Ikar

There are more aspects to it now. I just always drop in after a few days to reflect on what is new in my life. I also have monthly reports, which help me reflect in a more general way and plan for the future. On top of that, I also keep an eye out on spam on the forum and ban bots. I don't know for sure. I wrote: "Maybe I stop drinking or eating enough, get tired faster than her... I really don't know." We talked about it already and that's why she started going to trips with others too, so it's not all on me to satisfy her traveling/nature hiking needs. But really aside from this, there's no other big challenge that would make us separate. We can manage all the practical aspects well, always come to an agreement and I can say my girlfriend makes my life better and she even makes me a better person 🙂

Hello Mohammad, thanks for your praise 😄 I really haven't gamed since 21st April 2019. That said, I had a few occasions where I randomly came across a random browser game or watched an old stream of mine, but those are really isolated events. @BooksandTrees once said that after a certain point, he stopped caring how many days has it been since he gamed and that he stopped counting them. I came to the same realization. Games are not something I instinctively think about. When I quit, I really saw it as a closed chapter of my life. I understood why I did it and moved on to activities that were better for my needs. In fact, I never even blocked Steam or did anything else than to uninstall the games. I just knew I was through and knew I just needed to do something else. I'm sorry to read about your separation. I think it's OK with sport; sure, she does more exercise, but I rationally know it's good for me to do more sport. I think it would be OK to exercise twice or thrice a week instead of my rather random once a week now. She also motivates me to move more. Plus it's something I can opt out of easily, if I don't have time because of work, feel bad etc. Traveling is a more complicated. It's just not as fulfilling to me and I don't see much of a point in it to do it as often as she'd like. It's not about time or money in this case; I'm happy to spend the time with her and I have enough money saved up to not work at all for a few years, plus the travels she comes up with are fairly cheap. The main issue is that I feel as if every time we go and walk/hike somewhere, I start feeling physically ill. Maybe I stop drinking or eating enough, get tired faster than her... I really don't know. But it's really hard to keep a smile if I get a bad headache, which I got while on holiday hiking, which I did mostly because of her. And obviously when we're out in a different place/country, I can't just pack up and go home to take care of myself. The argument then becomes "Why be together then?", if I can't travel with her even to a minimal extent (she sometimes travels with others too). I don't think it's an entirely fair argument, as I don't push her into my hobbies/interests either, but I understand the fact that there is a point where the partners are just too different. I'm still willing to keep the communication open and perhaps the next two trips with her will be OK, we'll see 🙂

3 Sep - 7 Sep: The last few days have been tough on me intellectually and mentally. I have taken some steps towards better money management in my business (and in my life as well). I haven't made terrible decisions or spent money stupidly, but I have to rethink the allocation rather. It's mostly a question of planning, but it's still a challenge. It's not easy to write this, but I don't know whether my girlfriend and I will be together. I'd love to, and I will absolutely hate it if we split, but there's obviously a limit. Traveling and sports are such a large part of her life that even with effort from my side, I don't know if I can keep up. I'm not writing this to blame her (or perhaps to show that my choice of a girlfriend was poor), but to show the differences. Our relationship is built on such a tremendous amount of respect and tolerance that I think is really without many parallels in today's world. She motivates me to do more exercise though; I generally cycle, run or workout at least once a week for an hour or so, I also started physiotherapy and got shoes that by themselves improve my posture. On the bright side, she started looking for a potential new job and I'm happy to assist her with that, even if nothing comes out of it. She feels stagnant and bored in her current one, although she's more unhappy about the above. We came up with a plan though and we'll try to find a compromise.

I think you conflate meaning and addiction into one thing. I can agree that making a lot of money just for the sake of having a lot of money is a bad goal. It is a goal though, so the person has something to work on. The problem comes when/if this person reaches their goal. If this person doesn't have any other goals, they will fall into an "undefined limbo". This state is not easy on people, because they have no identity at this point and they don't know what to do. Without making consistent effort (being dedicated, perhaps addicted or having some meaning attached), they'll never be known for anything and never get anywhere. They won't build up a reputation as a hard worker by working hard once a year and they also won't build up a reputation of being kind to others by helping somebody once a year. I think that's why "working on something" is generally considered a virtue. If I had to hazard a guess, you derive a lot of meaning from (and perhaps are addicted to) being in opposition to "normal things" - your belief to not conform, to stand in opposition, gives your life meaning.

