Goals Update and Accountability Check #3 – Improvements

It is October 11th and it is time for another moment to honestly reflect on my goals and progress. I originally wanted to make this post at the end of September but I found myself quite busy during that time so I was unable to put the necessary amount of effort into this post as it deserves. And, as it turns out, I believe now is even more fitting for the update as I succeeded in maintaining my streaks through the biggest challenge they have faced yet which was an eight day road trip with my significant other. I have made a great change in my life already and want it to continue with every ounce of my willpower. I recently have also felt these habits start to set in as I find myself periodically checking in with myself throughout the day on their completion. This especially happens before I go to bed as I run through the day and make sure that everything is completed. These check-ins and the urge to continue my streak has also made me much more proactive which is a by product of the creation of these goals and habits that I did not consider at the beginning. I have wanted to be more proactive and reduce idleness in my daily life for a long time. I have felt that I am finally making progress in that domain as I continue to check items off my “to-do list” every day. I’ve noticed this occurrence when I feel like I have time to be idle but then suddenly I think of something I can do to check off my list. It is happening more and more throughout my day to day life which is good news as I’ve struggled with idleness and procrastination. However, it is not a cure all as checking off my goals has at times caused more procrastination in other tasks. Still, the overall effects are creeping into all aspects of my life slowly but surely. It stands that the increase is seen more in my goals than, say, another additional matter which requires my attention.

Now, I will consider each goal from the Productive APP in detail:

Meditation: Meditation has remained a crucial part of my morning routine and I routinely complete a 15 minute nearly right when I wake up during working days. In my last update I pondered the possibility that I was stuck in a bit of a rut and not getting as much out of each session as I could be. A week or two ago I did two guided sessions, the points of which, I have really started to apply to my practice. In the past few days I have been blown away by my sessions. I have reached new depths, perceived myself in new ways, tasted clarity and have brought mindfulness more into my waking life. I succeeded in making a step to grow in this aspect of my routine and have practiced at some length every day.

Recovery Exercises: I have maintained my streak to increase my ankle flexibility post injury as I passed the one year anniversary. I found stretches that do not require bands which I can do when I am not home to help never miss a day. My flexibility is improving slowly but surely and has been more noticeable recently.

Yoga: Wow. I have been rotating through more videos since the last check in and I have never felt better in my whole life. I am as flexible and as strong as ever. It feels like I continue to shake off the rust in my body which I never knew was there. Even simple movements like putting my hands together straight up over my head feel more fluid and full than ever before. I feel myself moving on the mat more gracefully and powerfully. I have noticed improvements especially in full wheel pose (though still not very close), warrior 3, and triangle pose. The more fluid movement of my legs has also been noticeable as well as overall strength and endurance. I hope to add more videos to the mix to continue growing in a wide range of movements as this practice is one which I would like to cultivate for the rest of my life. On September 29th, I also treated myself to a super morning where I completed the full series- 1 hour and 36 minutes – to start the day in honor of myself.

Record Mixtape: While this is a task that (usually on weekends) I can’t complete every day mostly due to the equipment which is required, I have continued to chip away at my first project better than ever before. I have passed the halfway point leaving only 5 songs which still need to be recorded. I have noticed improvement in my ability to add style to the songs before they are mixed and mastered. Each song feels like it is coming out better than the one before it.

Chinese Study: 我每天学习中文。我非常喜欢学习新的话。我的生活在中国变更容易既然我能理解更多。我的中国朋友们和同事们喜欢聊天跟我。并且我能听懂更多句子到处我的环境。This is not much but I just wrote it on a whim and my production is still lacking behind my receptive skills. Reading is still my strongest skill in Chinese followed by listening and then speaking. Handwriting still has yet to receive much attention though I hope to make progress in that domain as well. I am gaining a lot more confidence than ever before speaking to people, asking questions and answering my phone. I am extremely satisfied with my progress. I plan to take HSK 4 in December. I fell short of my audacious goal of adding the whole HSK 4 vocabulary dictionary into my Anki deck but I am nearly two-thirds of the way there and continue to make progress.

Exercise: I continue to maintain my exercising goal which I typically do when I get home from work. Recently, I have noticed some slight procrastination but the habit persists and stays strong. The jump rope/push up circuit has gotten much easier to where I can do it without much exertion. I am still hesitant on adding to it however for fear of doing too much. I will allow it to continue to become easier and will probably decide to raise it by the next check-in. My core series is seeing progress too and I have been close to completing the whole 4 minute session without stopping though the toe-touches usually get me.

