Ikar

I think I saw it somewhere more times, maybe the first time in GQ-related materials. No book/source in particular.

I hope he at least got a warning from the principal because of that. I don't see how he's a helpful role model/authority, if he's tolerated to yell at students. I think it's fair to slog it out at this high school until you finish it and pass the finals. Once you're 18/19, you're free to call your own shots. Looking back, I'd not get into the university, had I not had a particular reason to study (I wanted to be an army officer, so I had to go to the uni for that). I don't think it's helpful to go to the university for a completely random degree and I think working a few jobs to try out what fits is better (plus you'll get a stable income). I earned money since I was 19 (I also finished a university, but as a side project), but over the years (now I'm 27), I've built up a considerable reserve. It's really a big difference if you start work at 18/19, or after a degree at 22/25. There's data that uni people earn more, but I think it's just a correlation without causation and that the people would do well even without a degree. Plus, you can always do the degree later, if it's something you really want or need to advance your career. Feel free to ask more about my reasoning if you want 😄

Since I don't have an employer, even my work-hours are my responsibility and decision. I work with students 1-to-1, so I don't have total control over their time, but yes, if I said "My work hours are between 12 and 6.", nobody could stop me from doing that. My reasoning stems from the quote "The opposite of addiction is not sobriety (days without gaming), but connection (having a good life)." You're correct though that this is an "anti-gaming addiction" forum more than anything else. I stuck around over the years mostly because I just like to journal here. Thanks for the encouragement 🙂 Being 3 years without gaming is impressive! It's entirely possible there was something that you started lacking over time during your abstinence, maybe just in the last few weeks or months. Yeah, my point was to show that the identity of being "anti-something" can only take you so far. Knowing what you're against is OK (gaming in your life), but knowing what you're for is better. Because once you know what you're for, it also solves a lot of the things you're against too. If you're for exercise and a good diet, you're automatically against being fat and a bad diet. And you don't need to remind yourself you're against being fat and a bad diet, because it's already embedded into the positive variant. I hope it makes sense 😄 I'm also against the regulation of gaming in myself. I've tried that many times, before coming to the forum. It didn't work to take one hour here to do the chores and one hour there to do exercise. Now, even when I am bored, I don't think of games. My priorities are completely different than they were and I just don't have the time anyway.

I wouldn't worry about school. The whole concept of school is tedious. You're not supposed to enjoy it, unless there's something wrong with you, or unless you go to a very particular type of school that meets your expectations. Your teacher is in the wrong place. He should teach people who are passionate about math. The problem is, there would be far too many math teachers around for this real demand. He'd either have to be really good (and be self-employed or at a top institution), or he would work a different job. That's the issue with the education system in general; there's far too many teachers teaching far too many students, who are in turn given far too much useless information (at least for the students' benefit). Stacking up straight As is not how life works anyway. I know this, because I've been teaching 1-to-1 English for a few years now. I can say that for most people, only pulling out their wallet and paying the course themselves makes them focus and get involved with English. They might not even be passionate about English, but they know they need it at work or while traveling. That way, I at least know they want to put in some effort. I'll let somebody be the prison guard of 15 teenagers (even if 2-3 of them would at least show some interest in the subject). Being competitive is an interesting trait to have, but don't expect school to help you work with it. It might help you be a good manager or director one day, while the "straight A nerds" will be your rigorous employees. Who knows? 🙂 P.S. I nearly failed high school math and failed a university. I quit my gaming addiction 5 years ago, managed to finish another university without a serious problem and built myself a job I love. Literally nobody remembers (and cares) I nearly failed HS math 10 years ago and failed uni 8 years ago.

