D_Cozy

Thu 12.5 Daily Goals No mobile games: 225 days No compulsive social media use: 63 days No compulsive research: 63 days No passive screen time before bed, first thing in the morning, or at work: 65 days Today was a bit of a weird day, in the middle of a snowstorm and schools got closed today. My kids stayed home, and I took a half day. Things I want to do every day to stay healthy Sleep - Slept pretty well from 11pm - 6:40am Mediation - I've been slacking on meditation, which is not a good thing. I really need to commit to doing this in the morning or during my work breaks. Instead I've been focusing on just lying down and decompressing my thoughts. In a way it's a form of meditation… I guess, now that I'm writing about it. Maybe I need to be kinder to myself, even if I don't do a guided meditation. Practice French - I did one lesson today in the morning. I'll see if I go with more after journaling. Read a book - I'd rather read though before bed. Which is something I haven't done yet today. As I mostly focused on… Exercise - I took a half day in the morning, so I stayed home with the kids entertaining them due to the snow day. Part of this involved doing exercises with the TV, they both jumped in and tried following along. I got my exercise in while entertaining them. Kids - see above Nutrition Boiled eggs for breakfast Leftover chicken for lunch Beef burgers for dinner Hygiene - I had a shower after working out, will brush after publishing this. Partner - brought up the trip thing but it was busy with the kids to talk about it. We did say that we'll talk about it tomorrow Journal - I need to focus more on doing this to decompress too tbh. Today was a weird and short day due to the snow storm though, keeping the kids home. I will say though that a good win today was not getting overwhelmed due to the snowstorm. That was helpful to take a half day in the morning. I dunno if I will do that tomorrow (it's still snowing hard out there) but knowing this is an option and that my manager will understand is good. Commitments Continue working on work project I'll be working on this throughout this week and next. Today I still made progress and I'm glad that I If possible, continue with the screen time Yeah no this did not happen with kids home in the morning. I'm not even sure if I'll continue it tomorrow or this weekend. How important is it that I do this relative to my other stuff? Well honestly not as much as getting back on track with the 7 Habits and the above. So maybe this is something to drop. Holiday trip plans With the kids home it was not something easy to find time to discuss. Tomorrow will be better. Commitments for tomorrow Continue working on work project Get back on track with meditation and reading 7 Habits long term goals (maybe)

Wednesday 12.4 Quick post today cuz it's late. I got both of my morning things done. Handed in that form my manager needed back with my feedback, and additionally worked on the dishes before work. At night wife and I caught up with that friend. For my screen time summary, I'll make that more of a priority tomorrow. Work was pretty busy as I finally got unblocked and made some mad progress on it. Got a logic loop working on a new system I've not used before. Learning lots. Commitments tomorrow: Continue working on the project. Keep up with screen time summary if possible. Help my wife plan for a vacation trip (tickets have been purchased!) We will be out of the country some point after the holidays, and I'm thinking I'll be using that time to just breathe and read, and be with my family. I'm looking forward to the holidays. Gnight!

12.3 Daily Goals No mobile games: 223 days No compulsive social media use: 61 days No compulsive research: 61 days No passive screen time before bed, first thing in the morning, or at work: 63 days Things I want to do every day to stay healthy Sleep - 11pm - 6:40am Mediation - first thing upon waking up Practice French - A bit of practice just before this entry Nutrition Boiled eggs for breakfast after workout Sandwich for lunch Pasta for dinner Hygiene - Still have to do my brush teeth and floss Talk to my partner - we talked about our mutual friend Exercise - I worked up a sweat doing aerobics on the TV Kids - Gave the kids baths, played with them and read them stories before bed Read a book - Read more of Naturalist society dropping the kids off at school. Yeah buses still get cancelled, which made the morning busy. I was purposefully late to work as a result cuz I wanted to exercise. But I got reading done too. And I did make up my time later in the day after supper. Journal - this seemed to have worked well today. Commitments Help with laundry I helped by folding laundry and putting some away (mostly the kids). Plan other longterm commitments I've got to resubmit round 2 of a form to give back to my manager tomorrow, so that's something which I scheduled in terms of work. As for the rest of things... well December is looking busy. I am going to a birthday party with my middle kid on the Saturday + helping build a gingerbread house as a family. And then on Sunday I'm helping my brother in law again. Of the two other important things, I still want to continue with the long term goals. First and foremost that should be priority #1. I'll see if tomorrow morning I can get some time to work on them. It may be nice to go with that hand-in-hand with the feedback form that my manager wanted. As for the screentime, I'll have to revisit. Commitments for tomorrow Do the dishes in the morning This'll be quick. I spent a lot of time talking with my wife about our mutual friend… we listened to him a few days ago, lent him an ear and some advice when he asked for it. Hand back in the reviewed form Per above. Work really hard at the project Things are finally moving along now that I got an access request approved (finalized that today). Tomorrow is gonna be busy. Revisit the screentime from Nov Catch up with a mutual friend of ours tomorrow We haven't talked to a close friend of ours for ages. She's been in a couple of rough relationships, and she has found a new partner over the past 5 months or so. My wife knows her from elementary school, although we're not super close, we do get along and it'll be nice to catch up. That'll be tomorrow after work.

