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How To Build A Morning Routine In Just 30 Days

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Hey Shockers!

When working to build better habits (or even break bad ones) at Pavlok we’re a big believer in choosing the one or two habits that will have the most impact. 

Frequently referred to as ‘keystone habits’ these select habits can quickly improve other seemingly unrelated areas of your life as well.

For example, if you start going to the gym, you may find yourself wanting to eat healthier naturally. 

Once you’ve established a keystone habit, it makes adding more positive habits down the line even easier. 

One of the best keystone habits to consider implementing in your life is starting your day with a morning routine.

Even just 10 minutes with structure in the morning can go a long way in how the rest of your day plays out. 

Instead of hitting snooze and rushing out the door, you can spend the first couple of minutes doing some light exercise, and then a few minutes meditating.

Though simple on the surface, a morning routine is one of the most effective ways to make large strides in other areas of your life. 

Morning routines are so powerful, that our founder and CEO Maneesh Sethi recently committed to doing his morning routine using the Pavlok app for 30 days straight.

If he missed a day, the app would automatically deduct Pavlok’s in-app reward “Volts.”

Not wanting to lose his hard earned Volts, Maneesh didn’t miss a day. Using negative reinforcement to keep you on track is one of the quickest ways to make any keystone habit you want stick. 

If you’re wanting to drink more water, for example, tell your spouse or coworker you want to drink 12 glasses of water a day and will pay them 10 dollars per glass that you don’t drink. 

Commit to incurring a slightly painful consequence if you don’t follow through. While this method of habit building won’t work for everyone, for many people, the thought of having to pay their family or friends (or a terrible organization) money is more than enough motivation to get them to take action. 

Here’s a simple 4 step process for using a negative reinforcer to help you build a keystone habit of your choice. 

1) Make a clear commitment to what you’re gonna do

For example in the Pavlok Morning Routine App (IOS and Android), you clarify exactly what steps you will take in the morning, and what time you’ll finish it by (10am)  

Define what you will accomplish and the exact consequence if you don’t. 

I will go to the gym 3x a week if not I will have to buy my friend lunch.

I will wake up at 6:15 AM every weekday morning if not I will donate money to a political organization I hate. 

2) Set a negative reinforcer to make sure the habit gets started If using the Pavlok app decide how many Volts you want to wager. 

Most people think postive reinforcement is the only way to change a habit. But the truth is, negative reinforcement is very important when starting your habit. 

Think of the time you had to do an essay by a deadline and got it done. Having a consequence for not doing your habit motivates you to take action and follow through. 

We recommend you choose a monetary penalty or using social shaming to motivate you.

If you use the Pavlok app, you will lose the Volt’s you’ve earned if you don’t do your habit. 

3) Make a positive reinforcer to make the habit stick for example, winning Volts in the Pavlok app.

While negative reinforcers help get habits started, including a postive reinforcer will help you continue building the habit for the long term. 

Here are a few other examples.

If you want to go to the gym

Tell your friend that every time you don’t checkin on your phone at the gym M,W,F you will pay them $50 dollars. 

After you go to the gym you can have your favorite juice smoothy that both tastes good and is relatively healthy. 

If you want to be get up at a certain time every morning 

Schedule an embarrassing tweet or Facebook status for just a few minutes after you wake up. If you don’t wake up, the post will automatically be shared.

After a few weeks of waking up on time, give yourself permission to sleep in on Saturday.  

BONUS

4) The fourth and final step to making your habits stick is having a someone hold you accountable. 

Even if following steps 1-3, you won’t always be perfect. Some days you’ll mess up. Some days you just won’t want to go to the gym.

Having a coach to hold you accountable is one of the most effective ways to stay on track especially on those days you would rather throw in the towel.

We believe coaches are so powerful in helping transform your habits, that we’ve worked tirelessly on our Pavlok habit coaching program, designed specifically to help ensure you reach your habit goals. 

If you’re interested in changing your habits and having someone in your corner every step of the way, check out our Pavlok Group Coaching page and book a complimentary call with our habit coach. 

Do whatever you need to build those one or two keystone habits. Once implemented they could make all the difference in other areas of your life as well. 

-Team Pavlok 
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5 Things You Should Do If You’re Having An Off Day

 

Hey there Shockers!

In the off chance, today is turning out to be a day you want to forget, today’s blog post is a quick and actionable guide on what to do when you’re having a bad day.

While building good habits will help reduce the amount of “bad days” you have, the truth is we all have them.

Here are a few things you should do if you’re having an off day.

Deep breathe and meditate

There’s no getting around it. Some days are just tough.

Maybe you forget you had an upcoming deadline at work. Or maybe traffic was extra bad today, so you’re running late.

Or maybe one of a thousand things that could go wrong does.

You get in a fight with your partner. Your friend bails on grabbing drinks.