In the order that I do them, because my work hours are not regular and I mostly have free time around mid-day and late evening only, plus the weekends are up to me. I just think I could be more efficient/effective with the remainder of my time to get more things done. It's in my hands to change that though, if I feel like I'm getting too little done. Perhaps I misunderstood @Amphibian220 too. To add a little bit of my experience, I've never really used the "day counter" to measure progress, except the first 90 days. Then again, on my 90th day, I was in Iceland for the first (and so far last) time, working a full-time job. I really had no time to think about anything. I think it's OK to have a routine that helps you stay grounded. It's just that I don't think consciously reminding myself of not gaming every day for the rest of my life would work for me. It might work for you though. I don't need that "negative" motivational push from the horrors of my gaming past, because I've already changed just about everything since then. I have a job I love. I have a girlfriend I love. I have friends and some hobbies. My relationships with family are better. I didn't have any of that when I gamed and I identify with my gaming-self very little today, if at all. Yes, it's a good name for a YouTube video. Seeing 5364 days without games is impressive, especially if somebody is deep in the addiction. It might spark curiosity in the person and get them to click on the video. I quit gaming 2099 days ago. Does that mean Cam is 2,555x (5364/2099) more successful than me? No, it's just a random number that looks impressive. Cam is literally somebody who focuses his business around quitting compulsive gaming. It's his mission to help people who are in the same rabbit hole he was in. BUT the nature of his work requires him to keep on working with the topic of gaming addiction. He's not a "normal" person in this regard. Recovered addicts don't regularly remind themselves to not game/drink/watch porn/whatever. They're "over" it, either forever, or until they relapse. You are however correct in the fact that games are a hazard to be managed for the rest of our lives.

4 Jan - 17 Jan: I had a call with two of my CELTA course colleagues. Played billiard with one friend group and board games with another. Spent time with my girlfriend too. Stretched or worked out almost every day. Flossed the last two days as well. I'm feeling a bit under pressure due to the uptick of new or returning students. I'm +3 this week and all of them seem to want to cram themselves into my afternoon/evening slots. It's a good problem to have, but still stressful and I want to take care handling it. I already have a plan in my head that I want to implement.

Take a look at the areas of your life and decide your goals for each of them for the next year. Put those goals on the page—this is the first step towards realizing them. Plans for 2025: Family: I don't have any specific plans for my family, besides finishing my grandma's kitchen. I also don't have any plans of starting my own, although I've always said I'm ready after finishing the uni. The main thing for the success of that would be to manage time and money correctly. Career: The last year was successful business-wise. I got the confirmation for the new lecturer course running from February to May. The main goal is to get the website finished, so I want to actively cooperate with the other freelancers. I'm not going to set any arbitrary goals, except keeping my lesson work-hours around 20, and to managing the other admin stuff (preparation, mails, trainings) in another 10 hours. That makes the total of 30 hours worked a week. - Friends, community: As I wrote above, I am part of more friend groups and communities. I don't have any big plans in mind regarding this area of my life. I expect to naturally drift towards more libertarian, financially educated and entrepreneurial/self-employed communities. I find the most inspiring people there. Relaxation, hobbies, creativity: I intend on continuing the hobbies I currently do, including writing, working out or going to the shooting range. I also want to remain curious about things and keep on traveling to break out of the cycle to unwind completely sometimes. Maybe I'll get around to blogging again. I think the line between work and relaxation is blurry for me. Physical health, fitness: Again working out (and stretching) and flossing. I think my diet is OK. I might start tracking some indicators of body fitness, but I don't think I'm quite there yet. Mental health, self-knowledge: Avoid overwork and burnout. Keep hours on roughly 20 lessons + 10 hours of ancillary work a week. Keep on doing things that feel right. Keep on planning/marking down things in my calendar. Habits that define you: family - keep in touch with my family at least once a month girlfriend - make time to talk every day and keep on working on strengthening our relationship via common activities career - work on my education continually, learning something new every week, even in unstructured ways; sources: CELTA, meeting other English lecturers/teachers, reading on their websites, lecturer course coming up in February, working on the business side of my work friends/community habits - meet with my best friend a few times a month, meet with my friend groups a few times a month too relaxation, hobbies, creativity habits - shooting range, writing, traveling, blogging, reading, being curious fitness habits - stretch every day, work out/run twice a week; floss daily mental health habits - keep my hobbies, work and other activities in balance, try new things every now and then a better tomorrow habits - provide great added value back for the money of my students