12.2 Daily Goals No mobile games: 222 days No compulsive social media use: 60 days No compulsive research: 60 days No passive screen time before bed, first thing in the morning, or at work: 62 days Things I want to do every day to stay healthy Sleep - glad I wrote up a quick blurb yesterday because I slept great. 11:30pm to 7am. Mediation - before finishing this off; it was in letting go of expectation to allow the mind to be free and truly observe. I think there's a lesson for me there to keep applying it. Practice French - with my kids in the afternoon Nutrition Made omelets for everyone at breakfast, only one kid was interested in trying them though (they baby) My wife made min-pizzas for everyone for lunch The chicken parmesan recipe for dinner Hygiene - Everything except brush teeth for the night, which I'll do after this entry. Talk to my partner - talked about the week ahead. Exercise - … I slacked on this again, my kids were at home today due to a snowstorm which cancelled buses. I will go to work out tomorrow Kids - I opened up a free advent calendar I found in the buildings lobby which had Lego (someone just put it there with a sticky note saying it was free). Built the 1st and 2nd days with my older kids. I put the baby to bed tonight. Read a book - This morning I read more of Naturalist society Journal - I should give myself some slack to do those quick entries like yesterday, that worked well for me. Commitments Make the chicken parm Done, it was delicious, and a bit of leftovers for me tomorrow. Technically baking as my wife keeps reminding me. Commitments for tomorrow Help with laundry Plan other long term commitments for the month of December There's a bunch of other things I want to get done, such as summarize my screen time for Nov and get some of my personal goals sorted out. I'll make some time to detail them in a schedule for myself tomorrow.

Sun 12.1 Happy beginning of December! Hope everyone is doing well. Gonna keep it short with commitments only today. It is late. I've had quite the busy day with kids (went to the theater), helping my brother-in-laws girlfriend with her computer, and then after getting the kids to bed, talking to one of our best friends whose been going through a divorce. Thatwas a long conversation; we just got off the phone 20min ago. For those 20min I was spending time with my wife, and we just talked about our friend in private (she was part of the convo too) and the commitments from yesterday and for tomorrow. Which reminds me, there's laundry I need to put in the dryer. Thank goodness for journaling to remind me of that. I believe that covers all of my prior commitments. commitment tomorrow Make chicken parmesan for dinner. My wife has been asking me to do this. I will do it tomorrow for dinner. I am going to leave my entry at this for today, as it is almost 11:30pm.

Sat 11.30 Daily Goals No mobile games: 220 days No compulsive social media use: 58 days No compulsive research: 58 days No passive screen time before bed, first thing in the morning, or at work: 61 days Things I want to do every day to stay healthy Sleep - to bed at 11:30pm, woke up at 7am. Good sleep. Mediation - I will do this before going to bed, after this entry. I got ready to go meet my sister at my parents place; the plan was for me to get dropped off and pick her up with my mom's van, then go help my brother move. But… Practice French - I practiced French while I was waiting for my sister through Duolingo. She woke up late and was still in the shower. So I sat down and had coffee, practiced French. Also talked with my mom for a bit afterwards Exercise - I mean… not literally at the gym, but the majority of my day was spent lifting furniture. My arms and legs certainly feel it. My brother and his fiancé did not hire movers, nor did they even have a trailer or moving truck ready. The biggest vehicle available was a pickup truck from a mutual friend of theirs, and this friend had to leave at 11:30am anyways so she could go do her work shift today. Another mutual friends of my brother's fiancé joined us at their new apartment to help set up furniture. Between myself, my brother and my sister, we did 3 round trips back and forth with my mom's van moving things to their new place. … and we still didn't finish! When I left to go back home and help my wife with the kids and dinner, they still had 3 large items at their old place, still needing to do at least TWO roundtrips to get them (they had a dresser, a couch and a box spring mattress). Now luckily, I think the other friend who stayed said she could get them a bigger vehicle to do it in one trip. So that's the last I heard after I left; I sent a text to my brother asking him how it all went after I left, but didn't get an update as of writing. On the way back, I ended up dropping off my sister at my parents, she also had an essay to do for school. She was helpful bringing stuff downstairs and to the moving elevator, but she was also easily distracted at times and I had to snap her back to the task at hand. Overall it wasn't very well planned, not that it was my responsibility though. I was there to help and I did my best. All things considered it's amazing we got 90% of their stuff out without a moving truck before the evening. Nutrition Toast with peanut butter and jam for breakfast Take-out KFC chicken for lunch (paid for by my brother) When I came back home, my wife had mini-pizzas ready for dinner. Also had a hot chocolate at the park Brush teeth + floss - done Talk to my partner - I talked to her about my day helping my brother move and how much of a mess that was, and she talked to me about her day with her parents and the kids. We all spent time together at the park, there was a free Christmas event with a hot chocolate truck and lights set up, and even a little mini-train that gave families a drive through the park. Lots of fun. Kids - My wife was with them for the majority of the day, but I did get that park time together. Train ride at the park was very fun. Got them to bed and I read them stories, also put the baby down for sleep. Read a book - I read some more of the Naturalist Society, it's picking up a bit but still feeling like, I dunno, I'm not the intended audience for it. But well, why should that stop me? And I am intrigued by the abnormal elements, at least. Journal - I am glad to have helped my brother and invested in showing that I care for them; I did volunteer myself first, they never asked me to help. I think that's why they bought us all who helped lunch, which was kind of them and I accepted. That said, if they ever need to move again, I'm gonna make sure they have a truck rented before I offer to help. Commitments Survive the move Well I don't feel any tense or sore muscles from it. I think going back to the gym regularly has helped with this. I did notice my brother, who admitted he hasn't been working out, was struggling a lot more with carrying the heavy furniture with me. Commitments for tomorrow Movie with my kids & wife Tire out my kids before the movie so they are chill at the theater (playground is what I'm thinking) Help my brother-in-law with his girlfriends computer Reminder for myself to bring my laptop and an 8gb USB, so I can more easily download drivers and transfer them Get some laundry done I'm tired. Going to bed after a meditation