French Refresh: My iTalki tutor has continued to note that the basic conversations which we have continue to become easier. I do not have much problem listening and answering questions when asked simply and in a clear tone. This habit however has been more difficult than others I have noticed, I believe, due to the fact that it does not occur every day. I have found myself scrambling to complete it on a whim at times. The good news is that I recognized this and took the initiative to download a French Grammar APP called Dr. French. Now, I am able to study and refresh grammar points (which I definitely need) on the go which greatly increases the convenience of completing this task. I foresee the likelihood of incorporating more study days now that I can do grammar exercises just from my phone.

Freewriting: I continue to do some sort of writing every day. This mostly counts as journaling or writing for this site. I believe that eventually when I finished recording the mixtape that this task will transition into writing for the new project as I have delayed writing new songs in order to finalize the current project.

Freestyle: I have wanted to maintain my freestyling ability with this habit and it has gone extremely well. I have explored new word formations and flows. I even recorded a few ideas which popped up in my notes which I may potentially use later on. I believe the ease of the freestyles and the depth which I have found has definitely improved over time. Recently, one beat sometimes does not feel like enough so my average time is slowly ticking upwards.

Reading: Reading has now become essential (typically) to my bed time routine. I finished The Snows of Kilimanjaro and other short stories, read The Outsider and have started A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court. I have also found a way to make reading more accessible through eBooks on my phone. I prefer a print version but I can not deny the convenience of having something to read on my phone. I have been gathering eBooks through some helpful WeChat groups. I finished The Obesity Code and just started Jordan Peterson’s 12 Rules of Life. In the past I have tried not to read two books at once but due to the different formats I think it will not be a huge issue. I also have been reading the different formats at different times which doesn’t impact each other.

The Novel Mind: I am satisfied with the progress I have made over the past few weeks. Finishing the edits of my hitchhiking journey was a big step and slowly I am making the site more presentable. I have many ideas for the site which I am working on slowly but surely. I do have worries that there are too many things I want to do but I believe it is more of a bottleneck at the moment and will be relieved over time.

General Notes: I have made it 55 days for most of these habits and it has really made a huge impact on myself overall. I have more confidence in my abilities and it is empowering to feel more proactive. The progress I have made in many domains is wonderful to feel. It does come with a certain level of stress though at the same time due to the fact that I do not want to miss a day but I have helped to somewhat mitigate the stress with the help of the rule of minimums which I will elaborate on. Journaling has also really helped me to be honest with myself and reflect on the successes as well as the difficulties. It truly comes in waves and I have tried to pay attention to that fact. The shifting of more items directly to my phone which (un)fortunately is always within reach has been a good step in keeping up with certain goals. I downloaded the WordPress APP so I can write directly into the APP when I am away from home so the text then appears on my computer. I downloaded a French grammar APP, Dr. French, which allows me to study productively on the go. I also started saving eBooks on my phone which lets me read an additional book at times when I don’t have my (preferred) physical material on me. These moves have greatly improved the ease of which I can tackle my goals. I also have felt these tasks become more ingrained in me as even when I’m tired or have had a few drinks I double check with myself to make sure I have completed everything and can look ahead towards the next day.

What improvements can I make? I mentioned several moves I made which generated more efficiency especially when I am on the go. I believe another one I can make is figuring out how to connect Anki on my phone with the version on my computer. Since they are not in-sync with each other the version on my phone does not have many of the newest cards I made over the past few weeks. Also, when I need to rely on my phone version for a few days the deck on my laptop builds up and takes a day or two to be cleared and return to normal. Although I am still studying regardless, finding out how to sync them will create more efficiency. Lastly, I believe that intention in the tasks has not always been clear and concise. I plan to put more focus and effort on my intention for each task as I set out to complete them. I can use freestyling as an example. Usually, I simply put on a beat and rhyme in the moment. It is usually fine but I can also put more intention in the practice to sharpen different techniques, clean up bad habits (repeating certain words), and expand my ability. Practicing and working with more intention is something I will try to cultivate and refine until the next check in. On another note, I mentioned in my initial post about saving $10,000 by the initial set period of January 1st. The budget was an area I totally failed at to meet the monthly mark. I have not made an appropriate budget (still) and it hurts to be that brutally honest on something so necessary. If I receive a certain reimbursement I will still scrape by on that goal but barely and I will depend on the next few months to be above par in order to reach this goal. This is one area I can highlight where I need to make improvements. As for the other goals I am making progress on doing shows but at the moment I do not have a lead for one in Shanghai. My tape is halfway there and I still need to register for the HSK 4 exam.