I'm using the template I used the last time. 26/7/24 - 2/9/24 "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: Really the whole month of CELTA. It was intensive. I hope to apply at least a part of it into my lessons. T: I finished the business book and did extensive work of putting it into practice. I am currently working on improving the financial management of my business. I wanted to go through the CELTA materials again, but I didn't have time. I at least met with my coursemate twice and discussed it. There were some opportunities to visit the speaker's club, however I feel the pressure to prepare and rehearse something beforehand and to be honest, I don't want to and can't find time to do that. Possible direction/goals: (Borrow) and read one book until the next monthly report. Family: L: I had a call with my family a few times and some messages, but I didn't see them during my time on the CELTA. T: I met with my family twice and with my girlfriend's family twice as well. I had two separate meeting with my brother too. I'm currently organizing, planning and mobilizing myself for more work in the grandma's kitchen. 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 am 99% safe to say that I am a CELTA qualified tutor at this point. I'll probably cancel the rest of the agency courses from September, but I'll see in August. T: I started some important projects in August, among them are: setting higher prices, contacting old students with offers for re-engagement and the website improvement project. We'll see how they go. From the numbers below, it's clear that I didn't have many language school courses during the summer. Many companies cut language school courses during the summer completely. For my financial stability over the summer, it is really better when I have my own courses, because individual people only cancel the lessons when they are on holiday (2 or 3 weeks, but not 2 or 3 whole months like companies). I even got a pay raise in one of the language schools, but the gap is just too big at this point. I can earn 20-35% more on my own even on their best paid courses. - 11 (15) hours last week in August: Category A 91% (68); B 0% (5); C 0% (0); D 9% (17); E 0% (10). Brackets are % values from previous month/week. - I've done a bit of an analysis of my courses and categorized them based on what they provide me. I earmarked five types of courses: a) my own - well paid + generally more motivated students (as they pay the courses themselves) + more challenging b) premium - language school courses paid at a premium compared to my standard LS courses for various reasons (roughly matching the a) group) c) flexible - courses from LS that don't have a fixed schedule, meaning it's on me if I make time for them or not (though I mostly do, as can they plug the gaps or can start my day) d) challenging/fun/prospective - standard LS courses with an added quality e) neither - standard LS courses without any added quality - 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" 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 Contacted old students with offers - Aug/Sep 2024 Raised prices - from Sep Website improvement project - from Aug Exercise/Movement: L: None of that this July. I went for a few walks, but no heavier exercise. I might want to set up a GP's periodical examination soon though. T: I was more active this month, going for trips with my girlfriend and cycling occasionally. I also started going to physiotherapy and visited my GP, everything seems to be OK. 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. Blogging: L: I actually got a spur of inspiration and wrote an article in two days. Wow 😄 I had an idea for an article and I wanted to write it, but then I did something more urgent and I haven't had the time since. Oh well. T: I had another burst of inspiration some day in the late evening and managed to push out an article in about an hour and something. Possible direction/goals: Find a suitable UI/web template. Set up emailing for subs. Post two articles a month. Polish links in articles. Interlink new articles with old ones. Finish articles in concepts. --- What to do if I am bored? Replacement activities for 1 hour: reading books, cleaning, washing the dishes, reading newsletters Replacement activities for 2 hours: going for a walk, work on my business, blogging --- Additional thoughts/activities: My porn use got better in August, but it's still rather haphazard. I'm now more open to working abroad now after taking the CELTA. I also met many new and interesting people and managed to meet a few older friends. My priorities for the next six weeks: Prepare for the CELTA English teaching course that starts in six weeks. - done I want to work on the questionnaire part 3 in May/June as well. - done Reconstruct my grandma's kitchen. 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 trips with my girlfriend, watching films with my girlfriend, meeting with friends, playing billiard, going to the shooting range, writing a blog post, working on my business, starting physiotherapy, going out with my brother twice, finishing the business book. --- 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.