11.29 Daily Goals No mobile games: 219 days No compulsive social media use: 57 days No compulsive research: 57 days No passive screen time before bed, first thing in the morning, or at work: 60 days I'm pretty tired. Went to my brother in laws after work, and spent the majority of the time there helping him fix his girlfriends PC. I did not finish; I did fix their drivers, but I noted that their Windows OS is installed in a really small storage device. It cannot download anymore updates due to that. So that's gonna be fun to move… But well, honestly I like helping with computer stuff. I am good at it. Things I want to do every day to stay healthy Sleep - to bed at 11:10pm, woke up at 6:30am. Good sleep. Mediation - this morning about actively choosing stillness (taking a pause) Practice French - late in the day while I was waiting for a driver to install Nutrition Yogurt with cashews for breakfast Boiled eggs for lunch Pizza for dinner Brush teeth + floss - will do both after finishing the entry Talk to my partner - pretty much about all of the computer stuff, and also about the plan for tomorrow. Exercise - Went to the gym with my wife to do weights. Kids - All of the kids had fun at their uncles, the middle kid in particular being quite active. He actually helped us find an ethernet cord while we were there haha. Read a book - I'm gonna read some fiction after posting Journal - entry is here! Commitments Send back a form to my manager Not done because I got pulled into something else at work that was more important. Create my work items for the next week (planning) This got halfway done due to the important thing. These will be continued for Monday. Have dinner at my brother-in-laws (his invite) Discuss some time to get 7 Habits long-term goals fleshed out with my wife This weekend is looking really busy, as I'm going to help my brother move tomorrow and helping my brother in law again on Sunday. Maybe next weekend is what we're thinking. I know it all sounds really busy but we will be relaxing on Saturday night and Sunday morning. Saturday night we're going to a Christmas event in the park. For Sunday, I've got a playground trip planned for the older ones (the baby can come pending how cold it is), then followed by a movie at the theater. The baby will be babysat by grandparents on Sunday. Commitments for tomorrow Survive the move lol Gnight everyone!