I share that "16 hours most/worst" experience, eating and sleeping relatively normally. I'm now actually in the process of writing down habits that I want to establish work on this year. I still seem to do a lot of things randomly and haphazardly, but I'm trying to work on it. I don't think I need too many habits either. Ultimately, there's no time to do everything either and I want to have some fun or do something different at times. I also eventually ditched the "day counter", as there was no need to track progress in this way anymore. I think labeling yourself as a "non-gamer" is helpful for the initial recovery phase (avoiding gaming), but it's not really an identity to have forever. I remember to this day I had the idea that I would present my then-students of English (back in 2019) what change came into my life by quitting games. In the end, I think the lesson got canceled, so I didn't have this presentation. I also remember having lessons with a former alcoholic and sharing our stories in early 2020. I can't imagine running lessons on that today in 2025 though 😄 I even played a TV-computer game with my friends in one room last year in autumn and I've just remembered it for the first time, even though at I was initially reluctant for obvious reasons. If anything, it's good to know how you work and how you can operate. If going strictly down the path you set out for yourself, day in and day out, it's great. I've had a similar experience to @wheatbiscuit 's; I could game all day long, stopping just to eat and sleep, but my sleep schedule has always been remarkably consistent. Good luck exploring new activities and habits to help you not game 🙂 Don't worry, I think you got a bit more coherent from the last time I checked 😄 I get the message about should need/do need, it's a good point to mention.

Evaluation of this year's goals: - Main must-have plans for 2024: Prepare for (Feb-June) and successfully make (July-August) the CELTA certificate course. - finished in July Finish the university in January. In case something goes horribly wrong, then in May. I've got this. - finished in January Move in with my girlfriend in April. - finished in April Set up the new kitchen for my grandma. - I now checked on my phone that the first furniture construction/replacement happened this mid-September. Most of the furniture is now changed/constructed, as well as most of the ancillary stuff like gas, walls etc. Optional nice-to-have plans for 2024: Re-start my financial blog in February. - I haven't really thought of it in the last few months. Optional. Learn how to type with all ten fingers on the keyboard. - Optional. I don't even now know why it's here 🙂 Habits: Stop watching porn (again). - I had a run of three or four weeks without porn in June before CELTA. I entered "survival" mode during CELTA, as I just had no other way to relax and really even no time to relax. Holidays with my girlfriend usually give me time to stop, but it usually doesn't last long after. I just can't help but feel excited about it every now and then. And maybe that's it. I should just make my life more exciting and try new activities more often. I'll keep this in mind moving forward. Start getting up when my alarm rings = Put my alarm across the room. - I put my phone in the living room, so that works. Establish flossing at least once a week. - I usually establish flossing for about a week and then successfully forget about it. Exercise regularly. - I exercise with my girlfriend and do stretching on my own, in gradual intensity since about May. - Plans coming up below.

2024 yearly report I'll lump reading, learning and university into one chunk: Facts: I finished the university. I read two business/lecturer books, a book about health and a book about relationships. I finished the CELTA course. I met with my CELTA course-mate online. I read up on Reddit about finance and English teaching. I added and removed newsletters. Feelings: I realized going to courses and reading books is nice, however it's not of much use if one doesn't actually apply the advice. Therefore, I'm quite OK with having read 'only' three books during the year, because I made notes (photos) of the important parts, grasped important concepts from them and overall put the advice into practice. I also became much more intent with newsletters. Whenever I find something interesting, I usually sub for a few weeks, check out the basic concept, and then unsub. My email is now much less cluttered than it used to be. Family: Facts: I think 80-90% of the whole kitchen project is done, mostly done in the second part of the last year. I think that's the only fact I have worth mentioning. Feelings: I guess my mom is slowly succumbing to dementia. It's been happening for a few years, but I think putting a label on it helps me cope with it. I also don't think my father has skill-set and toolbox to make the situation better. I think the kitchen project really stretched my family's ability to work together. There would be problems even if we worked smoothly though. I'll let that be my lesson for the future; to do something for somebody with extreme limitations in how I do it, worrying about getting something wrong (for somebody else) and having to take blame from somebody else when something ultimately does go wrong. Maybe I'll grow closer to my family when I have kids, I don't know. Business/English: Facts: My business/English teaching is trending upwards. I improved the lessons for my students (questionnaires, CELTA), improved my business education (business books), worked on the marketing (new website, pricing) and eliminated nearly all language school courses. I have less than 10% of reduction of profits compared to the last year, but I also worked about 25% less lessons. Feelings: I made some pretty big one-off investments into my business this year: I got the CELTA, new computer/technology and I'm working on the new website with a few other people. I feel good about it though, as it was and is necessary. Getting the CELTA was very demanding, but I managed to do it. Eliminating language school courses was also a big confidence boost and it assured me in that what I'm doing is correct and in demand. Exercise: Facts: My efforts to do exercise and stretch have been going up since May. I found a workout group I went out with a few times. I also started working out with my girlfriend several weeks ago. Feelings: I think I started exercising more due to my occasional headaches and higher blood pressure. I don't know whether they are related, but exercise yields more benefits besides perhaps solving these problems. Relationship with my girlfriend: I've been looking forward to living together and we moved in together in April. I can say it's much better than living with flatmates, though perhaps a bit more distracting at times. I like to spend time by myself (for example when I have a free morning and my girlfriend's at work), so that's sometimes a challenge. What's great is that I think we solved/managed the traveling issue as well. I also started to exercise more, so I think that brought us closer together than ever before. We also worked on the "Seven Principles" book by Gottman and took some techniques and exercises from it. We also try to spend at least a bit of time alone with each other every day and I can say we're quite successful with that. Social: I participated in multiple different events: organized my friends and went to the shooting range with them, played billiard, laser game or table football; all that with different people and friend groups. I meet my best friend a few times a month. Oddly enough, I can also say an important social aspect has been the work on my new website with the web designer (and possibly the same for the coder this year as well). I can also say I have a good time with my girlfriend's family whenever I visit them. Writing/Blogging: I wrote/rewrote a grand total of two articles this year. I still have a few half-written articles I could finish, but I can't be bothered. I can't say I missed it or that I had an urge to write more often than that. Maybe later. Other hobbies/activities I worked on this year: modern history, politics (though mostly as fun or infotainment), personal finance/investing, theater/culture events, shooting range, billiard, table football, my business. Plans for this year coming up below.

