Ikar

I'm using the template I used the last time. 23/07/21 - 10/09/21 "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. --- Active writing (blog/writings/journal): L: About three weeks ago I wrote a few short texts here. I also attempted to write a start of my new blog post at the weekend. T: I wrote here, though I didn't work on my blog post. I have been encouraged by multiple to write more though and I do like the way I put sentences together, either in text or in speech - it is an art! Future goals/direction: Finish Past Authoring and the whole course. Write on my blog. Keep writing in my diary here twice a week. Work on "Breaking Free Exercises" from the NMMNG book. Books/Reading articles: L: My inbox is clear and I have read the first two books of "Warrior Kid" series by Willink. They're pretty simple, straightforward and believable. T: I read "The Little Book of Common Sense Investing" by Bogle (personal finance) and caught up on newsletters too. Future goals/direction: Continue getting through the newsletters. Read "The Little Book of Common Sense Investing" by Bogle. Family: L: My father helped me with a few things regarding the car and I am going to get sushi with my brother the next week. T: My mom's been on a long-term sick leave for almost a year now. She's gonna be in the hospital for the next three weeks to see if she improves there. Tomorrow, I am meeting my father for lunch and with my brother for sushi dinner. I'm happy they are both willing to help me when I need their help and in turn they can count on me. Future goals/direction: Continue working on bettering the relationships with my family. University: L: I meet fellow students here and there, although I am not studying at all at the moment. T: The university should start in a week. The dorm is getting busier, as some foreign exchange and even home students have already arrived. Future goals/direction: Find more sources for my upcoming masters' thesis. Exercise/movement: L: I've been keeping up with the movement quite well, despite the fact gym was opened and closed about the same time. T: The gym was closed since the end of July until this Monday, meaning I only made it there today. I went to the jiu-jitsu classes in August, but I can't make it work with my work schedule too well. I walked quite a lot - the city center is about two kilometers and I am there every other day. I have been thinking about picking up evening Krav Maga courses to have more regular martial art exercise. Future goals/direction: Martial art research. Keep in shape (using walks/sex/exercise). Social: L: I started visiting more social groups that I used to visit in the past. I met with my geography group, English speaking evening group and others. T: I went to a few trips that lasted a day or more. Other than that, I continued going to the English group and the billiard events in the evening. Future goals/direction: - English: L: I have a few lessons less, but it's still nearly 20 hours of classes in July/August. T: I'm positive I'm gonna be able to have above 25 hours of classes every week, that is if they do not collide with my university duties. I sent out the mails and the past two weeks have been fairly hectic in communication. Future goals/direction: I am going to send out some mails again to language schools and various other subjects to set up interviews from my secondary email. (do in August) I am going to pursue closer co-operation with my English mentor. I am going to check out a few more seminars on how to run online courses. Women/dating: L: T: I noticed that I am thinking more outside of my head about this topic and around friends which is good. Future goals/direction: - Additional activities: Personal finance: I've gone from actively spending time on this topic to more passive scanning. Chess: I still do a bit of chess every now and then, but not as often as before. Marksmanship: I've been having thoughts about returning to this hobby. Films: I watched a few films in the last month. The past month saw a steady decline though. ----- Masturbation - reminder: L: I think it'll be as with gaming - I tried to haphazardly quit gaming multiple times, but finally by getting here I reached the breaking point. It's likely gonna take more than a few weeks and re-making the decision that I don't have time to waste. Ejaculation is easy for me to handle, it's just that masturbation overall is difficult to get rid of. It's a process. This term was quite rough, especially with all the female attention that I've been getting recently. Masturbation is taking a toll on my sleep schedule, but I believe I will manage to handle it in a more healthy way. I'd like to think that I wouldn't do such a thing if I had a girl with whom I could have sex every (other) day, but my sexuality still my own responsibility even in that case and I have to deal with it in a way that doesn't screw me over. T: After having sex, I found out that I am more accepting of masturbation and that I do not hinge on it as much. Maybe because I already internalized the belief that sex in "just another" (yet important) thing in my life or because it's easier to get than I thought. Either way, I sense more peace in myself in this area. Meditation: L: I never got around to do it, though it could be that I incorporate some of it while working out or singing along with music or while on a walk. I want to figure out where to put it into my daily rhythm. I meditated a few times and I enjoyed the calmness. I gotta step up the relaxing activities, even though it sounds like an oxymoron 😄 I think reading + meditation might be a good combo, it’s just that I have to remember to do it when I have enough time to read, but not enough time to go for a walk at the same time. It's getting cold outside though, so I will not read outside too much anymore. T: - Gratitude: L: I managed to sneak it in into my journal a couple of times, so that's good. I'm grateful for all the new relationships and opportunities that flew into my life the last month. I'm going to make sure this continues. T: - --- Additional projects/misc/cool stuff finished last month: Additional projects/misc/cool stuff upcoming this month: --- Thoughts, ideas and additional comments/gratitude: I think I have done a good job at incorporating psychology lectures I’ve seen/learnt into my life. I don’t want to re-live the experience I’ve had March/April 2019, because it could be deadly. I gained the ability to plan after I quit games. Life’s more colorful and more difficult to deal with, but at least I can look at myself in the mirror now and see myself less skewed than before. I think I give meaning to things that deserve it now. I am not horrified of free time anymore. This is a BIG one. I am using my sociability more sensibly. No more trolling in Twitch chat and streaming. Coming to think of it, I’ve never been overly anxious to begin with, just the normal amount. I asked girls out on dates on high school. I was just totally oblivious to the signals I sent/received. I’m more conscious of both what I do and how I do it in relation with other people. I still get anxiety, but I act despite it. I stand tall and have my say. I'm very lucky to have a mentor in the field I am excited about. I'm grateful for everyone who has entered my life. I EMBRACE THE FACT THAT ANYTHING I START DOING, I WILL DO IT BADLY. I CAN ONLY BECOME BETTER INCREMENTALLY AND BY PRACTICE. It's less of a question WHAT I do compared to HOW and WHY I do it.