Thu 11.28 No mobile games: 218 days No compulsive social media use: 56 days No compulsive research: 56 days No passive screen time before bed: 59 days Full disclosure. This morning before going to work, I logged onto Reddit for the first time in 56+ days for only 10 min; I wrote up a fairly small post on the r/stopgaming sub basically saying that I identify as addicted to social media, thanking that community for their indirect motivation for me (which is true; I wouldn't have seeked help would it not have been for that sub). I can empathize with struggling to quit compulsive tech use. And I also wrote my intention to never use that platform again. To show that I'm committed to that, I've set up StayFree to block the entire website, then I asked my wife to set up a PIN on StayFree settings updates. I told her not to tell me what it is. This will ensure I will never cheat with my website limits ever; and if I do have to modify them for any reason, I have to talk with her first. So yeah, that's what happened this morning, and that's how I'm taking accountability to never go in a rabbit hole ever again. As I keep learning more about myself, I'll keep updating the list of apps and websites that I block / set time limits for. Volunteering today went well, set up a DNS server and container registry to deploy our website to. On the annoying side, I'm still feeling sick. Things I want to do every day to stay healthy Sleep - Not the greatest, baby woke up a bunch at night. I stayed up till 12am with the baby, then my wife took most of the night. He ate a lot more solid foods today though, so we are hoping he'll be sleeping better tonight. Mediation - It's possible with practice to reflect on the past, prepare for the future, and also be present; be consciously aware of the current moment while preventing drifting off. That was the topic of todays meditation ❤️ Practice French - In the morning, only did a bit today. Nutrition toast and banana for breakfast leftover chicken from a few nights ago for lunch breaded chicken stuffed with broccoli for dinner Hygiene - already done with shower earlier. Still need to brush my teeth and floss. Talk to my partner - I've enjoyed spending time with her at night, even if it's just for an hour it's still fun. We get to cuddle in the living room couch while chatting or watching something together, it's nice social time after the kids go to bed. Also talked about the commitments. Exercise - Not today, because I am still feeling sick. I rested this morning. I did go get a massage and she recommended that I stay hydrated. I'll go work out tomorrow morning, I want to do weights again. Kids - the baby ate even more solid food than yesterday, and the older ones ate quite well too (well, half their dinner). Helped setup baths for them and helped with feeding the baby, although my wife did most of the bedtime routine tonight. Read a book - Lol I didn't do Don Quixote and instead read a romantasy called "The Natural Society" (I know, I keep changing my mind about what I want to read). So in this Naturalist Society book, there's a few people who are so connected with nature that they can harness their energy with magic. I like how well the rules are defined. The romance aspect... isn't really for me but I'm trying to expand my horizons. I'll keep giving it a chance. I have another busy weekend coming up, so I'll discuss with my partner when the best time for me to refocus on 7 Habits will be good. I want to really sit down and start writing those longterm goals. Journal - Grateful for a good work meeting with my manager. Commitments Brush my dogs teeth early Brainstorm longterm goals with my manager It was a good discussion today, I'm energized. I am also glad that I took away how I inspired my manager to start 2025 by thinking about a team mission statement (I am seeing the effects of my influence expand). I also have good feedback and looking ahead goals, long-term work goals, which are written in a private journal Commitments for tomorrow Send back a form to my manager I was working on it today but it's a laborious one, I'll make sure to get it done tomorrow Create my work items for the next week (planning) Have dinner at my brother-in-laws (his invite) Discuss some time to get 7 Habits long-term goals fleshed out with my wife I'll be happy with getting these done.