I'm using the template I used the last time. 10/12/24 - 7/1/25 "L" will stand for the (last) plan/notes for this term. "T" will stand for done this term. I added "Future goals/direction" to better reflect on the things I am trying to do and to add specificity. I will copy it and stick it somewhere where I can see it to remind myself whenever I feel aimless. I will also use different colors: blue for newly added goals/habits, green for completed/successful, orange for ongoing/some progress and red for ones I haven't worked on in that period. Books/Reading articles/Learning: L: I however do think I made good progress in educating myself through chats, meetings and Reddit with other English lecturers. Read up on my sub-reddits about finance again. I also read a short and a very insightful book about language lecturing. Gonna borrow a book about health today. T: Spent some time reading on Reddit again, scanning for any relevant information. I'm almost finished with "Outlive" by Attia. I can say it sparked more interest about health, exercise and fitness in general. Possible direction/goals: (Borrow) and read one book until the next monthly report. Family: L: Managed to get to my grandma's kitchen twice with my friend and my father. Most of the old furniture has been eliminated. Now we just need to install the sink/sink cabinet and one more drawer cabinet. I also visited a Korean grill restaurant with my brother to try something new 🙂 T: I went to the theater with my mom and made some family visits as usual. My father and my brother took turns to work on the grandma's kitchen and it seems like we're really nearing the end. NOT: I don't want to get alienated from my family. Possible direction/goals: Work on getting the new kitchen for my grandma. Continue work on maintaining the relationships with my family. Business/English: L: I have the CELTA certificate at home now! I also improved my financial planning by implementing new tools. I also worked on writing some of my new website and worked with my web-designer. Section with the split of lessons (my own/language school) deleted. Feels good! I've had this goal for the last two/three years and now it's reality. I had nearly 20 hours of lessons last week and just 1 for language schools. I'm happy 😄 The website improvement project is still ongoing, though not much work was done in the last month. The web-designer just asks me a thing or two every week; I assume he has enough work on other projects too. Truth be told, the ball was sometimes on my side and it took me a few days to supply something. It's OK though, because I know I'm doing something for my future career development. Other than that, it's standard Reddit reading about other teachers' experience, students finishing and starting, admin and preparation. T: Worked on the new website again with the web-designer. Sent out the bi-yearly questionnaires to my students. After sending out the questionnaires, I went for a holiday to Balearic Islands with my girlfriend. After coming back, I felt very excited to work with my students again! I contacted some of my old students and I signed up for a course organized and run by a coach I cooperated with in the past at the university and that paid for by the government. I hope the application goes through 🙂 NOT: I don't want to have a job that I don't enjoy. I don't want to have a job that is not well paid. Possible direction/goals: With my job position and student demand secure, I'm more able and willing to reschedule or even cancel classes in case I want to do something, mainly in the evening and for holidays. I enjoy having this option thoroughly. Keep classes at a stable 20-25 hours a week. Keep asking for reviews or recommendations from students. Look into strategies to become truly self-employed by skipping the agencies in between. - check university offers after CELTA Create a learning plan for myself. - going to CELTA Go through "lecturer academy" + CELTA materials. Networking and business events. Past projects: Questionnaire - June 2023 Fixed logos on my website for better visuals. Updated the pricing section of my website. Variable/tiered pricing (do in July/August). Got minor pay raises from language schools. - summer 2023 Did evaluations/testing of my students, if required. Attended one networking event and one marketing seminar. Introduced "phone call" classes. Update website/business profiles with "phone calls". Lecturer academy Brona. - fall 2023 Sample business contract on my website. - update the web with new ideas before July Google sheets system for students. - update it Questionnaire part 2 - January 2024 Canceled agency courses - March Taxes - April/May 60/55 minutes online transition - April/May Questionnaire part 3 - June CELTA - July 2024 Contacted old students with offers - Aug/Sep 2024 Raised prices - from Sep Website improvement project - from Aug reading business books - Vlach, Gramel Questionnaire part 4 - Jan 25 Exercise/Movement: L: These days, I normally manage 1-2x exercise sessions (or runs) and 1-2x stretching sessions. All that along with some hikes at the weekend and regular walks once or twice a day. My blood pressure is somewhat elevated, but not in need of medication. I have another appointment on the 19th to check up with the doctor. T: Exercise is about the same as it was the last month. The appointment went alright, though I am going for another test later this month. Went to donate blood plasma twice as well, so I assume my health is alright, as they need to do checks. NOT: I don't want to become fat. Possible direction/goals: I enjoy the fact I do not have to be "actively" dealing with this area of my life, as it's technically a part of my job. I just have to be on lookout if that was to change. Keep in shape. --- My hobbies are: personal finance, graphs/projections/statistics, gunnery, GIS/statistics, reading/videos about (modern) history, English, working on my business, blogging/writing, geography. This month, I did these cool activities: going for holiday with my girlfriend, baking christmas sweets with my girlfriend, visiting the theater with my mom, having a board-game night with friends, visiting my friends, working on my relationship with my girlfriend (7 Principles), reading about finance, reading about English. Spent less time at the computer too. --- For thought: Maybe I should just learn to plan better, though just the thought of having some hours of my day scheduled makes me cringe. Oddly enough, I don't get this feeling while planning lessons of my students, normally in bigger blocks. Maybe I should rethink that belief to make me happier. I've had this recurring thought every now and then that I am often somehow prevented from what I want to do in my free time; basically whenever I am not with students or sleeping. --- Goals/resolutions/aspirations for 2024: Main must-have plans for 2024: Prepare for (Feb-June) and successfully make (July-August) the CELTA certificate course. Finish the university in January. In case something goes horribly wrong, then in May. I've got this. Move in with my girlfriend in April. Set up the new kitchen for my grandma. Optional nice-to-have plans for 2024: Re-start my financial blog in February. Learn how to type with all ten fingers on the keyboard. Habits: Stop watching porn (again). Start getting up when my alarm rings = Put my alarm across the room. Establish flossing at least once a week. Exercise regularly. Continue: planning, walking/exercising, writing/journaling, reading, working on good life/work balance. It's a short list, but if I manage all of it, I will be happy. ---