Continuation: I've been playing pool and billiard in the evenings recently. It's a fairly interesting social hobby, surprisingly good for training precision and technique. I have not attended the BJJ class in the past two weeks, mainly because the time-slot doesn't work well with my job, as I often teach until the evening. I'm researching other options that would be more suitable for my time schedule. Related to the sport/coordination/movement hobbies, I have been thinking about picking up some dance classes, as I have never attended one and I already do have a pretty nice looking suit I'm not using. Joining a shooting club's been on my mind as well. It's been a crazy past few days that I've spent quite socially and with not enough sleep. I tend to be fairly irritable when I am on low sleep. Today and yesterday I've caught up on it though, so I'm feeling better already. I had two or three good talks the past week with people: one with a new guy I share some views with, one with an older guy encouraging me to write more (based on the compliment I gave him that I noticed he structures his sentences beautifully and uses advanced words in speech with confidence) and one I mentioned earlier with my friend about physical/psychical pain and feeling sorry. I also need to start work on my monthly report!

Day 861: I wrote here, got through newsletters, visited my family and grandma and played billiard in the evening. Day 862: I had and English class, got the pay raise, did the laundry, got through the mails, got my car back and watched a film with a friend in the evening. Day 863: I started moving, had English classes, did some paperwork and cooked with my friend. Day 864: I continued moving, talked to a friend and had English classes. Day 865: I finished moving, got through mails, had English classes, got my car through the technical check, washed the dishes and went to an English speaking event. Day 866: I had English classes, got through mails and had a social evening. Day 867: I had a social day - I played billiard and had Thai food. Day 868: I helped my friend to move, spent time with my family and slept over at my parents' house. Day 869: Today - TBA. --- I prepared diligently for the interview for the pay raise and I got it, although it is only enough to cover the inflation of the past two years. I think I have pretty much hit the ceiling with what the private language schools are able to offer me and I'm also running into the limitations of my time. I also declined the high school teaching job, because it was further away and because I actually still don't know my university schedule. I have more flexibility teaching single bite-sized courses once or twice a week than having to be somewhere thrice a week to spread out the classes for teenagers. This got mentioned at the English speaking event, but I have not been working on my own marketing of my English business. I finished my website in March 2020, updated it in November 2020 and about a month ago I put myself on Google Maps. I'm gonna ask my friend how to go about this, because he is already doing what I am aiming at. My car's been successfully fixed, passed the technical check and I can drive it for the next two years. My bike is not yet fixed, but I am gonna make time to let it get fixed. I had my friend as a roommate for a few days and it has been fairly interesting and fun. We went to a couple of events together and I had a few interesting insights from those days and then I helped her to move. The main one is perhaps that I am able to say sorry to people when I hurt them physically by accident, but I hardly ever apologize for psychical pain (i.e. in a fit of anger), as it's difficult for me to feel guilty for that and because it's not objective. pool BJJ - 10-6 worktime dance - shooting range too social? MONTHLY good talk A quote from a film I saw the last week that I resonate with. Don't mind the numbers! 854 01:46:25,526 --> 01:46:27,721 "I have lived through much, 855 01:46:28,829 --> 01:46:32,526 "and now I think I have found what is needed for happiness. 856 01:46:36,370 --> 01:46:39,065 "A quiet secluded life in the country, 857 01:46:40,974 --> 01:46:45,707 "with the possibility of being useful to people to whom it is easy to do good, 858 01:46:47,513 --> 01:46:50,949 "and who are not accustomed to have it done to them. 859 01:46:52,819 --> 01:46:55,912 "And work which one hopes may be of some use. 860 01:46:57,589 --> 01:47:01,889 "Then rest, nature, books, music, 861 01:47:02,628 --> 01:47:04,619 "love for one's neighbor. 862 01:47:08,600 --> 01:47:11,034 "Such is my idea of happiness. 863 01:47:13,972 --> 01:47:20,535 "And then, on top of all that, you for a mate, 864 01:47:21,746 --> 01:47:23,680 "and children perhaps. 865 01:47:25,583 --> 01:47:28,381 "What more can the heart of a man desire?" TBD

