FAQ

You will find below a list of general FAQ followed by FAQ that are specific to each type of lab.

General FAQ

  1. Can I work on more than one lab at a time?
  2. How can I permanently end a lab?
  3. I don’t really understand the self-assessment system: what is the difference between the success/failure rating and the quality of my practice?
  4. I am unable to assess my practice in terms of success or failure, it’s too binary.
  5. When an “average” grade is displayed, whose average is it?
  6. Will the experiences that I post always be visible to other users?
  7. Is my username visible to other users when I share an experience, a practical exercise or a note?
  8. Who can access my data (notepad, experiences, exercises, etc.)?
  9. Certain phases are to be completed in a limited time frame: what time zone should I use as a reference?
  10. Can I delete my account?
  11. Will this website be available in other languages?

 

To read the FAQ related to a specific lab, select the lab:

FAQ regarding five-phase labs

  1. Where can I find detailed information about the various phases of a five-phase lab?
  2. Once I have started a lab, can I switch to another one?
  3. Can I take a break after I have started a lab?
  4. How long can I pause my lab?
  5. What happens if I forget or am unable to answer a question or complete one of the phases of a lab within the allotted time?
  6. I cannot move on to the next phase—why is that?
  7. My lab is on pause but I have not requested to pause it: what is going on?
  8. My lab has been closed automatically: what has happened?
  9. The Action Phase is 28 days long, but the time-line indicates that I have 31 days left: why is that?
  10. During the Action phase, how can I complete my daily assessment if I haven’t logged in for one or more days?
  11. Can I modify my practical exercise(s) in the middle of a lab?
  12. I am currently in phase 4 and I would like to change the number of exercises in my practice. Is that possible?
  13. I am in phase 4 and I would like to switch one of my exercises from daily assessment to weekly assessment. Is that possible?

 

FAQ regarding 28 days straight labs

  1. Where can I find detailed information about the way 28 days straight labs work?
  2. Once I have started a lab, can I switch to another one?
  3. Can I take a break after I have started a lab?
  4. What happens if I forget or am unable to assess my practice before midnight?
  5. What if I forget or am unable to draw my new maxim before midnight?
  6. How can I complete my daily assessment if I haven’t logged in for one or more days?
  7. Can I modify my practical exercise(s) in the middle of a lab?
  8. I would like to change the number of exercises in my practice. Is that possible?
  9. I would like to switch one of my exercises from daily assessment to weekly assessment. Is that possible?

 

 

ANSWERS

 

1. Can I work on more than one lab at a time? ⏏
You may start and work on up to three labs at any given time. You can mix five- phase labs and 28 days straight labs and you can start them either simultaneously or at different times. 

2. How can I permanently end a lab? ⏏
In order to end a lab, go to the All labs page, select the lab in progress that you would like to end, and click the Stop button.
Please note: by ending a lab, you will permanently lose all the data related to it. If you have started several labs, you may stop one lab and continue with the other one(s). 

 

3. I don’t really understand the self-assessment system: what is the difference between the success/failure rating and the quality of my practice? ⏏

The result of a practice has to be assessed both quantitatively and qualitatively.
Success and failure ratings are part of the quantitative assessment: I successfully completed my exercise as planned, or I failed to do so. If the heading of the exercise is sufficiently precise, you can determine on your own whether you succeeded or failed and select “success” or “failure” accordingly. But this does not fully reflect the reality of your work: it could be that you failed despite serious efforts, considerable attention paid to your practice, understanding something about yourself, having had the best possible intention, etc. Such a “failure” is clearly different than failure to have remembered or failure due to laziness, etc. Conversely, you may successfully complete your exercise by chance or mechanically, without making an effort or without gaining any insights into yourself. Qualitative criteria, including  effort, attention, intention, as well as self-analysis, involvement, humility, etc., thus contribute to the final result of our practice and should be assessed. This evaluation is personal and will evolve with experience and one’s strategies.

 

4. I am unable to assess my practice in terms of success or failure, it’s too binary. ⏏

It is precisely to avoid limiting your evaluation to mere “success” or “failure” that the possibility to additionally assess your practice in terms of its “quality” is offered. The result of a practice is not strictly limited to its success or failure: it depends greatly on criteria such as one’s level of effort, one’s intention, attention, or one’s humility in the case of success, which is why one cannot simply limit it to success or failure. Someone who failed but put in great effort, probably made more progress than someone who succeeded in completing a simpler exercise. If you did not fully meet your commitment, pay closer attention to the quality of your practice: what efforts are you developing?