26 Aug - 31 Aug: I got new shoes, did some physiotherapeutic exercising, went to workout with other guys, worked on my website development, got more knowledge to exercise better financial self-control, went out to see an improvisation show with my girlfriend, visited my family and met up with friends twice this week. --- Some good news. My girlfriend reunited with a friend who cut contact with her after we started dating. We also cleared up the topic of sports and traveling a bit more. I'm trying to come up with things to organize, plan and do together, though it's not always easy. We're best friends and living together is great. Incidentally, me just being me, I created one such event. As I wrote above, the job she currently has is not exactly exciting, to put it mildly. It's a local government job, where she is idle for half the working hours. I've known her for long enough to know she needs to do something about it and that she's wasting away there career-wise. I was tough on her about it, perhaps too much, because I made her break down in tears - (this is something I need to be able to handle better in the future; I hardly ever lose my cool in tense situations like this, but I think I can get the message across in a less crude way) - but I think she herself knows she should not go forward with another yearly extension of the contract there. She's a hard worker by nature, but she's lost in what she could potentially do. We came up with a sit-down next week to discuss some possible paths of development. So far, she's already tried a few things, but I want to encourage her further and to help her be more resilient.

Thanks, I feel much better now. I'm happy my sleeping rhythm is back in order now. The museum was OK and modern, so it was also quite interactive. It was mostly focused on the region of Czechia I am from. It was "just" OK for me, because I already know/studied a lot about WWII in general and visited other museums, but I still wanted to visit this particular one. My girlfriend was quite angry though, as she felt that a lot of the important context was missing, especially how the Soviets turned from liberators in 1945 to rulers in 1948 and later. This was better depicted in the Polish museum we visited a year or two ago. Over the years, I came to the conclusion that the Soviet regime was almost as equally horrible as the Nazi one. It was a miracle that there was no direct confrontation between the East and the West.

That sounds lovely! And he's already half a year old! I'm also curious about how it'll be for me when I have kids 😄 Good job on both! Regarding weight, there is a saying: "You cannot outpace a shitty diet." Weight control is best done through good diet and good eating habits. It's great you are tackling the problem of stress eating as well.

19 Aug - 25 Aug: I visited my doctor on Monday and had one more bad night, because I couldn't sleep, but I got better after that. I'm happy I feel well again. I went for physiotherapy on Wednesday after... well, after a few years of planning it. I've known the guy for maybe a year, so I decided to just go for it. I got some exercises and I'm looking forward to my next visit this Wednesday. I also finished the business book, although I will come back to it over the next few days, as there are some things I haven't done/processed yet. Went for a walk to the nature and an army museum with my girlfriend on Saturday. Also watched a historical film about the 1968 occupation of Czechoslovakia. We went shopping for new shorts and shoes yesterday too. Gonna do some business work today, as I just have one lesson in the evening and no other obligations.

I think the tragedy plays out when somebody decides that "this thing" is the only thing that matters in their lives. I think life is best with a few universal (exercise, good food, relationships, meaningful work etc.) and few personal (anything really) things/areas of development.

I think I actually don't care about what day of the week it is, though I still work with my students during the week and do other related work throughout the whole week. I do sometimes feel the limits of being relatively unstructured though; lessons at different times, hardly any "set" obligations. My main routines are waking up around 6-7, having a breakfast and going to bed around 22-23. I'm trying to exercise more now though. There are many habits/routines I should do/establish, but it actually seems like quite a lot. Can't do everything if the day has only 24 hours.

14 Aug - 18 Aug: Had two family meetings on Friday and Saturday - one with my girlfriend's family and the other one with my own. Probably caught a virus on one of those, so we spent the whole Sunday at home just lying around in the flat and talking or watching stuff online. Definitely feeling better today. I found out I was partly wrong. I knew my girlfriend was more active physically/more sports-oriented on the second date we had. Maybe I thought I was too, but needed a little nudge to get me going. Even if I didn't like sport at all, regular exercise is healthy and everyone should do it, so that should be my motivation as well. Anyway, she also told me that she'd like me to be more active in the relationship overall. I took it to heart and I have already planned and did a thing or two. I'm happy that we can be straight with one another.