Yup, I have done my research, I will write in my entry below how it all turned out. I don't think there is anything much to be desired in life honestly. The time is limited and (luckily) so are the things that really matter. The fattest thing I had to trim was obviously gaming; nowadays I always get strong feelings of discomfort whenever I feel I am going overboard in one area of life. I have already experienced a few times that I am at my most fullfilled whenever I feel my life is in balance and when I embody the things I want.

I found out that limiting social media is best done by going out and just doing things with people. I think any social activity does the trick, except something too idiotic such as drug abuse. Getting social hobbies is key! I found a way to use FB to my advantage, searching for events I would be interested in and using my IG as a directory for people. You mentioned you can't have sex with your partner before due to health reasons. Is there any other way you can use your sexuality in a more useful way than just watching porn?

Great props to you for being strong and working on yourself despite tragedy. Keep going! I agree. Willingly detaching and not participating is tough and unpopular, but I think the best way is to just wait if your mom decides to seek help with her problems on her own, just as nobody pushed me or you into joining GQ. A friend of my father has a son who used to game all day and didn't do anything else. He and his wife decided to kick their son out of the flat, so that he could get a job and start functioning properly. There was no telling what would happen (i.e. he could have turned into a homeless junkie), but in the end it turned out well, because he got a job and was able to take care of himself. Good work! The body and mind work together, so I am glad you can already see improvements.

Day 857: I had English classes, met with a friend in the afternoon and had a social evening. Day 858: I had English classes, a job interview and went to an English speaking event in the evening. Day 859: I had English classes, asked for a raise and went to a party in the evening. Day 860: I went out with a friend, checked out information about finance and how to negotiate a pay raise and went to bed early. Day 861: Today - TBA. --- I noticed I have been going out/being social in the evening every time since 11th, so I decided to take a break yesterday. We've been playing billiard quite often too. The good thing is I have not been drinking either and I'm mostly on non-alcoholic beer. I'm meeting my boss tomorrow regarding the pay raise, so I want to study/studied how to prepare for the meeting. I don't want to just come there and bark out the number, even if that works. I want to have a deep and serious discussion about what can I do for the firm, how I see my future in it and then land the ask after all the other important things have been mentioned. I'm coming to face the fact that the theme that seems to be running through my entire life is stability. It really comes to me that all I need is a few good friends, a job I like, some romantic relationship, a few hobbies, exercise and just work on these regularly. That's how I imagine my dream life, day in and day out. The downfall of that is I can become too rigid, unimaginative and safe in an attempt to achieve that.

Day 849: I read, wrote here, went for a walk and had English classes. Day 850: I got through mails, had English classes and attended BJJ. Day 851: I had English classes, talked to a friend and had a social English evening. Day 852: I read, did the laundry and had English classes. Day 853-854: I went to go down the river with a few other people. Day 855: I had English classes, wrote my friends, talked to a friend, attended BJJ and did the groceries. Day 856: I wrote my friend, had English classes, cleaned my room and finished reading CSI by Bogle. Day 857: Today - TBA. --- My car's getting fixed at the moment. It's somewhat annoying, as it hinders my mobility, but I'll get through that. I finished reading the book by Bogle about investing. Nothing too new, but a reminder is not bad from time to time. I enjoy the BJJ class, but I feel kind of all over the place, as there's no class for basics and beginners. I know I am supposed to get my ass kicked for the first few weeks/months, though it's difficult to keep myself on track in the current system. I still have zero idea how will my schedule look like when I am at the university, as I will know the schedule in two or three weeks and I start the semester in a month. I already feel the time constraints of not being able to do everything I want. I might have to give up the high school job where I was on an interview the last week. We'll see.