One of the quickest ways to regain control of your day is taking 5-10 minutes just to breathe.

Open up your favorite mediation app like Calm or Headspace, or take a few minutes to reflect on what you’re grateful for using the gratitude module in the Pavlok app (IOS & Android.)

Just focus on your breath. It’s amazing how much better you feel after a few minutes of focused breathing.

Get moving 

If you’re struggling to get through the day, another effective way to get back on track is moving your body.

If you’re at work, take 10-15 minutes to go for a walk outside. If you can’t leave the office, knock out a few pushups or jumping jacks.

It doesn’t matter what you do as long as you get your body moving.

While the goal shouldn’t be to get in a full workout, getting your heart rate up will promote the release of endorphins which helps improve your mood and focus.

Do something small

On days where you lack motivation, staring at your seemingly endless todo list can be incredibly overwhelming.

Instead of thinking about all the things you need to do, commit to taking one small action to build momentum.

Instead of dreading that massive blog post you have to write, commit to writing just 100 words.

Instead of thinking about doing all your taxes, take a few minutes to get your accounts in order.

The amazing benefit of doing one small thing is after you get started you often find it’s easy to continue with whatever you’re working on.

On “off days” getting started is often the thing you need to turn your day around.

Avoid spiraling out of control 

If you’re having a rough day, you may find yourself wanting to have a cigarette or turning to one of your favorite comfort foods.

It happens. We’re not perfect. If you do end up breaking one of your good habits or indulging in your go to unhealthy behavior, it’s crucial you stop yourself from going overboard.

Eating one cookie won’t drastically change your weight loss progress, but eating an entire box will set you back.

Don’t beat yourself up for a mini failure every now and again. Instead, work to ensure you don’t take a bad day and make it ten times worse.

Take a social media break 

One of our last tips for the day is to take a break from social media.

If you’re feeling down the last thing you need is to scroll through an endless feed of your friends and family at their ‘best.’

While there’s nothing wrong with enjoying Reddit, Twitter, or Facebook, social media is known to promote anxiety and feelings of loneliness, especially on your off days.

If possible take a day to disconnect completely. It’s amazing how quickly your mood can improve when you’re not stuck in the social media rabbit hole.

While some days are certainly going to be worse than others, giving these suggestions a try can help you navigate your off days and get back to crushing your goals.

-Team Pavlok

P.S. If you’re looking to start your day right, the Shock Clock 2 can help you establish powerful morning routines, and even reduce negative thinking.

24 hours left — Preorder the Shock Clock 2, Sleep and Wake Up Right

Order Your Shock Clock 2 Today (Ships In December) and Save 25% Off Your Order! This Amazing Deal Ends Friday.

Happy Friday Shockers we hope you had a fantastic week! The entire Pavlok team is working around the clock to put together the absolute best deal we’ve ever offered for Black Friday and Cyber Monday at Pavlok we can’t wait to share more with you soon…

But today…. we wanted to share a sneak peak at our upcoming morning and evening routine modules for our Pavlok app that comes included when you order the Shock Clock 2. It’s the best way to start your morning and end your day right.

We announced Shock Clock 2 with an IndieGogo campaign a few months back. We are beginning to ship the first of those units next week!

The morning and evening routine features have been without a doubt one of the most popular requests from the community, and we’re excited to share that we’ll be releasing it into the world in December.

We’ve said time and time again, one of the best ways to implement new habits and behaviors is by having “skin in the game” which is why our new morning and evening routine features will use Volts to help hold you accountable. Simply set the morning and evening routine you would like to perform and wager volts to ensure you stick with your plan!

 

It’s truly amazing what you can accomplish when you are fully invested in reaching your goals. With hundreds of other Shockers holding you accountable every step of the way, building better morning and evening routines has never been easier!

Shock Clock 2’s currently will ship straight to your door in December and you’ll have instant access to the morning and evening routine features.
Today and tomorrow are the LAST days to pick up your very own Shock Clock 2 for just 149.99 so don’t delay!

– Team Pavlok

P.S. We have some INCREDIBLE deals coming up for Black Friday and Cyber Monday, but the 25% discount on the Shock Clock 2 which ships in December ends tomorrow. Order yours now!

How To Improve Your Productivity With The Pavlok Chrome Extension

Happy Wednesday Shockers!

First up:  I’m blown away by how successful our users have been with Pavlok. From Waking up early, to quitting smoking, to getting over negative thoughts, and more — it’s crazy how effective a little positive and negative reinforcement can be.

But it always surprises me how few people know all of the capabilities of Pavlok.

We’ve been building APPS, HABITS, INTEGRATIONS, even GAMES, all utilizing the Pavlok hardware, to bring information into the physical real.

All with the mindset of  — we don’t just help you achieve your goals — we get you to achieve your goals.