I think the problem with being overtly sexual is that well... it actually works quite well and it gets the attention. As long as people have a part of an animal in them (which we'll always have), it's hard to defend against that and it takes real effort to opt out. Still, I am happy that we don't treat we don't treat women like means of exchange (there are places like that) or kill them as they did during the One-child policy in China, just because they happened to have the wrong genitals. I agree on the last part! It's not always easy to be even in a good relationship 😄 I have a friend from Russia. He's been here in Czechia for about five years, studying and now living a normal working like in a factory, yet his mom is in Russia. On one hand, I think he wants Ukraine to restore its borders, on the other he doesn't see a peaceful transition happening in Russia if Ukraine achieves this. It's a tough spot to be in and I can imagine he's not really happy with any solution. In my opinion, I think volunteering/working with a non-profit helping Ukraine would be a great way to help the cause, while you figure out the rest.

Thanks for your contribution and sharing your experience 🙂 We've already talked about her going to holidays with her friends or family members. She's gone to/planned a few holidays with them already too. The "issue" is, of course, that we like to spend time together, so I am expected, but logically also kind of want to be with her, even if it's tough. The problem also is that she has a LOT of paid holidays at work (5 weeks) and she doesn't really have any other way to use it. I don't have any paid holidays myself, as I am self-employed and I made my life in a way to not "need" holidays, or at least not so many. I'm actually frustrated about the fact that I seem to have medical problems, because I myself feel I should be able to handle a few days of 20km hikes in hilly terrain. I almost didn't get sore, but the headache was just too much to ignore. I have to admit it challenges my pride; I should be able to manage it, but I just can't lie to her that I had a good or even an OK time when I had a headache for 2 out of 3 days. She admitted she's frustrated with her job and I think it's connected to always wanting to "get out" of the city. I think that if she had a job where she'd travel every now and then, or a job where she'd be more satisfied, she wouldn't have to "get out" so often. You are right though; I don't HAVE TO go out with her for holidays. I think my girlfriend goes about it the same as your partner did. Of course, if I get a headache half-way through the hike, that's too bad and there's often no reasonable solution other than to just slog through it. I did and I think I can manage smaller hikes for a day or maybe two (which we could manage on weekends - which doesn't solve her "holiday problem"), but I just don't need it as often as she does. Her having (or potentially not having) paid holidays is not my problem after all.

31 July - 13 August: I went shooting with a friend, had a call with a fellow CELTA student, did some reading and yoga and played billiard with friends. I also had interviews with three new students. This post will be different, as I want to write about my relationship with holidays. Historically, I have never liked holidays. Maybe I even have a "holiday trauma". When I was a kid, parents sent me to summer camps. I had a bad time during these; not just because somebody was mean to me or because they were boring (although this of course happened a few times), but simply because I was away from my usual environment and didn't see my parents and friends (and perhaps my computer already too). When I was a teenager, I had more autonomy and summer camps stopped. I spent a lot more time on the computer overall. I also spent a lot of time at school. Oddly enough, whenever I had a holiday longer than one week, it was absolute desperation. Being online, streaming, gaming and all was fun for a few days, but then I just got fed up with it. I just stuck with it though, as I didn't have an alternative. Holidays got better when I became an adult and had less holidays overall (or at least got to choose when I have them), and worse again when I was unemployed. When I turned 21, I quit gaming for good. I had a lot of free time, as I was unemployed at that time. I learnt how to be my own friend, colleague and also boss. I started scheduling my days, started working on rediscovering my hobbies, started looking for work, exercising, reading etc. I made sure my days were meaningful, no matter what they consisted of. When I wanted to work, I worked. When I wanted to relax, I relaxed. When I wanted to go somewhere, I did. In a state of mind like this, having a "work holiday" is superfluous. I have nothing to run away from and I'm already living a content, balanced and sustainable life. The same is not true for my girlfriend's work-life balance. Her job is boring and passive. She often has nothing to do besides having to sit in an office. Whenever she has holidays (5 weeks, plus public holidays), she wants to get away from it all. Vent all the pent up energy from being passive. Reset and challenge herself physically. This lead to a clash in our relationship. While traveling/holidays stress me out (as I don't get to do my usual stuff - routines), traveling relaxes her (because she doesn't get to do her usual stuff - at work). She loves to "physically destroy" herself while hiking. I can handle it to an extent, but to do trips like that back-to-back means I get to do exactly nothing "useful" for me, as after such a trip, I don't have the energy to do anything requiring mental effort. This weekend, after one of the trips, I had a headache so bad I couldn't even watch YouTube video. Maybe it was just bad luck with the headache, but it just really seems I have a bad time whenever I go on holiday with her. I can't care for planning the holiday (as I really don't care), so she plans it, tries to make sure that I can "handle it" and perhaps even enjoy it a bit, something bad always comes up. I'm trying to be a good boyfriend, but I don't know if there's a solution to this problem that also includes going to holidays together.