You can play with it when you are creating the post. The quoting system here on GQ is quite versatile; you can quote whole posts or specific parts of it easily. I'm sharing my experience that stuck with me and I think it stuck with me for a reason. I have enough things to do in life other than trying to convince random people on the internet of something. I also think focusing on your relationship is a good idea.

I was aware of your reply, you don't need to quote me twice! You don't "have to" interact with multiple women in a romantic/sexual way at once. But it's different if you don't do it because you can't (i.e. women don't find you interesting for whatever reason - being a wimp, being irresponsible, not meeting women) or because you don't want to (i.e. multiple women do find you interesting and give you signs, but you already chose to not choose them/you chose your one). --- I was going out with Girl A in autumn, but I lost interest in her eventually, because I felt she was not giving me any signs back. Then I started spending time with Girl B, Girl A got wind of it and told me she wants to spend time together again. Long story short, I showed Girl A that I am not interested in her anymore. I told that to Girl B and she said that she would not mind if I spent time with Girl A as well. Both were exchange students, so I knew the meetings would have to end sooner or later. The point is that it surprised me I could perhaps spend time with both of them (if I wanted to and if I communicated the situation well). Would I do things with Girl A again, if there was no Girl B? Maybe. Regardless, it was eye-opening, because a few years from now, I might have to solve a situation with more women who are interested in me and their specific stances. --- Another story is with my friend, who is twice my age, about a month ago. The conversation started off with me saying that a few days ago, I had a good chat with a new girl and that I like her. He asked if I knew what was the color of her panties. I told him that I do not. Then I went on talking about more specific details about her, the evening etc. Then he asked me, AGAIN, whether I knew what was the color of her panties. I told him, AGAIN, that I do not. Regardless, I have her Messenger and I might see her in the future on the event I met her. Who knows. The point here is not that my friend is a sex-hungry animal. The first point here is that I should make it obvious to the girl that I like her, enjoy talking to her and spend some time together, unless she or I decide that it's not worthwhile to spend time together. The second point here is that I really do not know unless I get a "yes" or "no" or we have sex, start dating or whatever.

Day 845: I had English classes, attended BJJ and visited my family. Day 846: I spent time with my family, read Bogle's book, did the laundry and talked to friends in the evening. Day 847: I read, prepared for English classes for the next week, watched Bourne's Ultimatum, went out with a friend in the afternoon and went to play billiard in the evening. Day 848: I went to a job interview, read, went to BJJ, had an English class and played cards in the evening. Day 849: Today - TBA. --- Going through the old HDD, I also encountered recordings of my old streams. I made them about three and a half years ago. My initial feeling was that I have not changed that much at all, although there are big differences. The age/experience difference between someone who is 21 and someone who is 24 can be enormous. It's not my idea, but the older I get, the more I realize that life is a game of tradeoffs. I can't be everywhere, be with everyone and do everything. I have to choose, even though the none of the options have to be necessarily "better". I've been enjoying the BJJ trainings. The guys are all fairly friendly and helpful, as there's usually not much time to do the basics, so I found some resources to study at home at least from videos. I also went to a job interview. It was pretty good, as I felt the interviewer was blunt and straightforward about the job. I have the opportunity to teach at high school beginning from September, 10-20 hours a week with a decent salary, mainly women aged 15-20. With that, there is a lot of unknowns: 1) My car is in need of some repairs. I want to get it fixed and have the documentation done by the end of August, but I do not know how much will the repairs cost and if it's not outright better to get another car. 2) I want to go to Erasmus, yet at the same time it could collide with the fact I could teach at the high school. Going to Erasmus is quite hazy as well; I'm approved for the summer semester (January/February?), but I have zero idea how will it look like with the CV situation in half a year. In that regard, having a steady job at the high school seems better. Above all, I have to prioritize my university studies and find out soon about my schedule and assignments.