What has been helping me is the routines on my phone settings. I have one for waking up, one for work, and one for nighttime. It will disable the apps I tell it to during those times, so only necessary and positive stuff like calls / texts, alarm clock, music, the Kindle reading app, or the Headspace meditation app are left. No email, no news, not even the web browser or search engine can be accessed while these modes are on. ❤️ thank you for the best wishes. It's chaotic and sometimes stressful. It's also worth seeing the kids smile and get happy as they grow up and learn. The key thing we've found to work well for us is keeping our kids busy with a variety of activities; which in turn also keeps us busy. Whenever you and your partner are ready to make that jump, I'm happy to answer any questions you may have. Wed 11.27 Daily Goals No mobile games: 217 days No compulsive social media use: 55 days No compulsive research: 55 days No passive screen time before bed, first thing in the morning, or at work: 58 days Still not feeling 100% today, I've been taking advil and day medicine (non-drowsy). I'm going to take some night medicine (drowsy one) after journaling. Then meditate and then read and probably fall asleep soon. I am enjoying doing this again though. I've shifted from Notepad -> OneNote on my computer for personal journaling. I like it way more, as I can also share my rough notes and brainstorming with my wife by just sending her a link. I did try with this forum too, but she said that scrolling through it to find something was a bit difficult. Fair enough. So OneNote has solved that issue by the fact that it puts entries in "pages" on the side bar. From now on, that's how I'm going to approach journaling; start with OneNote and then share here on this forum. Sharing with her has been great, because we can actually set up commitments together when I do share. It also encourages it as an activity for our own growth too, and I feel like it lets her inside of my mind too (what I'm thinking of and what I'm working towards). She can see visible progress, that is my hope. Things I want to do every day to stay healthy Sleep - I slept pretty well overall, fell asleep after reading a chapter of Don Quixote (yeah I know I said I'd do Hemmingway, but I changed my mind). Woke up at 6:30am naturally before my alarm. Mediation - I did the Morning again with Headspace, this has been working fairly well for me upon waking up. The topic was about dealing with mixed emotions; how sometimes it's possible to feel both happiness and sadness, or excitement and anger. Rather than focusing on which one we want to feel more, we can observe both emotions and let them be simultaneously. I'll do another meditation before going to bed. Practice French - Practiced after meditating this morning. Nutrition Take-out breakfast after kids were at school Leftover refried beans for lunch Chicken pot pie for dinner Hygiene - already done with brushing teeth, flossing, showering, and washing my face. Oh but I did forget to do the dogs… I'll make a reminder for myself to do that in the morning after they eat their breakfast; I am not gonna wake them up now and risk them getting agitated and barking, which would wake up my kids… that's not worth it. This means I'll brush my dogs teeth twice tomorrow, once in the morning and once at night. Talk to my partner - bit of an argument at night, but what is good is that we're communicating about it and apologizing. Other than that it was a positive day with the appointment, we will have to wait a bit longer to know whether this was successful. I am optimistic! Exercise - We were told to not have any scents on us for the appointment, apparently it can really affect the chance of success, so no exercise at the gym as a result; we could not even put deodorant, soap or shampoo. It was a busy chore day afterwards though, I spent about 4h putting adhesive light strips in the balcony. Well, actually it was more like 1h taking the old lights off and testing them to see why they didn't work anymore (I couldn't figure it out so I just threw them out), then 2h cleaning the railing so that the adhesive part for the new lights would stick (it was very dirty due to the constant construction around us), and another 1h to actually stick the light strips and zip-tie them securely. I count that as my exercise, my legs and arms certainly feel that way. Kids - the baby ate well, but the older two were being fussy and not eating chicken pot pie for dinner, so I was a bit strict with them and got them in the bath while my wife went out after dinner to help her mom with something. I got all of them bathed and in pajamas. Putting the kids to sleep, I took the middle one and the baby, used the rocking chair with one on each of my laps and read a short story about animals. The baby fell asleep, transferred him to his crib. The middle one then came with me to his room and his bed, and he took his time falling asleep. In the end it got done. My wife took the oldest. Read a book - I'll read more Don Quixote tonight, I want that to be my big book to finish this year. Journal - Grateful for a good appointment and the clinic, I'm optimistic it worked well. Commitments Appointment for tomorrow Hang some festive lights on the balcony Clean entrance closet My wife took this one instead of me, she did it while I was out on the balcony. Teamwork! Create a template page on OneNote for easy copy + paste Commitments for tomorrow Brush my dogs teeth early Brainstorm my long-term goals with my manager For the latter, I think it will actually be a good idea to talk to her. She always brings up great ideas regarding 7 Habits (she has read the book before). I'll ask her for her advice and show her what I've brainstormed, what I wrote previously, and some things I could do to improve the process (specially the deadlines part). I can tell in fact that I struggle the most with defining deadlines, so that's something that I want to be conscious about improving on.

Tue 11.26 (part 2) Dinner was made by my brother, who is a chef at a kitchen (his chosen career path). He made smoked salmon with mashed potatoes on the side. It was quite good. I helped him with getting the table set and food organized. We got back home in time to give my kids baths and get them to bed. It was after that when I felt off, then took my temp... and low grade fever. ... well so much for rejuvenation. Maybe that was a temporary boost from the workout this morning. I am hoping this is nipped in the butt tonight again, otherwise I won't be able to go to the appointment tomorrow (hospital will not let me). Let's get on with my commitment. Review my mission statement is part of it. Let's paste that in here: My mission is to be a confident, honest, supportive, patient, loving, forgiving and positive individual. I will strive to hold a balanced lifestyle in everything I do, for a balanced lifestyle is the key to a variety of knowledge, and knowledge is the key to growth. I will drive a positive impact based on my values with everything I do, for that is the best way I know to make a positive difference. I will keep an open mind, seeking to understand before being understood; this will be my first action in dialogue with my wife, my colleagues, my friends, my family, my neighbors, and strangers which I meet. Made some tiny edits to it, but it is mostly the same. Some of my brainstorming for long term goals: * Get a house -> promotions at work (or additional income) can help with this * Learning French * Writing a creative project -> such as a novel or short stories * Travel to Japan * Learning to bake desserts * Strive to become an expert in my position / field -> think of small goals to get me there * Fitness goal of staying healthy * Increase volunteer commitments I like the brainstormed goals that I put down. They've helped me with putting things into perspective for what I really want to accomplish. Oh yeah and reading challenge for next year: increase from 24 -> 25 books! Because it will be 2025. (my wife's idea) Commitments for tomorrow * Appointment for tomorrow * Hang some festive lights on the balcony * Clean entrance closet ... I'm realizing now that one of the issues I've had keeping true to my commitments is that I've only been discussing them with my wife. She was actually involved this time in brainstorming some for me. So that now feels like something I can accomplish. Good night everyone!