Tip:
Make sure that your exercise is not too vague. If, for example, you decide to “fight against backbiting,” it will be difficult to evaluate your success or failure: opportunities to backbite will  abound and you will probably miss some of them. You will need to refine the heading of your exercise to be able to clearly determine if you’ve succeeded or failed. For example, “Today I will try to fight against backbiting at least once,” or “twice,” or “three times,” however many times you want, as long as the exercise is clearly delimited. The exercise should also be doable, of course, so that you can stick to it in the long run. This is not a best performance contest, but rather a work-in-progress on oneself that requires attention, concentration and analysis.

 

5. When an “average” grade is displayed, whose average is it? ⏏

Unless specifically indicated (e.g., “my average”, “my average score”), it refers to the average of all users.

 

6. Will the experiences that I post always be visible to other users? ⏏

No. Your personal data is private. If you decide that one of your experiences or practical exercises, or any question or suggestion you may have, would be enriching for other users, you will have the option to share those anonymously. Please note that all experiences shared at your request will always be moderated before they are published on the site.

 

7. Is my username visible to other users when I share an experience, a practical exercise or a note? ⏏

No. After moderation, only your text will be visible to other users--you will thus remain anonymous.

 

8. Who can access my data (notepad, experiences, exercises, etc.)? ⏏

With the exception of what you decide to share (anonymously) with other users, no one except you—not even the administrators of the site—can access your data. The encryption of your password and of your personal data (notepad content, experiences, exercises) guarantees your account security. An encryption key is generated when your create your account. If you forget your password, only the correct answers to the secret questions will allow you to reset your password.

 

9. Certain phases are to be completed in a limited time frame: what time zone should I use as a reference? ⏏

You indicated your geographical location when you created your account. Your time zone was then automatically saved and will serve as a reference for the various deadlines. You may change your time zone at any time by accessing your profile.

 

10. Can I delete my account? ⏏

Yes, you may delete your account entirely at any time by going to My Profile. All data and records concerning your practice will then be permanently deleted.

 

11. Will this website be available in other languages? ⏏

If you would like to contribute to the development of this website by offering a translation of its content, please let us know by using the contact form.

 

FAQ regarding five-phase labs

 

1. Where can I find detailed information about the various phases of a five-phase lab? ⏏

Please refer to the page Find out more about phases.
A link to this page is available at all times on your current five-phase lab page:





















2. Once I have started a lab, can I switch to another one? ⏏

You may drop out of a lab at any time. All you need to do is go to All Labs, select the lab in progress, and click the Stop button.
Once you have done this, you may start a new lab, or restart the lab you have just terminated.

If you have started several labs, you may stop one lab and continue with the other one(s). 

 

3. Can I take a break after I have started a lab? ⏏

Yes, you may pause any five-phase lab you are working on by clicking the Pause button, either on your lab's page, or on the All Labs page. To restart your lab, click the Restart button available on the same pages.
Please note that you may only pause your lab once.

 

4. How long can I pause my lab? ⏏

After 6 months, if you have not restarted your lab, it will be automatically stopped. You will receive information and reminders via email while your lab is one pause.
 

5. What happens if I forget or am unable to answer a question or complete one of the phases of my lab within the allotted time? ⏏

You will receive an email informing you that your lab has been paused automatically. To restart your lab, go to All Labs and click the restart button of the lab in question, or go to your current five-phase Lab.

 

6. I cannot move on to the next phase—why is that?  ⏏

Make sure you have completed all the stages of the current phase.

 

7. My lab is on pause but I have not requested to pause it: what is going on? ⏏

Your lab has been put on pause automatically by the system. You have failed to complete one of the tasks required in your lab within the allotted time. You should have received an informational email alerting you to this. Please note that when a lab is paused automatically by the system, you must restart your lab within 7 days or it will be automatically closed.
To restart your lab, go to the All labs page and click the restart button of the lab in question, or go to your lab's page.

 

8. My lab has been closed automatically: what has happened? ⏏

You have failed to timely resume your lab after it was paused—either within 7 days after your lab was automatically paused by the system, or 6 months after you voluntarily paused your lab. Your lab is now permanently closed. You statistics are available on the My previous labs page.
To start a new lab, please go to All labs.

