Meditation Helper

NB: This app is no longer actively developed. It has been replaced by https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.multiordinal.mhp

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A meditation timer which allows you to set a target for the length of time you want to meditate each day. It includes a widget that displays the number of consecutive days you have hit the target. It is thus useful not only as a timer, but also as a tool to help motivate you to meditate regularly.

The widget is my implementation of Jerry Seinfeld's productivity secret (http://lifehacker.com/281626/jerry-seinfelds-productivity-secret):

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"He said the way to be a better comic was to create better jokes and the way to create better jokes was to write every day. But his advice was better than that. He had a gem of a leverage technique he used on himself and you can use it to motivate yourself—even when you don't feel like it.

He revealed a unique calendar system he uses to pressure himself to write. Here's how it works.

He told me to get a big wall calendar that has a whole year on one page and hang it on a prominent wall. The next step was to get a big red magic marker.

He said for each day that I do my task of writing, I get to put a big red X over that day. "After a few days you'll have a chain. Just keep at it and the chain will grow longer every day. You'll like seeing that chain, especially when you get a few weeks under your belt. Your only job next is to not break the chain."

"Don't break the chain," he said again for emphasis."

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The chain in this case is the number of consecutive days that you have hit your meditation target. The widget displays both the current chain, and the longest ever chain. Having this on my home screen motivates me to meditate every day. Your mileage may vary.

The bell sound in the app is by Jan McLaughlin at http://janmclaughlin.tv/.