November 2009 Archives

Some users have reported having issues with the reminders and slack alerts over the past day or so. This includes receiving multiple alert emails for a Rootein and/or delayed reminders.

Please be assured that our engineers are currently addressing this issue. We will be back at our "rootein" self very soon. Thanks!

EDIT: We deployed the fix and after carefully monitoring all reminders for almost 2 weeks, we are happy to report that this is now a "non-issue" :-)

Folks, the news from the Rootein office tonight is that we now support login using Facebook.

Add to it the fact that we already support login via Gmail, Yahoo & OpenID, it means that there is no need to remember another username/password to login to Rootein. You can simply use one of your Facebook, Gmail, Yahoo or OpenID accounts to login and start managing your Rooteins. So now you really have no excuse not to give us a try!

Check it out now http://rootein.com/login

That's not all. Support for another major third-party login provider is coming soon. Stay tuned!

So the last few days have been super busy yet very exciting for us. We have been receiving some great feedback. Thank you all who have been sending in their comments. Please keep it coming.

Anyhow without further ado, Here are the 6 tips that will help you make the most out of your Rooteins:

1. Keep the Rootein names short and specific: For example, "Do 10 pushups everyday" is a better name than "Go to the gym everyday". The latter is not very specific. Your mind does not understand that vagueness. But telling it to do 10 pushups everyday makes it very clear what your goal is. It's clear to the mind exactly what it needs to do to achieve this goal. Hence your chances of actually following up on the Rootein is handful more.
2. The rule of 21: It's been proven that if you do a certain thing for at least 21 days, it becomes a habit. So all you need to do is Create a Rootein and then track it on your Rootein calendar for 21 days. Of course, you can and should  keep doing the Rootein beyond the first 21 days.
3. Set reminders for your Rooteins: By settings reminders, you can be assured that you will never "forget" to do your Rootein. Rootein will remind you about your Rooteins everyday at a time that you choose. Of course, if you have been awesome and have already marked it as done, Rootein won't bother you with a reminder that day. Rootein will also remind you if it finds that you have been slacking for a few days. That would be your kick in your back to get back on track. We highly recommed setting reminders for your Rooteins (Email/SMS via Twitter DM's)
4. Know your "WHY": It helps your habit building process if you are aware of the reasons you are trying to build the habit for. For example, a Rootein "Do 10 pushups everyday" because you want to have a nice body to ask out a girl next door is sure to get you better results. Just ask yourself why you want to build that habit and remember that the next time you get that reminder from Rootein. 
5. Take small steps: If you currently wake up at 8am every morning, you would be better off creating a Rootein "Wake up at 7:30am every day" instead of "Wake up at 5am every day". It's less drastic and your mind would accept this more easily than the first one. Like Mark Twain said "Habit is habit, and not to be flung out of the window by any man, but coaxed downstairs a step at a time"
6. Do them everyday: Like we said earlier, habits are formed only when you do them everyday. That is the reason, Rootein sets your day count back to 0 if you skip even a single day. You need start the cycle again. Rootein rewards consistency, so does life. So do your Rooteins everyday and keep that badge green.
   

If you have a tip/hack that you would like to share, we would love to hear from you. We will update this post with your tip and give you credit for the same! Please email us at mail@rootein.com

It's been a couple of days since we launched (and what a couple of days - more on that soon!) and we've had some great feedback. As expected, by far the most popular question has been - "What's the deal with the name?". Here's a quick Q&A on the subject:

Rootein?

Not really a question, but lets get started. In case you haven't figured it out yet, the word Rootein is a play on the english word Routine and is pronounced the same way.

But why Rootein?

• Our official astrologer told us spelling it this way would bring success to our users.
• Our numerologist advised us on the extra "o". He said, it's just the perfect number of "o's". The double "o's" make it very auspicious.
• Our friends in the web paparazzi also told us that the extra o gives it the "oomph" factor.
• The really beautiful girl at the grocery store said "Rootein" sounds waaay cooler than plain old "Routine".

Seriously, what's the real deal behind the name?

Honestly speaking, we were looking for a name that would capture the philosophy of the site. Then we found that the name routine was already taken and were looking high and wide for another one, when our dear friend Mayank suggested Rootein and we fell in love with it almost instantly.

There. You have it. Now that you know the story behind Rootein be sure to spread the word!

And yes, watch this space for more cool stories and updates.

We know we have kept you waiting. But the wait is over now! We are super excited to announce that Rootein.com is now live!

The impatient souls can head straight to http://rootein.com to signup and start building Rooteins.

Read on to learn a bit more about Rootein.

What is Rootein?
Rootein is a really cool web app that lets you build habits and track progress as you go along. It keeps you motivated via reminders when you might have traditionally find yourself slacking. It's the easiest way to build and track your habits and routines, having fun along the way!

What use is it to me?
All right now, lets be honest. How many times have you said to yourself "I'll get up at 5 in the morning everyday, starting tomorrow" or "I will do 5 pushups everyday". What happened the next day? If you are determined, you probably got up at 5:15 the next day and 5:30 the day after. You do this for a couple of days and then, if you are like anything like the Rootein team (before we had built Rootein!), you lose the motivation/ focus.

You find other "important" things come up hinder your way or find some excuse and you decide to skip a day, thinking you'll get back to it the next day. However, skipping one day makes skipping the next one much easier and the "habit", as they say, is history.

Rootein is here to change things
We launched Rootein because we had been at that place just too often. Rootein was born out of our need for a system that keeps us motivated towards our habits and routines yet simple and fun. It makes makes sure you build habits consistently. Just signup and feel the difference!

Sample Rooteins

• Wake up at 5 every morning
• Do 5 pushups every day
• Read 5 pages of a book everyday
• Floss every night
• Meditate for 10 mins
• Don't fight with my girlfriend (we love this one :)

 ...or anything else you want!

A mobile world
That's right. We aren't going to give you any excuses to drop your habits. You can create and track your Rooteins right from your mobile device. Just visit http://m.rootein.com from your mobile.

The road ahead
We love Rootein and we love the iPhone. So it's only natural we bring them together. An iPhone app is in the works at Rootein HQ and should see the light of the day pretty soon. We have big plans and can't wait to share what all we have in mind.

What are you waiting for?
So go right ahead. Try Rootein and let us know what you think. We would love to get a feedback from you. Please drop us a line at mail@rootein.com or send us a tweet at http://twitter.com/rootein

Build routines, form habits, stay motivated and have fun!

Welcome aboard & Happy Rooteining!

It's been a long 7 months, but we are finally ready to launch our super secret project, Rootein later tonight. The coolest, easiest, bestest way to build and track your habits and routines. There's a secret sauce we have that keeps you motivated and never let you lose momentum. It even kicks your butt if you try to get lazy. It's really really cool. Stay tuned. We are coming soon. 12 hours to launch. The countdown has begun!