Tue 11.26 (part 1) No mobile games: 216 days No compulsive social media use: 54 days No compulsive research: 54 days No passive screen time before bed, first thing in the morning, or at work: 57 days I feel rejuvenated after my morning workout. Being sick is not fun. Sleep - I slept pretty well last night, 10pm - 6:30am. Even with both kids joining in bed. Mediation - I did some this morning upon waking up, logged on to Headspace and went through the "morning lift" (as they call it). It starts with deep breaths, then it follows with a "wake-up" video with an inspirational message. Today it was taking deep breaths and meditating for a minute while traveling, and paying attention to the sounds; that apparently helps to remember the place in a lot more detail (I'll give it a try at some point). Finally it concludes with a guided meditation on the same topic. I'll make this part of my morning wake-up routine. Practice French - I did a little bit in Duolingo this morning as well, since I woke up before everyone in the house. IF my kids are still sleeping after meditation is done, I'll get to this. But otherwise I'll just keep doing some between breaks and after work. Nutrition Cereal for breakfast (halfway there to finishing it as I type) lunch is tbd, probably leftovers for dinner it will be at my parents tonight Brush teeth + floss - oops, I forgot to brush upon waking up. I'll get to that after I finish my breakfast, and do both tonight. I'm also gonna make sure I brush my dogs teeth regularly too, once a day; noting this because my dogs went to the vet and they could benefit from that. I've made a recurring event on my calendar to do that every afternoon. Talk to my partner - we talked about the above so far, the dogs having their vet appointments. I let her know about the recurring event on my calendar to serve as a reminder. We also talked about tomorrow; I took a day off so my wife can get IVF. The path to a 4th kid 😄 Exercise - I went for a 35min incline walk at the gym this morning, I felt like sweating. Maybe it's psychological but I just thought it would help me sweat out whatever I was sick with. Don't know if that makes sense. Kids - I brought my baby to the apartments gym with me and he fell asleep in the stroller, which was fine. He's currently crawling near me around my desk, while my wife does chores. I'll check in on him every few minutes between work, I set him up with several of his toys. Read a book - As I'm going to my parents tonight, I probably won't have a lot of time to do 7 Habits stuff. So I'll focus on that goal of reading 6 books by the end of this year. I'm about 1/5th of the way through with Ernest Hemmingways short stories, and about 50% done with Don Quixote (this latter one being very long). Next year, which is upon us, I'll be focusing on doing 24 books by the end of the year. That's why I went with just 6 this year as the year is almost over. Journal - so glad to be feeling better I'll post again tonight, and will be revisiting my commitments from before getting sick. To refresh my memory: I can do this later today

Mon 11.25 No mobile games: 215 days No compulsive media use: 53 days No compulsive research: 53 days No passive screen time before bed, first thing in the morning, or at work: 56 days I'm still not feeling the greatest today, but I took medicine to do as much work as I could. Before work I didn't go to the gym today because I still felt like crap. I took care of the baby instead while my wife went to the gym. I also washed our sheets because they were an absolute sweaty mess from last night. I think I'm not sick anymore based on that, but the post feeling after being sick still lingers. If that makes sense. Work was alright mostly, I was able to fulfill my on-call items (urgent things that need attention) and follow up on some documents. It helped that it was a slow day today because I'm waiting on access requests. I also listened to podcasts while working (it helps me with staying focused), which turns out my screen time app tracks, so I'm expecting it'll be pretty mad at me tomorrow with its notification 🙃 now I know That's it for today, I'll make an effort to get back to my commitments tomorrow.

Sun 11.24 No mobile games - 214 days No compulsive social media use: 52 days No compulsive research: 52 days No passive screentime before bed, first thing in the mornings, or during work: 55 days So that sharp pain in my back has moved to my legs, and I'm feeling chilly and have sniffles... and have a fever. In other words, I'm sick from whatever my kids had last week. Always seems to go around last to me. I've not been feeling well all day today, have mostly helped with my kids and slept, and I haven't done much in terms of my commitments due to not feeling well (which is as good of a reason as it gets). I have been reading fiction too, between sleep. And did get some quick fresh air bringing my dogs out, also fit in reading xhildrens books in French to my kids. I'm gonna leave it at this for tonight. If I still feel like this tomorrow, I'm gonna take a sick day at work. Hoping to sweat it out while i sleep though. Talk more tomorrow.