Well written! That's pretty much how I felt some three years ago. My purpose was gaming and my X and it blew up in my face spectacularly. Related to that, I don't think there's a single "purpose" one has. I do a lot of different things today to get my "purpose". I actually find it easier to dispense with activities that do not work for me now that I have more activities to do.

I think that's the answer. Women come and go and sex comes and goes as well. But I stay with myself forever. You are not "supposed" to do anything, especially after a few days or a week of dating. I guarantee you there are many more women whom you can like and have a good time with. I'm aware that's difficult to realize if you are having this kind of interaction for the first time though. Be yourself, do what feels right and enjoy the ride.

Day 839: I wrote e-mails for interviews, cleaned my old HDD, went for a walk, cooked, watched a comedy film, washed the dishes and went to an English speaking event. Day 840: I started reading Bogle's "The Little Book of Common Sense Investing", visited my family, talked to a friend in the evening and wrote here. Day 841: I had English classes, got through e-mails, went with my car for a check, attended the BJJ class and watched a film about martial arts. Day 842: I got through the newsletters, read, got through mails, went for a walk, had English classes and a social evening. Day 843: I started writing the next article for my blog, cooked, had English classes, attended BJJ and watched "The Bourne Identity" in the evening. Day 844: I had English classes, read, cooked, had an online interview, watched "The Bourne Supremacy" and went to an English speaking event. Day 845: Today - TBA. --- I started watching more films, meaning I use my HDD to store them on. I went through it and deleted 400 GB of games/save files that I had there for several years.

You are exactly right. I let gaming, and later on my X, define me for a long time, so I am very averse to narrowing myself down just to a few activities or people today. I know some people would argue that "what we do is not all we are", but I think I am heavily oriented towards action as a person. I can't "just exist" for prolonged periods of time without any agenda at all. I also think that the more interests I pursue, the better will it be for my stability, though I am aware there's a ceiling for the number. If I look through my monthly report, I can distinguish two main categories - core and individual. I think "core" are common for all of us and trying to dodge them can have serious repercussions, while "individual" make us all a bit different from each other and they change over time. Core: family, education, exercise, social/friends, romance Individual: writing, reading, English, finance, films, chess, marksmanship I didn't make that comment in my yesterday's entry, but I definitely feel more adept at the negotiating table at work than in dating, though the principle is the same; to see whether something beneficial might come out of it or not. I honestly learnt through my own mistakes, though I haven't incurred any great "active" losses (looking at Forex and the finance advisory business). Plus it's better to take risks young with smaller amounts of money than old with larger amounts of money. I however do think I am good at handling my financial situation. I think a lot of it came just through tracking the areas of my life and how they develop over time. It seems it originally came from the idea of comparing my life before quitting games and after quitting games and then it just continued on and on. I am not pushing myself to "do better" in each area all the time, but if I notice something recurring over time, I can investigate it. That's the power of journaling after all; not only it keeps records fairly accurately, it can also show us how were we thinking about things before and now. I honestly encourage you to just copy-paste my monthly report and fill in what's true for you, how do you feel about it etc. It makes it easier to follow the trends in areas that matter. 1) reminds me of the fact that today's age has a tendency to make everything into monetizable entertainment. News is a perfect example; it used to be so boring and fact-based 100 years ago, now it's about being exciting/infuriating and fiction-based. Plus every political system on the planet will claim that it is the best one that has ever been invented. 2) makes me think about the global CV situation. I made my statement on it a few weeks ago though, so I'll just paste it again here to remind myself of it:

From today's walk: The funny thing is that a lot of people would think that I am an extremely tough guy who can't be brought down. Yet the truth of the matter is that there has been a time where I was on the path toward destruction, malevolence and decay. Till today, I still have no idea how come that at the absolutely lowest point of my life, I managed to turn around and started fighting for the light. I would love to write that "I decided to turn around", but I think that would be extremely arrogant and treacherous to assume that. Perhaps we have more free will on some matters than others.

Day 835: I went through a few finance articles, had an English class, cycled, did a few small things and had a social evening. Day 836: I had English classes, attended a Brazilian jiu-jitsu class and watched Joker in the evening. Day 837: I worked on the exposure of my firm on Google, chatted with a friend from high school, created a funny video, got my car back from the mechanic and had a social evening. Day 838: I had English classes, attended a Brazilian jiu-jitsu class and talked to a friend in the evening. Day 839: Today - TBA. --- @BooksandTrees Thanks. I sent out 16 mails and got only 2 responses, though today I'm going to do a more thorough and sensible scan and see what comes out of it after the weekend. The two companies I work for give me a decent amount of work already, so I am not too fussed about it, even if I don't land anything new. I started attending BJJ/grappling classes and it's been fairly interesting and instructive. I like it. Joker was an interesting film. The slow descent to madness and then the things that come with it... chilling. It reminds me of how things were bad for me three years ago, though I somehow managed to snap out of it and start fighting for the light.