27 July - 30 July: I came home, spent time with my girlfriend, met a friend, cycled, visited parents for lunch, visited my girlfriend's parents for lunch, did some lesson planning, had some lessons, contacted some CELTA colleagues, read the business book, worked on the no-porn course and that's about it. - Over the last few days, I came to the conclusion that I am extremely grateful that the course is over. Not because the tutors were horrible or that the colleagues sucked or anything of the sort. I'm just happy to have a life again. The last month reminded me of what it was not to have a life and how it looks like to do just one thing (gaming). It reminded me of my basic army training 8 years ago, EXCEPT back then I actually got to go home for weekend and had some decent exercise. During the course, my weekends were about writing lesson plans and written essays and exercise non-existent. Heavy mental effort 9-22 every day, breaks mostly just for lunch or hygiene. If I had to do it again, I'd take the part-time variant, to let the information sink in better, although maybe I'd have more issues with motivation. Glad to be back.

I'm using the template I used the last time. 1/7/24 - 26/7/24 "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: Had a few tasks from the CELTA pre-course assignment. I also went to the speakers' club. T: Really he whole month of CELTA. It was intensive. I hope to apply at least a part of it into my lessons. Possible direction/goals: (Borrow) and read one book until the next monthly report. Family: L: I'm not going to repeat the text I wrote a week or so ago. I'll just say that my girlfriend rightfully called my family out at my promotion ceremony on Friday. They were too proud for their merits to their contribution towards my studies. I almost cried at the point when she mentioned it. I could count how many times I have cried in the last five years on one hand. I suceeded not because, but despite my teenage years and adolescence. I'm sad I'll likely never have close familial relationships, but it is what it is. I'm not angry, just jaded. T: I had a call with my family a few times and some messages, but I didn't see them during my time on the CELTA. 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: My priority for the next few weeks is to prepare for the CELTA course that starts in July. I want to work on the questionnaire part 3 in May/June as well. I might want to create some list of milestones I've already achieved, in the type of "past projects" below to have a better overview over the work I've done over the years, but I'll leave that for the next report. I did the questionnaire part 3. I expect to have next to no lessons in July and probably a few less than usual in August. I'll probably cancel the rest of the agency courses from September, but I'll see in August. T: I am 99% safe to say that I am a CELTA qualified tutor at this point. I had just a few lessons this month, so I won't edit the numbers below. - 15 (20) hours last week in June: Category A 68% (75); B 5% (4); C 0% (0); D 17% (13); E 10% (8). Brackets are % values from previous month/week. - I've done a bit of an analysis of my courses and categorized them based on what they provide me. I earmarked five types of courses: a) my own - well paid + generally more motivated students (as they pay the courses themselves) + more challenging b) premium - language school courses paid at a premium compared to my standard LS courses for various reasons (roughly matching the a) group) c) flexible - courses from LS that don't have a fixed schedule, meaning it's on me if I make time for them or not (though I mostly do, as can they plug the gaps or can start my day) d) challenging/fun/prospective - standard LS courses with an added quality e) neither - standard LS courses without any added quality - 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" 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. - 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 Exercise/Movement: L: Cycled, hiked, ran and went to a workout playground the last few weeks. T: None of that this month. I went for a few walks, but no heavier exercise. I might want to set up a GP's periodical examination soon though. 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. Blogging: L: I actually got a spur of inspiration and wrote an article in two days. Wow 😄 I had an idea for an article and I wanted to write it, but then I did something more urgent and I haven't had the time since. Oh well. T: - Possible direction/goals: Find a suitable UI/web template. Set up emailing for subs. Post two articles a month. Polish links in articles. Interlink new articles with old ones. Finish articles in concepts. --- What to do if I am bored? Replacement activities for 1 hour: reading books, cleaning, washing the dishes, reading newsletters Replacement activities for 2 hours: going for a walk, work on my business, blogging --- Additional thoughts/activities: I wasn't very successful in managing my porn use this month. The environment was just too exhausting for me to manage it better. I'm now more open to working abroad now after taking the CELTA. I also met many new and interesting people and managed to meet a few older friends. My priorities for the next six weeks: Prepare for the CELTA English teaching course that starts in six weeks. - done I want to work on the questionnaire part 3 in May/June as well. - done Reconstruct my grandma's kitchen. - working, on hiatus while I am gone 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: doing/finishing CELTA, meeting with friends from another city. --- 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.

