Chris Loper has been writing about self-improvement and helping busy adults with habit formation since 2017. He also writes an education blog for parents and students for Northwest Educational Services. Along with Greg Smith, Chris is the cocreator of Parenting for Academic Success, a series of transformative classes that create empowered parents, confident students, and harmonious families. His most recent endeavor combines his academic and habit-formation expertise to help students thrive in college. Visit SmartCollegeHabits.com to learn more. In 2021, Chris published a humorous memoir titled Wood Floats and Other Brilliant Observations, a book that blends crazy stories with practical life lessons. He lives in Issaquah, WA where he is the owner of South Cove Tutoring.
This morning I woke up to the usual: Benny begging for breakfast like he’s never been fed before. And as usual, I sat on the floor to give and receive some pre-breakfast affection from the cat. After a few pets, though, Benny got impatient and bit my hand (not hard but not pleasant either). 15 minutes later, he’s in my lap on the couch getting a chin scratch and purring… Read More »How Quickly Can You Forgive Them?
For the past ten years, I’ve suffered from a rare medical condition called erythromelalgia (EM for short). EM causes my feet (sometimes just one foot) to become red, hot, and swollen for no reason, and it can be very painful. EM has no cure, so managing the symptoms is all anyone can do. Exposure to heat makes symptoms worse, and keeping my feet cool makes them better. Thus, for the… Read More »Forced Adaptation
Bad habits can be really expensive. But I’m not talking about how much money you spend on alcohol or other indulgences. I’m talking about future costs. Let’s say you regularly eat fast food because it’s cheaper than healthier options. Well, down the road you’ll probably have some very expensive medical bills. Saving a few bucks on lunch every day might wind up costing tens of thousands in a decade or… Read More »How Expensive Are Your Bad Habits?
Self-improvement takes patience and commitment. This is because of two phenomena: The Lag and The Dip. The Lag “Just because results are not visible doesn’t mean they are not accumulating.” –Shane Parrish1 In 1979, Bill Walsh took over the San Francisco 49ers. They were, at that time, the worst team in football. Walsh took pains to change the culture from one of losing to one of excellence. “Players could not… Read More »The Lag and The Dip