Sat 11.23 No mobile games - 213 days No compulsive social media use: 51 days No compulsive research: 51 days No passive screentime before bed, first thing in the mornings, or during work: 54 days --- Things I will do to stay healthy Sleep around 8h - to bed at midnight, woke up at 1am to rock the baby so he'd fall asleep (didn't take too long), and then woke up this morning at 8am (my wife let me sleep in). I'd say about the same as the previous night. I should try to go to bed earlier though, even if it's a weekend, cuz evidently my kids will be waking up. Brush Teeth + Floss - I'll make sure to do both again, after journaling. Read a book - I'll probably read more Hemingway short stories tonight. I've been struggling to move on with 7 Habits, because I'm still trying to really solidify my long term goals. It's tough to make the time to think about these thigs when I have 3 kids, all requiring various different forms of attention. It might be something that I'll have to set time aside for during the next Monday morning (making a note of this) Talk to my partner - We talked through our plans for the next weekend, my brother needs help moving, and... well they didn't hire a moving truck, which probably means I'll be helping. I did volunteer to help, I just thought that they'd hire a moving truck and I'd just help him with setting up his electronics and/or building the new furniture they're getting. Swimming lessons with the kids went well too, we made a day of it by going to the library afterwards with the kids. All the books we checked out were for the kids (I got plenty of reading material at home myself). Go for walks / Exercise - Today was a delivery day for a lot of Black Friday sales (these started a week early) so we made a day of wrapping packages. All of this is holiday shopping, take advantage of the sales. Needless to say, I mention it here because i got exercise by lifting the packages, and then bringing all the recycling out to the basement of the building we live in (large pieces of cardboard go there). Shower + wash face - I had a shower this morning, before getting a haircut. Nutrition Breakfast: quesadillas Lunch: omelette (breakfast for lunch) Dinner: made some pasta with cheese and pepper Talk to my kids + play with them - busy day going to swimming lessons, bringing my dogs out with the older ones, and at the library; I read books to them throughout the day. Meditate + Deep Breaths - In the evening, I continued the path on changing my behavior. The topic overlapped with the 7 Habits again, this time it was about how we can feel emotions but we don't necessarily have to act on them; we can take a step back, breathe (focusing on the breath helps a lot) and then visualize what our options are. Noticing when you feel angry, happy, sad, surprised, fearful or sad (broadly speaking) and then getting at the specific feeling to practice mindfulness. Practice French - I got some done this morning, and did some with my kids later in the afternoon again. This seems to be working out. Journal - busy but fun day ------ 7 habits Commitments *Find some time to brainstorm goals again, and review the mission statement. I still need to do this. Again I think it'll work better on Monday. So I'm actually gonna block out some focus time to get through that on Monday. The way I see it, this is necessary for also my career growth. I'm gonna read some fiction and get ready for bed. Night everyone!

Fri 11.22 (and now I'm back on track) No mobile games - 212 days No compulsive social media use: 50 days No compulsive research: 50 days No passive screentime before bed, first thing in the mornings, or during work: 53 days Back on track. --- Things I will do to stay healthy Sleep around 8h - For Thursday -> Friday, it was 11pm to 6:30am sleep. About 7.5h which is better. Brush Teeth + Floss - I'll make sure to brush my teeth and floss after posting Read a book - I'm going to read some fiction tonight, maybe some more short stories. BTW, I put a goal for myself to read 6 books before the end of 2024. I'm at 2 total, or well 4 if you count the short stories (I'm not really though). I'll be reading more Hemingway tonight. Talk to my partner - My wife was putting some cream on me for that workout injury (although I'm now thinking it's a work injury from sitting). We talked about writing our ideas in cue cards. I find the process helpful myself again, because it helps with reorganizing the events in a way that can totally change the story. For e.g. a character talks to someone. That character dies. If you arrange it in that order, it could be a drama; buuut if you make it so the character dies first and then talks to the character... that creates a mysterious horror like story. That's why I like cue cards. It can help with that method of organization of events. Obviously not going to share much more specifics than that. We just have really rough ideas right now. Go for walks / Exercise - My wife and I went to the gym this morning, while working out is when I noted my injury. We stuck to bicep curls, tricep extensions, dips and pushups. And a plank to finish off. I managed to do all these without much pain, but as soon as I twist my head to look behind me, ooooh man does it hurt. This is why I think it's actually work related. Shower + wash face - After exercising, did both again today. Nutrition Breakfast: yogurt and nuts Lunch: more leftover chicken and nachos Dinner: we got takeout as we had to go out to pick up groceries right after I finished work Talk to my kids + play with them - oh and we went to a toy shop after as well, to buy one of my kids friends a birthday present (seems like everyone is having birthday parties in his grade). My kids had a blast in there. Before bed I did some French exercises with my kid, through an app that his teacher recommended for him... and it's actually helping me too haha. The story of the pied piper was the final lesson before I called it a night for them. Meditate + Deep Breaths - This morning I did one around noticing when I feel upset, and what I can try to do in these situations is write a "why" three times. It is not unlike the how exercise with the goals. I'll keep in mind the exercise and give it a go when i feel overwhelmed and/or upset. Practice French - I got some done this morning, and like I said in the afternoon I practiced with my oldest through his online exercises Journal - back on track ❤️ ------ 7 habits Commitments Review and reflect on my coaching period and strategies Calendar included in that commit to my breaks I obviously will not be posting my work stuff here, but it's a document that I have now put on my desktop front and center. It is in an obvious spot where I can go to it. I also helped much more with some quick chores this time, so I'm committing to my breaks in this way. I know it seems funny that I'm committing to doing chores as "breaks" but the idea is that it's a break from work. It also gives me a sense of accomplishment when I complete a task at home, I can carry that energy for the next work items I'm supposed to be focused on. Commitment tomorrow: *Find some time to brainstorm goals again, and review the mission statement.