8 July - 18 July: I haven't had time to even think of posting here. My girlfriend came over to visit me from Thursday to Sunday last week. I think that even though I worked during her stay, I have accumulated some 5 hours of backlog in order to spend more time together. This backlog is still there, as I just don't have productive hours to spare during a working day. 9-18 on the course and then 2-3 more hours of work after that. I don't mind the work though. It makes sense to me and it's a reasonable challenge. I keep my sleep and food rhythms good, time goes by quickly and that's really all that matters. I don't doubt my ability to achieve this. I'm getting through the backlog at the weekend. The next week is the final one, so everything needs to be done basically in just the next few days. My original plan was to go home to my family/girlfriend this weekend, but I decided against it a few days back. I just spent too much time, money and effort to let the CELTA certification slip from me by doing subpar work at the very end.

Good job! I think that quitting any addiction is relatively easy as long as there is little time for it. As for entertainment, there are more and less healthy way to relax, but it just depends on how much you do them (i.e. not exercising at all is bad, but exercising five hours a day is probably equally bad).

5 July - 7 July: I put in around 10 hours of worktime for the course at the weekend. I took Thursday and Friday evenings "off", so I had more things to catch up on now. Still, I did most of the work in the mornings and had afternoons and evenings free. I (fast) walked too, as the constant sitting is just extremely unhealthy. They should give us some exercise lessons too 😄 I do feel that the course is somewhat... arduous. That said, I do think the methodology is relevant. I also think that I'll become more "natural" with it over time, but at the moment, it leaves me somehow bound. I just feel like I am trying so hard not to fuck up that I forget to have fun during the lessons. I also don't want to practice myself, if planning/analyzing takes me 3 hours for a 45 minute lesson. We'll see. Most of the other course attendees are foreigners; I'd call them global citizens. There are a few other Czechs around 20 gaining experience and an older guy around 35, with whom I probably share the most with, as he seems happy with where he is at. All that reminded me I actually don't care that much about traveling and perhaps meeting new people, except... that I do, but on a local scale. Even though I wasn't organizing the event from the start, the idea was to go to the center of Prague to watch football. I was set up with another girl, and possibly another guy with his girlfriend and two other girls. In the end, nobody showed up. I still had a beer and sat down to watch. As it was a typical pub, there were a few regulars around and we started chatting a little. Nothing serious, just about the match and a dog in the pub. I think this made the evening worthwhile, as I spoke to somebody so close in proximity, yet so far away from my usual social bubble.

1 July - 4 July: The CELTA is really busy and intensive. We're in training basically from 9 to 6, with an hour for lunch and a few breaks in between. I've been able to manage everything so far, though I can say it's taking its toll on me to have much less "me" time than usual. It's all interesting, but quite condensed and exhausting. Gotta relax.