17 Dec - 3 Jan: I've had this recurring thought every now and then that I am often somehow prevented from what I want to do in my free time; basically whenever I am not with students or sleeping. I don't think the activities I'm missing are unimportant either. I'd like to read more, exercise more, work on my business more, floss more or journal more. I really miss doing the things, it's not about hitting some arbitrary benchmarks of hours exercised or money made. I can also say that I am better at the mentioned activities than I was a year ago - I'm more effective at work, I started exercising and I make time to read more often. Distractions vary, but I ultimately believe I have the power to manage them in a way that makes sense. I just hate being distracted and not being able to focus. I feel like my day just wasted away if I don't have a regular dose of these sessions. Maybe I should just learn to plan better, though just the thought of having some hours of my day scheduled makes me cringe. Oddly enough, I don't get this feeling while planning lessons of my students, normally in bigger blocks. Maybe I should rethink that belief to make me happier. As for the activities over the last two weeks: I did some reading, meeting with friends, went to cardiology, questionnaire, week-long trip to Mallorca with my girlfriend, got my financial spreadsheets updated, met my family, watched films and series with my girlfriend.

Yes, I'm about to finish it and after I'm done, I'll find out more, especially about exercising. I am still nowhere near the recommended amount/quality, but I'm trying to get there.

10 Dec - 16 Dec: Got some work done on my website again and I think my web-designer is finishing his work slowly as well. My girlfriend and I made Christmas sweets together last week. We also did some exercise and went out a few times. I went out to the theater with my mom on Saturday and went shopping for new pants with my girlfriend on Sunday. The shopping turned out to be painful; I got a headache later during the day, maybe because of dehydration, not eating enough or just because of the environment in the shopping mall. I also started reading a new book called "Outlive" by Peter Attia, so I hope to take some insights from it for a healthier life.

I'm using the template I used the last time. 6/11/24 - 10/12/24 "L" will stand for the (last) plan/notes for this term. "T" will stand for done this term. I added "Future goals/direction" to better reflect on the things I am trying to do and to add specificity. I will copy it and stick it somewhere where I can see it to remind myself whenever I feel aimless. I will also use different colors: blue for newly added goals/habits, green for completed/successful, orange for ongoing/some progress and red for ones I haven't worked on in that period. Books/Reading articles/Learning: L: I however do think I made good progress in educating myself through chats, meetings and Reddit with other English lecturers. I went to a seminar about tech in education, met with my coursemate again and studied more about AI. Read up on my sub-reddits about finance again. T: More of the same really. I also read a short and a very insightful book about language lecturing. Gonna borrow a book about health today. Possible direction/goals: (Borrow) and read one book until the next monthly report. Family: L: Got some work done on the water pipes and electricity, mostly by my father. My girlfriend and my friend noticed he treats me quite harshly and that my reactions are quite harsh too; I'm really oblivious to that, because it's just how it's always been. We usually help out one another in need, so I guess that's OK. However, I'm working on having different relationship dynamics with others. T: Managed to get to my grandma's kitchen twice with my friend and my father. Most of the old furniture has been eliminated. Now we just need to install the sink/sink cabinet and one more drawer cabinet. I also visited a Korean grill restaurant with my brother to try something new 🙂 NOT: I don't want to get alienated from my family. Possible direction/goals: Work on getting the new kitchen for my grandma. Continue work on maintaining the relationships with my family. Business/English: L: I have the CELTA certificate at home now! I also improved my financial planning by implementing new tools. I also worked on writing some of my new website and worked with my web-designer. I wrote about the teaching-philosophy change above. Section with the split of lessons (my own/language school) deleted. Feels good! I've