And one of the most fundamental goals that Pavlok users have is to BE MORE PRODUCTIVE.

Did you know that Pavlok has a Chrome Extension that helps you stop wasting time online?

It’s one of our most popular integrations (>4 stars) with thousands of users — AND YOU DON’T EVEN NEED A PAVLOK TO USE IT.

(Although it’s way cooler if you have one 🙂

So today, I wanted to showcase the Pavlok Productivity Chrome Extension.

You can try it out yourself at https://pavlok.com/productivity

(If you need a pavlok account, sign up here)
Watch The Video – How To Use Our Pavlok Google Chrome Extension
Last week we shared the incredible story of how Pavlok user Chris N, used Pavlok to improve his productivity and write more on a consistent basis.

Many of you reached out asking about all the ways you can use the Pavlok Chrome extension to get more done and stay on track automatically.

Today we wanted to share some of the key features briefly and why they are so powerful.

  • Create A To-Do List That Actually Gets Done 

There are literally dozens of to-do list applications out there today, but none of them ensures that you actually complete your list! Add your todos and look out for a zap if you don’t get them done! (You can sync your tasks from the Todoist app, as well!)

  • FocusTime Pomodoros for your Tasks

The secret to actually get tasks done is simple: DO THEM. The best way? Through something known as the Pomodoro Technique. In this method, you focus on one task, exclusively for 25 mins. With the Chrome Extension, you can associate your tasks with a Pomodoro, so for a period of 25 mins you’ll be reminded, vibrated, and buzzed to stay on task for one task! The task hovers over all your browser windows to make sure you don’t forget.
 
I’m doing a Pomodoro as we speak to write this email. Notice the reminder at the top left. If I leave this tab, I’ll get a zap! (Thanks to ‘Lock me in this page‘)
 

  • Blacklist Unproductive Site

Add your typical list of most distracting sites and have your Pavlok keep you in check. You’ll think twice about checking Twitter if you know zap is on its way.

  • Stay Focused With A Tab Limit 

It’s virtually impossible to get things done when you have more tabs open than you can count. Get close to your tab limit? Vibration warning. Reach the limit? Beep. Go over? ZAP. Now I never open more than my limit, ever.

  • Plenty More

RescueTime integration, Todoist integration, Whitelisting, etc etc — there’s plenty more.

The extension has a ton of additional customizations and tweaks depending on your specific goals, and we’re always adding more!

If you haven’t yet installed the Chrome Extension, download it today and give it a try!

-Team Pavlok
P.S. You can use the extension without a Pavlok, but you’ll need the device if you want to feel the vibrations, beeps, and zaps. Click Here to order your Pavlok 2. Don’t wait — we are already out of stock for November, and we only have 3000 in stock for December. Order Now if you want it before Xmas!

The Secrets To A Productive And Successful Morning Routine

Why Shock Clock 2?

Maybe you’ve lost a job. Maybe you’ve ruined a relationship. Maybe you’re wasting your college years in bed—all because you can’t get up on time.

If that’s you, you already know why you need the Shock Clock 2.

But what if it’s not? Sure, you don’t always get up when you say you will. You catch those extra snooze minutes whenever you can, and while it makes you late for work every once in a while, you always roll out of bed before the situation gets dire.

All in all, you’ve got your act together. So why do you need the Shock Clock 2?

The reason you need the Shock Clock 2 is the difference between surviving, and truly thriving.

Mornings: The Key to Success

Over and over, studies have shown that the most successful people are the ones who curate a productive morning routine for themselves, and get up early every day to implement it.

In other words, a key part of maximizing your productivity and potential lies in three steps.

  1. Design your routine
  2. Wake up early
  3. Implement it consistently

It makes sense that this simple sequence has proven so important. There are a few basic psychological reasons why your brain is primed to turn a productive morning into a productive day, and eventually, a productive lifetime.

First, the very act of consciously choosing a morning routine helps you set and test achievable goals. As you decide what three things you’re going to prioritize above everything else, you cut through the negativity, anxiety, and excuses that we all struggle to resist. You start living boldly and intentionally.

Secondly, achieving a goal first thing in the morning (even a very small goal) primes your brain. The brain is constantly receiving and interpreting cues that become our impulses, desires, and habits. So by accomplishing a task as soon as you leap out of bed, you’re basically telling your brain that you’re the boss, and you’re here to get things done. You’ll be surprised to find how well your brain cooperates.

Finally, when we’re on a consistent sleep schedule, we naturally receive a rush of energy and action hormones in the morning. Our circadian rhythm uses these hormones to get our bodies ready for the day. And when you hack that natural rush with a morning routine, you’ll find getting your hardest task out of the way is easier than you’d ever thought possible.

Your Morning Routine

Ok, so you’re sold on the value of a morning routine, but how do you get in the habit of one? And more importantly, how do you stick to it?