I'm using the template I used the last time. 8/6/24 - 30/6/24 "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 had to return the book, as the library borrowing expired. I worked on the CELTA though, so that's learning and development. T: Had a few tasks from the CELTA pre-course assignment. I also went to the speakers' club. Possible direction/goals: (Borrow) and read one book until the next monthly report. Family: L: I have grown disappointed from the reality of my family. I always thought that if there was a real need, then we'd close up and work together. However, it just seems to me that once the bare minimum is done, then everybody just goes away and doesn't care anymore. The kitchen is a perfect example of that. It's not urgent, so it doesn't get done. I had my other duties to finish in the past year since we bought it LAST June (finishing my degree in September-January and then moving in with my girlfriend February-April), but I could've definitely done more, so I take the blame for that. Yet everybody expects me do just "do" it, while I have the least experience with it. I know nothing about electricity and gas pipes. My expertise stops at assembling furniture from IKEA. Speaking of which, my father told me to ask my brother to help me with assembling/measuring a cabinet, to see how it works out with gas pipes. So I went for sushi with my brother. He told me that I can handle assembling it on my own. So, the next week, I took my girlfriend and another friend, who were actually willing to help me, and assembled the cabinet. It took us two hours in two/three, so I can't imagine the struggle of just doing it alone, which would probably take up the whole afternoon too. I'm not going to beg anyone for help, it's not in my nature. It seems to me this happens every step of the way. I humbly ask for help. I get a limited piece of advice to work with. Then I don't know what to do first, because there is no plan. I can't plan it, as I have no idea what influences what. I am paralyzed, as I have no idea as to what I am missing. The work stops. Nobody ever asks me what the problem is. Everybody either ignores it or thinks it's my turn to do something. I will try to communicate, but I think I have communicated enough and to no avail. I'm exhausted. That's on top of all the other negative stuff: my father not coming to my mom's gallery exhibition, my grandma constantly bitching about my uncle/his second wife or panicking about something trivial and my mom having a mental condition. I just don't think families of any (former) addicts are truly good and functional. That's not to say that all the individual members need to have a bad life or something. I just mean the fact that the unit and its relationships are contaminated and it'd take a sincere effort of all involved to make it better, which is extremely rare. I think you guys @BooksandTrees and @wheatbiscuit and possibly many others would agree. T: I'm not going to repeat the text I wrote a week or so ago. I'll just say that my girlfriend rightfully called my family out at my promotion ceremony on Friday. They were too proud for their merits to their contribution towards my studies. I almost cried at the point when she mentioned it. I could count how many times I have cried in the last five years on one hand. I suceeded not because, but despite my teenage years and adolescence. I'm sad I'll likely never have close familial relationships, but it is what it is. I'm not angry, just jaded. 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: My priority for the next few weeks is to prepare for the CELTA course that starts in July. I want to work on the questionnaire part 3 in May/June as well. I might want to create some list of milestones I've already achieved, in the type of "past projects" below to have a better overview over the work I've done over the years, but I'll leave that for the next report. I did the questionnaire part 3. I expect to have next to no lessons in July and probably a few less than usual in August. I'll probably cancel the rest of the agency courses from September, but I'll see in August. I think I don't need to gather new ideas, but I need to work on the ones I already have. T: - 15 (20) hours last week in June: Category A 68% (75); B 5% (4); C 0% (0); D 17% (13); E 10% (8). Brackets are % values from previous month/week. - I've done a bit of an analysis of my courses and categorized them based on what they provide me. I earmarked five types of courses: a) my own - well paid + generally more motivated students (as they pay the courses themselves) + more challenging b) premium - language school courses paid at a premium compared to my standard LS courses for various reasons (roughly matching the a) group) c) flexible - courses from LS that don't have a fixed schedule, meaning it's on me if I make time for them or not (though I mostly do, as can they plug the gaps or can start my day) d) challenging/fun/prospective - standard LS courses with an added quality e) neither - standard LS courses without any added quality - 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" 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. - 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 Exercise/Movement: L: Went for a hike and went running a few times too. Visited doctors for checkups. T: Cycled, hiked, ran and went to a workout playground the last few weeks. 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. Blogging: L: I actually got a spur of inspiration and wrote an article in two days. Wow 😄 I had an idea for an article and I wanted to write it, but then I did something more urgent and I haven't had the time since. Oh well. T: - Possible direction/goals: Find a suitable UI/web template. Set up emailing for subs. Post two articles a month. Polish links in articles. Interlink new articles with old ones. Finish articles in concepts. --- What to do if I am bored? Replacement activities for 1 hour: reading books, cleaning, washing the dishes, reading newsletters Replacement activities for 2 hours: going for a walk, work on my business, blogging --- Additional thoughts/activities: Some of the things are nice and I want to do them, but I don't have the time. Some of them are important or promised, but I don't want to do them. It's OK, I am not THAT much under pressure, but I need a system to get these things done and to move forward. My priorities for the next six weeks: Prepare for the CELTA English teaching course that starts in six weeks. - done I want to work on the questionnaire part 3 in May/June as well. - done Reconstruct my grandma's kitchen. - working, on hiatus while I am gone 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: spent time with friends, went hiking/cycling/running, managed porn use, did English testing of my students, dealth with some obstacles regarding CELTA, started work on my new website, worked on my grandma's kitchen, played at a table football tournament. --- 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.