 

9. The Action Phase is 28 days long, but the time-line indicates that I have 31 days left: why is that? ⏏

The Action Phase includes 28 days of practice, but you have an additional optional 3 days (maximum) to review your results and finalize your daily assessments, which will no longer be amendable as soon as the next phase starts.

 

10. During the Action phase, how can I complete my daily assessment if I haven’t logged in for one or more days? ⏏

You can easily enter information concerning your daily assessment retroactively by going to you lab's page and clicking on the corresponding dates above the graph. You can also modify the information you have already entered for previous days at any time.

 

11. Can I modify my practical exercise(s) in the middle of a lab? ⏏

During the Action phase, it is possible to modify the title of one or more of your exercises. This can be quite useful, as continuous self-analysis will enable you to better understand what you should work on, justifying the need to redefine your practical exercise(s).

 

12. I am currently in phase 4 and I would like to change the number of exercises in my practice. Is that possible? ⏏

No. You have to decide on 1 to 3 practical exercises in phase 3. It is no longer possible to modify the number of exercises you have chosen to include in your practice once phase 4 has begun. It remains, however, possible to modify the headings of your exercises throughout phase 4.

Tips:
- Take your time in phase 3 to properly plan your practice: number of exercises and specific heading for each exercise.
- If you would still like to increase the level of difficulty of your practice during phase 4: modify the heading of one of your exercises and make it more complex by including two sub-exercises.

 

13. I am in phase 4 and I would like to switch one of my exercises from daily assessment to weekly assessment. Is that possible? ⏏

No, this is impossible for technical reasons. You have to decide how often you would like to assess your practice during phase 3. The assessment frequency is set by default to “daily”.  The option for a weekly assessment appears by clicking on “daily”. You will no longer be able to change these settings once phase 4 has begun.

Tips:
If you still wish to switch from daily assessment to weekly assessment after you have begun phase 4, assess your practice at the end of the week (Were you successful? How would you rate the quality of your practice over the week?) and include the relevant information (success or failure, quality) in your assessment table for all 7 days of that week.

 

FAQ regarding 28 day straight labs

 

1. Where can I find detailed information about the way 28 days straight labs work? ⏏

Please refer to the page Find out more about 28 days straight labs.
Also a tutorial is always available on My current lab page: 

 

2. Once I have started a lab, can I switch to another one? ⏏

You may drop out of a lab at any time. All you need to do is go to All Labs, select the lab in progress, and click the Stop button.
Once you have done this, you may start a new lab, or restart the lab you have just terminated.

If you have started several labs, you may stop one lab and continue with the other one(s). 

 

3. Can I take a break after I have started a lab? ⏏

“28 days straight” labs cannot be paused.

 

4. What happens if I forget or am unable to assess my practice before midnight? ⏏

Once midnight has passed, you will no longer be able to enter or modify your assessment.

You will not lose any points until the 5th missed day as the system allows for 4 missed days without penalty. After that, each missed day will be counted as if you had failed.

 

5. What if I forget or am unable to draw my new maxim before midnight? ⏏

 Your new maxim will be drawn automatically by the system at midnight. A notification email containing your maxim will, as usual, be sent to you the next morning.

 

6. How can I complete my daily assessment if I haven’t logged in for one or more days? ⏏

Your daily assessment can only be entered and modified until midnight every day and it is not possible to go back and modify you practice assessments from previous days.

 

7. Can I modify my personal exercise after I have defined it? ⏏

It is possible to modify the title of your personal exercise at any given time. This is also true if you decide to continue working on the same maxim for several days: you can modify your personal exercise accompanying it at any time. 

 

8. I would like to change the number of exercises in my practice. Is that possible? ⏏

You are the one deciding what your practice will be each day, on the basis of the selected maxim/saying. You can only determine one personal exercise per day for each 28 days straight lab, but your exercise may of course include several items if you wish. 

 

9. I would like to switch one of my exercises from daily assessment to weekly assessment. Is that possible? ⏏

No, this is impossible for technical reasons. However, you may decide to keep working on the same maxim for one or several additional days. This option is available once you have done your daily assessment, when you validate it for that day If you do not validate your assessment before midnight, a new maxim is drawn automatically by the system.