had this goal for the last two/three years and now it's reality. I had nearly 20 hours of lessons last week and just 1 for language schools. I'm happy 😄 T: The website improvement project is still ongoing, though not much work was done in the last month. The web-designer just asks me a thing or two every week; I assume he has enough work on other projects too. Truth be told, the ball was sometimes on my side and it took me a few days to supply something. It's OK though, because I know I'm doing something for my future career development. Other than that, it's standard Reddit reading about other teachers' experience, students finishing and starting, admin and preparation. NOT: I don't want to have a job that I don't enjoy. I don't want to have a job that is not well paid. Possible direction/goals: With my job position and student demand secure, I'm more able and willing to reschedule or even cancel classes in case I want to do something, mainly in the evening and for holidays. I enjoy having this option thoroughly. Keep classes at a stable 20-25 hours a week. Keep asking for reviews or recommendations from students. Look into strategies to become truly self-employed by skipping the agencies in between. - check university offers after CELTA Create a learning plan for myself. - going to CELTA Go through "lecturer academy" + CELTA materials. Networking and business events. Past projects: Questionnaire - June 2023 Fixed logos on my website for better visuals. Updated the pricing section of my website. Variable/tiered pricing (do in July/August). Got minor pay raises from language schools. - summer 2023 Did evaluations/testing of my students, if required. Attended one networking event and one marketing seminar. Introduced "phone call" classes. Update website/business profiles with "phone calls". Lecturer academy Brona. - fall 2023 Sample business contract on my website. - update the web with new ideas before July Google sheets system for students. - update it Questionnaire part 2 - January 2024 Canceled agency courses - March Taxes - April/May 60/55 minutes online transition - April/May Questionnaire part 3 - June CELTA - July 2024 Contacted old students with offers - Aug/Sep 2024 Raised prices - from Sep Website improvement project - from Aug Exercise/Movement: L: I started being more conscious about my health after finding out about my high blood pressure. I'm gonna get a cardiological appointment soon. I also started being more intent on exercising semi-daily and standing/walking during the lessons rather than sitting. I went to a hike or two too. T: These days, I normally manage 1-2x exercise sessions (or runs) and 1-2x stretching sessions. All that along with some hikes at the weekend and regular walks once or twice a day. My blood pressure is somewhat elevated, but not in need of medication. I have another appointment on the 19th to check up with the doctor. NOT: I don't want to become fat. Possible direction/goals: I enjoy the fact I do not have to be "actively" dealing with this area of my life, as it's technically a part of my job. I just have to be on lookout if that was to change. Keep in shape. --- My hobbies are: personal finance, graphs/projections/statistics, gunnery, GIS/statistics, reading/videos about (modern) history, English, working on my business, blogging/writing, geography. This month, I did these cool activities: going to the shooting range with my friends, doing some minor fixes in my car, working on my grandma's kitchen, visiting my friends, working on my relationship with my girlfriend (7 Principles), reading about finance, reading about English, going to a wedding/hike/theater/debate with my girlfriend, going to a laser game with my friends. Spent less time at the computer too. --- Goals/resolutions/aspirations for 2024: Main must-have plans for 2024: Prepare for (Feb-June) and successfully make (July-August) the CELTA certificate course. Finish the university in January. In case something goes horribly wrong, then in May. I've got this. Move in with my girlfriend in April. Set up the new kitchen for my grandma. Optional nice-to-have plans for 2024: Re-start my financial blog in February. Learn how to type with all ten fingers on the keyboard. Habits: Stop watching porn (again). Start getting up when my alarm rings = Put my alarm across the room. Establish flossing at least once a week. Exercise regularly. Continue: planning, walking/exercising, writing/journaling, reading, working on good life/work balance. It's a short list, but if I manage all of it, I will be happy.