Day 831: I did some paperwork, had English classes, went to the gym, watched a film and had a social evening. Day 832: I checked out the NMMNG forums after a long time, wrote here, did my (monthly?) financial checkup, worked out at the gym, watched two films, went to the shop, went for a walk and cleaned my car. Day 833: I worked on fixing my bike, cleaned my room, washed the dishes and visited my family. Day 834: I drove my car to the mechanic, cycled back home, had an English class, sent an email to my Erasmus coordinator, sent an email to a martial art group I'd like to join, sent out mails to get some job interviews in language companies and had a social evening with a friend. Day 835: Today - TBA. --- I checked on the financial news and my financial status and everything seems to be going swimmingly. For several months I've been regularly able to save over 50% of my income and I'm sitting almost at a double of what I had at the beginning of the year. This is mainly due to the fact I started having more English classes. Most of my money is in global ETFs, plus a few months' expenses on my savings account in case something goes wrong. Not to slack, yesterday I sent out about 15 emails to language schools, companies etc. to ask for interviews. I'm currently working for two companies, but it doesn't hurt to look around to see if there's more/better opportunities to look for before the start of the regular school year in September. I've sent out dozens, if not hundreds, of emails asking for a job interview and I've been to dozens job interviews and out of all these interviews actually only a few of them resulted in contracts. An interesting comparison is that I've been to more job interviews than dates in my life. It's a statistic. I brought my car to the mechanic, but my bike is in need of a mechanic as well. It's kind of an odd situation, but I hope I will get my car back soon, so that I can I have at least one of my transports operational. I'm gonna check out a BJJ training in my area in the upcoming days, maybe resulting in a new hobby for me.

@new_life.trying For some people, nothing is more exciting in life than getting shit on during sex by someone they trust. People are weird and everything depends on our perception. Try doing new things with some consistency and see what floats your boat more than games. Checklist: Do you have a job? Do you study? Do you eat well? Do you exercise regularly in some way? Do you have good relationships with family, friends or partner? Do you spend your free time in (at least) a non-self-destructive way? I consider the above the bare minimum for life. I would say these areas are mostly mundane, though I think I can spend 100% of my total time on these things and be happy with my life.

I think @WorkInProgresshas a good point. What makes you think that you are not handsome already? I think what makes me ask this question is that I never doubt myself on this front. I've always been thin or fit. I can sometimes appreciate looking at myself at the gym's mirror though! Do you have a great desire to be desired? To be taken care of? To be complimented? I think the greatest compliment I give to people is being with them - my presence, spending time and doing things with them. I'm not used to using words too much. I remember I was staggered the first time I was called "beautiful" by a girl I spent a few months with. While I have a few specific natural features on my body, I think they actually make me more interesting. In the end, no matter what we do, the physical part of us can't win the race against the time. I think this is a pretty good observation/explanation that I've never had laid down before me yet from the gay side of things, though it obviously makes a lot of sense.

Day 827: I had an English class, worked out at the gym, went for sushi with my brother and had a social evening. Day 828: I had an English classes and we visited a friend's cottage with a few friends. Day 829: I had English classes and a social evening. Day 830: I had English classes, worked out at the gym, fixed up my bike and went to an English speaking event in the evening. Day 831: Today - TBA. --- The sushi with my brother was good. He said it was the best sushi restaurant he has ever visited and it was my first sushi too. I think it would be great if we met 1-on-1 every month or so. I've been tentatively looking around for new (old) hobbies, namely marksmanship and martial arts. I decided to let go of the regular philosophy courses, as I felt they were not bringing me enough interest and joy as they did before. --- Gratitude: I'm grateful for films. The good ones, and the bad ones, because they remind me of the good ones.

I guess the case can be that if we are not always doing something "productive", then the future is going to be "worse". There are however activities that we can enjoy that take work as well though. For example, I enjoy working out or creating spreadsheets. There are also results that can't be calculated, for example because I am doing a new activity or the activity I am doing can't be measured well (e.g. going to a social event to make friends or to find dates). I think it can definitely be of great help, although as with everything, I think it works to the extent we want it to. In my case, I combine journaling with post-scheduling - in my Google calendar I put things that I have already done rather than what am I going to do, so I know what I did the week three months ago and compare it to these days.