That’s where Pavlok comes in. Pavlok’s Morning Routine module will helps you cross that first hurdle: setting your intention. Just plug in the three most important things that you want to see happen each morning, and the app will remind you each and every day. If you don’t mark them as done, you’ll get a zap!

But setting your intention is only part of the story. To get that morning energy rush, you need to have a consistent circadian rhythm. And to help your brain establish your morning routine as a habit, you need to get it done every day at the same time. You need peaceful, consistent early morning time to yourself.

That means rolling out of bed just in time for a shower and a bagel won’t cut it anymore.

Luckily, Shock Clock 2 is here to help. Since it actually tracks your sleep, you’ll wake up at the lightest part of your sleep cycle. That means maximum energy, minimum grogginess. And the Shock Clock 2 provides that extra accountability you need in order to fully reap the benefits of the Morning Routine module.

You won’t be able to turn off your alarm while still half-asleep and unaware of what you’re doing. Instead, you’ll need to solve a math problem, or do some vigorous aerobic exercise. And the Shock Clock 2 can notify your friends or post to your social media if you aren’t meeting your goals. Even if you don’t have the willpower to zap yourself, one of your buddies will!

Together, the Shock Clock 2 and Morning Routine module are an unbeatable team to master your mornings. Goodbye to being rushed in the morning, goodbye to feeling unfocused all day, goodbye to living your second best life.

So what are you waiting for? Come check us out on Indiegogo, and start becoming the person you were meant to be.

Introducing The Shock Clock 2

Shockers: we have fantastic news.

It’s finally here.

After months of research, testing, and listening to your feedback, we’re ready to introduce the Shock Clock 2.

It’s got all of the features you know and love, upgraded and improved. Plus, we’re introducing a brand-new set of features to make sure you never hit snooze again.

Sure, we loved our old Shock Clock. But we’re committed to helping you take control of your mornings. And when you said you needed even more flexibility, accountability, and support in building good morning habits, we listened.

What’s staying

Vibrate, beep, zap: we kept the vibrate, beep, zap wake-up method. Why? Because it’s proven to train your brain. The vibrate provides a gentle, non-disruptive cue to wake up. If you ignore the vibrate cue and stay in bed, the stimulus gradually escalates to an unpleasant zap.

Eventually, your brain learns that the zap is coming. You start automatically waking up at the hour of your choice, without being jolted out of deep sleep by a noisy alarm.

What’s new

Multiple snooze lock options: Originally, we offered you one way to disable your snooze button. Once you set your snooze lock, you could only access it again by doing jumping jacks.

Not only have we upgraded our motion sensors to make it nearly impossible to cheat (hey, we’ve all tried it), we’ve provided other ways to use the snooze lock. Because let’s face it, not everyone can or wants to do 15 jumping jacks when they first wake up.

Now, you can unlock your snooze button any one of three ways: by doing jumping jacks, by scanning a QR code in another room, or by solving a math problem. The most important thing is to get your mind and body moving before you hit snooze. And now, you can do that whichever way works best for you.

Accountability: This is the one we’re SUPER excited about. If you’ve tried to break a bad habit in the past, you know how important a supportive, tough, community is. Because lets face it: we don’t always have the willpower to make it happen ourselves, day in and day out.

With the Shock Clock 2, you don’t need to rely on your own willpower. You’ll be able to set a accountability partners in the app. When you hit snooze or don’t get out of bed, they’ll be able to zap you remotely—whether or not you feel like getting zapped!

We’ve also introduced a feature that posts to social media automatically when you hit snooze. A lot of us will take that precious half hour of extra shut-eye, even if it makes us late for work. But when your entire newsfeed can see that you’re failing at your goals, it’s a different story.

Sleep tracking: This is one of the features we’re most excited about. When it comes to sleep habits, it’s crucial to work with your body, not against it. That’s one of the problems with conventional alarms: they disrupt your sleep with a jarring wake-up cue, they don’t make you get up and move around, and they encourage you to wreck your sleep cycle with multiple snooze-button micro naps.

The Shock Clock 2 offers revolutionary, state of the art technology that tracks your entire sleep cycle from beginning to end. You’ll know what time you actually fall asleep, how the quality of your sleep is changing, and whether you’re getting enough quality hours. Most importantly, the sleep tracker will automatically calibrate your alarm to wake you up in the lightest part of your sleep cycle. Instead of feeling groggy, you’ll wake up refreshed and alert.

We can’t begin to tell you how excited we are to launch the Shock Clock 2. Permanent, positive change in people’s lives is what we’re all about here at Pavlok.  And it starts with sleep. Are you ready to get your mornings back? Are you ready to live your day with energy and purpose? Then check out our Indiegogo campaign and share it with your friends. Be part of a revolution, one person at a time.