Hope all is good, it's been some time since you last posted.

5 Dec - 8 Dec: Spent some time with my family and out with friends. Did some reading and kitchen reconstructing too. Nothing unusual otherwise.

28 Nov - 4 Dec: I had the Holter monitor for the whole day and I averaged blood pressure of 132/75 and 56 BPM. I have a cardiology appointment on 19 Dec, but I think it'll be OK 🙂 Spent some time reading financial and English teaching Reddit. Went to the shooting range with a group of friends, changed/charged my car battery. Spent a good deal of time reconstructing my grandma's kitchen with my friend on Saturday. Doing fine otherwise 😄

I have next to zero idea what parenthood (or being a father) entails, but I've always been optimistic about getting to it. I think it's worth the admiration. And I consider it an important part of life too. I just don't think only having free hands with my career and hobbies (as my health gradually declines) is all there is to life. I hope to be a father once too. I hope it goes well for you and your wife! 😄

24 Nov - 27 Nov: I made ginger tea and I'm currently chilling at home by myself. My girlfriend went to watch a debate on child-friendly cities. I spent Sunday visiting my family, reading and working on chores. On Monday, I went for the all-day army entry medical checks and it was all good. I just need to send them my results from the cardiology as soon as I get them. Went running with my girlfriend too. I met my brother on Tuesday and had the first lesson with a new student. I got my Holter monitor from a nurse today and it is monitoring my blood pressure during the course of my day. I should get a date of my appointment with the doctor tomorrow too. I just hope the gadget won't wake me too often at night 😄

15 Nov - 23 Nov: I've been fairly busy these days. Again, I think I am spending less time on the computer overall and more time with other activities. My girlfriend and I went to the theater and had a burger dinner to celebrate being together for two years! 😄 I'm still keeping up with the exercise. Maybe not as much as my girlfriend, but it's still about twice a week of direct exercise, plus fast walks, hikes and others. I also visited a laser game place on Thursday and my legs are still sore 😄 Socially, I visited my girlfriend's family, attended a geography quiz and celebrated my friend's birthday.