This! In the games that allowed it, of course. But I really spent many hours doing exactly what you described.

I don't think I look for anything specific physically. It's mostly just about pretty girls and their desire to have sex. I know the videos I watch are a kind of sci-fi. I think my girlfriend mimics my opinion of porn; it's a problem for her as long as it's a problem for me. I think I'd be in big trouble if I watched videos reminiscent of my exes. I always have a good laugh when governments try to moralize people, when it's clear they also have their own agenda that doesn't have to be in the best interest of the people. Coronavirus pandemic would be nothing compared to a prohibition. Forget smuggling and black market. We'd have a civil war in weeks here. So our governments don't do anything about alcohol, while being quite heavy-handed towards drugs that don't have as many consumers. I think I have a strong desire and ambition to be/become successful. I think this can also go against the desire to be healthy; individuals can risk their lives in order to become successful. People changed the rules of the game over time so that health/survival is really not the top value anymore.

22 June - 28 June: Saturday 22: My girlfriend, two friends and I went to an 8km running competition. The terrain was tough and it was hard to estimate how far were we on the track, but we enjoyed it anyway. I ran behind my girlfriend for a good part of the race. She was quite shocked when I came up from behind her just a few seconds after she had finished the race 😄 I rushed to get to my grandma after due to the kitchen works. Everything turned out OK as I described in posts above though. Sunday 23: Relaxing day, just a few minor chores and spending time with my girlfriend. Monday 24: Had a meeting regarding my new website. Went to a table football tournament with a friend I hadn't seen in a long time. We got a memorial card, as it's the last table football tournament by the organizer. A new guy will take up after him for the future. Tuesday 25: Minor chores and many English lessons this day. Wednesday 26: Had another meeting regarding my new website. Took my car to the mechanic for a checkup regarding the rusty chassis and got a quote on it. Went for a sushi with a former student/friend and went to Toastmasters for the first time in two months. We had a good time after that 😄 Thursday 27: Mixed day of errands and lessons. Made the final decision to work with two professionals in the end, as they can both provide a unique perspective/contribution, both have a bit of a different specialization and 15+ years of experience. I'm proud of myself to have handled the situation the way I did. We'll start work on the website when I return from the CELTA at the end of July. Friday 28: Had a promotion ceremony from the uni, so all family and my girlfriend gathered to attend. Had a short discussion about the kitchen after it. Minor work errands and lessons during the day as well. - Porn: I watched porn on 20 and 27 June, really at the same time in the morning. I didn't plan for it, but both times I was just horny and my girlfriend wasn't around. In fact, in both cases I had sex with my girlfriend the same day later on, without any shame, regret, disappointment or any other negative feelings. I'm not making any conclusions yet, but I'd be happy if I could manage it this way. The big question is of course how I'm going to handle being without her for the next 14 days when I'm at the CELTA training in another city and how I'm going to cope with the new situation. I think making a "crusade" against porn doesn't make sense in my case. I don't need to read up and do exercises on negatives of porn for an hour daily to counter half hour of porn a week. As I wrote above, I'm not an everyday heavy user of porn. I was an everyday heavy user of games and streaming, but I managed to "neutralize" my relationship to games and heavy gamers. I don't hate games and I don't hate gamers; just as I don't hate horse-riders or Instagram users. In fact, I often feel empathy towards other guys here on the forum. I know how extensive gaming made me frail and how I managed to overcome it, exactly by finding alternatives that met my needs. Lastly, there have been a few challenges regarding the organization of the CELTA course, but I'm sure I'll handle it all. I became ready to handle it, as well as I became ready for a new website. All this investment led me (and will lead me) to quite a big spending, but I think it's correct to think of it more as investing. I still have sizeable long-term reserves I'd rather not touch, but I am willing to use them to support my business and education rather than let them slowly appreciate in the stock market. The return on my business will be many times higher than the return on the stock market, plus it will support my positive feeling about my business.