we tell people to run for 30 minutes, they'll slowly jog it every day. No incentive to work harder. But, if it's 3 miles, then the sooner they get there, the sooner they're done.
Now, I know what you're thinking. But then eventually, their workouts will shrink from 45 to 30 minutes. But, guess what? They're still burning more calories running 3 miles in 30 minutes than running 3 miles in 45 minutes!
Diet and exercise are all mental, and I feel like we're not incentivizing people appropriately to beat the mental aspect of the game.
September 13, 2010
The Evolution of the RSVP
Last weekend, I played music at weddings for two of my friends. And I didn't properly RSVP to either of their weddings or rehearsal dinners.
Now, my wife and I are fairly organized. And we're (typically) incredibly socially sensitive. Yet, we completely ignored/forgot about both of these RSVPs. Why?
Because they arrived by snail mail. When, I receive an e-mail request, I don't delete it until it's resolved. Same thing with voicemail. But, snail mail goes up to this weird room upstairs we don't really go in, and gets lost underneath a pile of junk until it's forgotten about altogether.
You might ask, why don't I just RSVP the second I open the letter? Well, because RSVP'ing requires a stamp. And so that process requires finding/buying a stamp, both difficult. The former because I only use stamps when mailing in our yearly car registration information to the Illinois Secretary of State. The latter because the post office is miles away.
Now you might be thinking, you're just lazy. But some of you might be agreeing with me and thinking, ok, let's go to an online system for RSVP'ing?
But while evite.com might work for your Labor Day BBQ, inviting anyone 50+ and over might run you into the opposite problem as my stamp laziness. Because, my cousin recently did this for their wedding. Sent an invitation to my father. A computer programmer. And he couldn't figure it out. So, what chance did his mother have of figuring it out? And oh yeah, she doesn't have an e-mail address anyway.
Any better solution that doesn't require me to be less lazy?
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Now, my wife and I are fairly organized. And we're (typically) incredibly socially sensitive. Yet, we completely ignored/forgot about both of these RSVPs. Why?
Because they arrived by snail mail. When, I receive an e-mail request, I don't delete it until it's resolved. Same thing with voicemail. But, snail mail goes up to this weird room upstairs we don't really go in, and gets lost underneath a pile of junk until it's forgotten about altogether.
You might ask, why don't I just RSVP the second I open the letter? Well, because RSVP'ing requires a stamp. And so that process requires finding/buying a stamp, both difficult. The former because I only use stamps when mailing in our yearly car registration information to the Illinois Secretary of State. The latter because the post office is miles away.
Now you might be thinking, you're just lazy. But some of you might be agreeing with me and thinking, ok, let's go to an online system for RSVP'ing?
But while evite.com might work for your Labor Day BBQ, inviting anyone 50+ and over might run you into the opposite problem as my stamp laziness. Because, my cousin recently did this for their wedding. Sent an invitation to my father. A computer programmer. And he couldn't figure it out. So, what chance did his mother have of figuring it out? And oh yeah, she doesn't have an e-mail address anyway.
Any better solution that doesn't require me to be less lazy?