Keep it up, it's really the only way forward! I guess even group courses could be good, but you don't (and realistically can't) get a say in how they're run. Some might offer a free consultation/trial class, so I think it's correct to shop around. Good group tutors utilize pair-work a lot (because even speaking to a fellow student your level makes you get out of your head), use target language as much as possible (you're there to learn French, not English) and make you speak 1/3-1/2 of the lesson (mostly in pairs/trios). In individual lessons, the ratio of speaking (initiative) tutor/student should be as high as or over 70/30. Also look for any cringe/weird moments during the lesson - when there's too much silence, personal discussion bordering on arguments or students just being generally bored or absent-minded. I'm naturally biased, as I specialize in 1-to-1 (and 2, maaaybe 3) lessons, but I think it's really the most effective method in the ratio of time spent/language learnt. It's just costly 😄

I'd definitely try to stay in contact with the language every day, or at least most of the days. Duolingo is OK for that if you don't have any other way that day. The truth though is that "specific" materials, such as language learning apps or grammar exercises should be the minor way of keeping in contact with the language. The most important part is just to speak and listen, at least for most people. You get good at what you practice. If you want have French lessons with a tutor, I'd definitely recommend finding someone who can facilitate discussion and correct your speaking in a reasonable way (and also amount). Grammar exercises are good for homework; there's no point in paying someone to watch you fill out worksheets you can download/correct yourself. And again, ideally the lessons should be just a complement, not the main way of learning. From my perspective, the best students actively set the topic, tell me stories from their lives and show me their homework and I'm just there being happy for them while looking at how much they've progressed. All in all, you should have several sources of French surrounding you and expose yourself to them in any suitable situation. I know it doesn't answer the "how much time" question, but I'd argue the direct answer to this question is somewhat meaningless. Let me know if it makes sense and if you have anything else to discuss, I'll be happy to share my perspective 😄

You're definitely correct about getting better at communication, whether with colleagues or customers. I think I've taught myself how to find common ground and to be proactive in negotiations over time too. Depending on how much you enjoy doing your "core" work of software development and teaching/managing others, you'll decide your later path. I knew I liked my "core" work, so my "promotion" laid in improving myself and my methods, on top of getting better marketing, to give me a 50% pay raise (including benefits) compared to "traditional" employers. If I hadn't done all that work and learnt all the skills associated with it, I'd be just barely scraping by now, because 15$ an hour is different money for a 19-year old and a 38-year old with a family. So, maybe next November you'll be at the same company with the same pay and same work, but you'll have worked on a few side gigs by then and I'd definitely consider that a "promotion" as well 😄

I feel you. I think I spend about half of my working hours sitting at the computer at home, so I also try to fill out any planned or unplanned lapses with chores. This also helps me with health, as it's important to take breaks from sitting all the time. I have a modular table that can go up and down to my change position and I made a point in my calendar to start every lesson (usually 45-55 minutes) standing, even if for a few minutes. - I was going to ask how you imagine to get promoted. I think there are two equally valid paths to go down: 1) expert - This is the one I've worked on. My bosses and customers are my students. I get to see the results of my work IN PERSON, which is incredibly motivating and satisfying. I also make sure to let my students know that they improved. I also have the pricing mechanism already figured out offer/demand, optimizing the rate and hours worked), though I'm aware there's a ceiling somewhere. 2) manager/CEO - I've had the idea to start a company a few times and I've been asked about a few times as well. So far, I've been happy to work on my own. Yes, maybe I could make more money, influence more people... I just haven't felt that this is my heart's desire. Of course, this doesn't mean it'll stay like that forever. It's not a dogma and some people choose to combine both approaches. It's just that both require different skill-sets, lifestyles and derive meaning from work differently. I also think the direction you'll eventually end up going is ironically somewhat arbitrary. I asked the language schools for promotions/pay raises regularly, but I was never offered a promotion and the pay raises were cosmetic. That was all despite the amount of great feedback from students, racking up experience over 3-4 years and getting certifications. This is not to blame them, just to state the facts. Maybe the situation on the market/in the companies never warranted them to take such steps. All this is my experience and yours might be completely different though 😄 100%. Last week, I got a mail reporting on a login attempt from one of my old website/app accounts from Panama of all the places. Changed the password promptly, even though there's nothing of value in that account. I periodically check the security options of all the apps/accounts that I use actively.