Hey Amphibian! I guess "having results" is as much as about having failures and having successes at the same time. I fell into the pit of having an awesome character and identity when I was gaming - thinking I was pure by not doing drugs (drinking), not having casual sex or by not lying. In fact, I was full of shit. I was not drinking, because I had no friends I could drink with (and having "drinking friends" is a pretty low bar already). I was not having casual sex, because I was horrible with women and couldn't have sex with anyone in the first place. I was not lying directly in speech, because my actions lied for me (Peterson had an interesting observation on how most lies are not told, but acted out instead). So in the end, when I am trying to get to know someone, I give them a my attention to see if they do what they say they do. Starting out the day by nailing the most difficult thing first is a sound strategy!

Day 823: I had English classes, wrote here, went for a walk and had a social evening. Day 824: I worked out at the gym, had an English class, finished my monthly report, watched "The Man from Acapulco", washed the dishes and met up with a friend in the evening. Day 825: I visited my family and met up with a friend in the evening. Day 826: I watched two films, worked out at the gym, went for a run, researched some resources for my (master's) thesis and had a social evening.

I'm using the template I used the last time. 09/06/20 - 23/07/20 "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. --- Active writing (blog/writings/journal): L: I finished the thesis and wrote here regularly. T: About three weeks ago I wrote a few short texts here. I also attempted to write a start of my new blog post at the weekend. Future goals/direction: Finish Past Authoring and the whole course. Write on my blog. Keep writing in my diary here twice a week. Work on "Breaking Free Exercises" from the NMMNG book. Books/Reading articles: L: I spent most of my time reading the uni materials for the final exams. I got through some newsletters and didn't pick up a new book, I'll see what picks up my interest in the future. T: My inbox is clear and I have read the first two books of "Warrior Kid" series by Willink. They're pretty simple, straightforward and believable. Future goals/direction: Continue getting through the newsletters. Read first two books of "Warrior Kid" series by Willink. Family: L: I plan to talk to all my family members in a private (separate) manner this month and... share my thoughts with them and have a bit closer relationship with them? The Spanish girl encouraged me to do it, after I told her about my relationship with my family. It's not that it's horrible, but I feel it is somewhat distant and that most of my friends have closer ties with their family members, even if not with all of them. I already expressed myself to mom. I talked with my brother separately, though not about the "deep stuff". Relationships and sex were non-existent topics in my family, so it's difficult for me to initiate in this regard. I talked a bit to my father about the topic of relationships and women. I'm gonna talk to my brother this weekend; I didn't see him the last one. I told my grandma a few details about the Spanish girl since my grandma asked. T: My father helped me with a few things regarding the car and I am going to get sushi with my brother the next week. Future goals/direction: Talk to my family members separately. University: L: I finished my final exams. I plan to continue studying to get my masters' degree. I don't need to worry about the university for at least three months now. T: I meet fellow students here and there, although I am not studying at all at the moment. Future goals/direction: Find more sources for my upcoming masters' thesis. Exercise/movement: L: I played football, went for walks and worked out at the gym. I am currently doing some exercise every other day, mostly going to the gym. T: I've been keeping up with the movement quite well, despite the fact gym was opened and closed about the same time. Future goals/direction: Martial art research. Work out twice/thrice a week. Keep in shape (using walks/sex/exercise). Social: L: I started going to the Monday philosophy courses again. I'm predominantly social during the evenings with the people from the dorms, so I want to diversify my social groups more now that the CV restrictions are going away. T: I started visiting more social groups that I used to visit in the past. I met with my geography group, English speaking evening group and others. Future goals/direction: - English: L: My current workload is around the same number. The work's been going well, in fact, I am hardly ever stressed by it, especially if I do some planning before the lessons. T: I have a few lessons less, but it's still nearly 20 hours of classes in July/August. Future goals/direction: I am going to send out some mails again to language schools and various other subjects to set up interviews from my secondary email. (do in August) I am going to pursue closer co-operation with my English mentor. I am going to check out a few more seminars on how to run online courses. Women/dating: L: T: There are some situations with the girl where we do get close, although from some situations I also understand that I don't want to be too closely involved with her and neither does she. Though I like her physically and I think she's aiming at good things in life, I feel she constantly needs to put herself in messy/highly emotional