An accidental productivity hack

I accidentally discovered this productivity hack.

I’m learning Hindi on Duolingo for the last few weeks (streaks anyone? :)) — my third attempt in 4 yrs — but this time a little serious and built a habit.

“Environment > Motivation” is a powerful technique shared by James Clear in his book Atomic Habits. Taking advantage of this, I changed my phone language to Hindi to learn more words faster.

The first order and expected effect is to learn new words. The second-order effect is a surprise. I started using mobile for a minimal time. I have always been a productivity enthusiast — ran many experiments like minimalist launchers, b/w mode, calendars etc. to buying physical tools. Most of these techniques had a lot to do with motivation.

But, changing the phone language worked next level. No need to switch off the internet, control your urge to check for new notifications etc., you will automatically use it just for that one specific task.