situations and states. I can joke about it and laugh it off with her as her friend, but it'd be very different if I decided to be a more unpredictable variable in her life. That doesn't mean random and unpredictable sex can't happen. The last week I had sex with a friend from the dorms I've known for over a year. We were both tipsy, though I think we were both surprised how that evening ended up happening. I've been having thoughts about the time with the Spanish girl, meaning there could still be something I need to decode. I didn't talk to her before she left to Spain about a month ago and nor I gave her the letter I wrote and planned to give her. Regardless, I've thought about the topic myself. I found that the main idea is to take it as it is, regardless of what the reasons of her sudden April "cut" were. I also believe that sometimes the more loving and more courageous decision is to walk away to prevent more hurt and pain, whether due to toxicity (my X) or time constraints (Spanish girl?). One of the things that "got" me closer together to her was the care. She really did care for me as my mom or grandma would, which I noticed when she was adamant about the fact I needed to see the doctor. The fact that we could also agree to disagree was amazing as well. Lastly, she did catalyze more effort from my side to get to know my family better and closer. Talking to one of my friends, she said the average masturbation for her is better than the average sex. I found that quite surprising, as I've never thought that would be the case for anyone. To end on a good note, I met an interesting girl yesterday in the evening and wrote her on Messenger today. I really should meet even more new people. We'll see what comes out of this. Future goals/direction: - Additional activities: Personal finance: I've gone from actively spending time on this topic to more passive scanning. Chess: I still do a bit of chess every now and then, but not as often as before. Marksmanship: I've been having thoughts about returning to this hobby. Films: I have watched several films in the last month. ----- Masturbation - reminder: L: I think it'll be as with gaming - I tried to haphazardly quit gaming multiple times, but finally by getting here I reached the breaking point. It's likely gonna take more than a few weeks and re-making the decision that I don't have time to waste. Ejaculation is easy for me to handle, it's just that masturbation overall is difficult to get rid of. It's a process. This term was quite rough, especially with all the female attention that I've been getting recently. Masturbation is taking a toll on my sleep schedule, but I believe I will manage to handle it in a more healthy way. I'd like to think that I wouldn't do such a thing if I had a girl with whom I could have sex every (other) day, but my sexuality still my own responsibility even in that case and I have to deal with it in a way that doesn't screw me over. T: After having sex, I found out that I am more accepting of masturbation and that I do not hinge on it as much. Maybe because I already internalized the belief that sex in "just another" (yet important) thing in my life or because it's easier to get than I thought. Either way, I sense more peace in myself in this area. Meditation: L: I never got around to do it, though it could be that I incorporate some of it while working out or singing along with music or while on a walk. I want to figure out where to put it into my daily rhythm. I meditated a few times and I enjoyed the calmness. I gotta step up the relaxing activities, even though it sounds like an oxymoron 😄 I think reading + meditation might be a good combo, it’s just that I have to remember to do it when I have enough time to read, but not enough time to go for a walk at the same time. It's getting cold outside though, so I will not read outside too much anymore. T: - Gratitude: L: I managed to sneak it in into my journal a couple of times, so that's good. I'm grateful for all the new relationships and opportunities that flew into my life the last month. I'm going to make sure this continues. T: - --- Additional projects/misc/cool stuff finished last month: Additional projects/misc/cool stuff upcoming this month: --- Thoughts, ideas and additional comments/gratitude: I think I have done a good job at incorporating psychology lectures I’ve seen/learnt into my life. I don’t want to re-live the experience I’ve had March/April 2019, because it could be deadly. I gained the ability to plan after I quit games. Life’s more colorful and more difficult to deal with, but at least I can look at myself in the mirror now and see myself less skewed than before. I think I give meaning to things that deserve it now. I am not horrified of free time anymore. This is a BIG one. I am using my sociability more sensibly. No more trolling in Twitch chat and streaming. Coming to think of it, I’ve never been overly anxious to begin with, just the normal amount. I asked girls out on dates on high school. I was just totally oblivious to the signals I sent/received. I’m more conscious of both what I do and how I do it in relation with other people. I still get anxiety, but I act despite it. I stand tall and have my say. I'm very lucky to have a mentor in the field I am excited about. I'm grateful for everyone who has entered my life. I EMBRACE THE FACT THAT ANYTHING I START DOING, I WILL DO IT BADLY. I CAN ONLY BECOME BETTER INCREMENTALLY AND BY PRACTICE. It's less of a question WHAT I do compared to HOW and WHY I do it.