Thu 11.21 (posting on Friday) No mobile games - 211 days No compulsive social media use: 49 days No compulsive research: 49 days No passive screentime before bed, first thing in the mornings, or during work: 52 days Wow, I totally fell asleep before hitting post last night. That's a first... maybe my bodys way of telling me to sleep. I got busy with volunteering yesterday, and did more than the 1h of the session after it ended. Then I went to talk to my wife, and then I tried to stay up to journal... but fell asleep. Some highlights yesterday, but I think I need to really remember to respect myself too as a person. Being at "go-go-go" mode all the time is not good either. So I'll take a moment at the bottom of this post to write out some techniques. --- Things I will do to stay healthy Sleep around 8h - My sleep was okay on Wednesday night; I went to bed at 11:30pm and woke up at 6:30am. It has been a consistent 7h~ish and partly that is the reason for why it's been so hard to focus. I can do something about this though, and let myself just... go to sleep early. Brush Teeth + Floss - Last night did brush and floss. Read a book - yesterday I spent more time retreading the goals, and re-reading some of the example mission statements that the workbook and the book both provide. But I don't think it helps that I keep doing this late in the day. Reflecting now, and re-reading my past entries, I see that what has worked for me is when I just set time aside to journal and read the exercise book. I remember that was one thing that my ADHD coach mentioned about the habits being built up; to keep my Friday session blocked off, and to reflect on what has worked on me. Well, today is Friday, even though this entry is for yesterday. So that's something I'm going to do. Go for walks / Exercise - My wife and I went to the gym yesterday and did weights, mostly focused on arms and chest. I must've pulled something, because today I have intense pain in my right shoulder-blade. I did do a set of chest press with 175lbs... which I was quite glad to have done! But I think I pushed myself way over my limit with that. I do want to push myself, but I have to remember that I'm not "proving" myself to anybody either. My exercising goal is to stay healthy. I could maybe consider exercise to be a long-term goal of mine. Maybe. Hmm... some food for thought actually. This is why I love journaling and writing. I start to think things that I didn't realize were in my mind. Shower + wash face - After exercising, did both. Nutrition Breakfast: cereal Lunch: leftover chicken from Wed Dinner: I actually made some delicious grilled cheese sandwiches on the stove-top, that was the highlight of yesterday. Simple but very good dinner; I used natural butter to fry the bread and make it crispy, then added some marble cheese slices to melt them inside the sandwich. Talk to my kids + play with them - My middle kid "helped" with the dinner, he passed me the cheese slices; he did try to touch the hot frying pan but I kept him away from that. The baby is also getting quite busy. Talk to my partner - I talked to my wife again yesterday about the Mission Statement and goals, before she went to sleep. Meditate + Deep Breaths - I did to meditation yesterday morning, which did help, but really I need to keep it up throughout the day. It's not a 1-and-done thing. I am thinking that doing it once in the morning, once in the afternoon, and once in the evening will be best. Practice French - Before volunteering I got into some French practice with the app, and I did also ask Ikar for some perspectives. I'm thinking that Learning French is a good longterm goal of mine to ponder about, so this is something I should review when I look at my goals. Perhaps I have to also revisit my own mission statement, and review it again; I'll ask my wife for her perspective too. Journal - sad about missing this entry yesterday ------ 7 habits As I said, I'll have to think more deeply about my goals. That's something I'm probably going to do on the weekend, and focus up on it. I know I typically get busy about this Commitments: Instead, brainstorm these goals some more with my partner. I'll keep this as a continuous goal French was a good thing to talk about yesterday, because yeah. I am learning it and I am enjoying it. So here are some things I got, that I'm going to assemble into some "how" steps from the exercise at a later date: *Practice speaking and listening to others - my wife and her family, my kids school teachers and educators, and even some of my coworkers who speak French too (we all work remotely, some of them are in Quebec even) *Practice reading French as well, using the books that my kids have, and finding material of my own to read too (even mailing lists from my kids school) *Lean on my wife for feedback; she is leaning on me for Spanish, so I may as well lean on her for French Writing these things out here so that I remember them Book ideas. I did discuss some of them with my wife and started brainstorming them. I'm not sure how much I'm going to journal about this though, since I do want to keep the ideas private. But I will say that I am going to commit to review my personal calendar to make sure that there's time for book ideas. REMEMBER MY BREAKS. These are the things I can lean on. I've not been very good about respecting my breaks this past week, and I think that's been a big problem. I haven't written much about that, because truthfully I didn't even stop to notice that I wasn't really taking breaks. Some ideas: Reading a book for myself or to my kids (if home for the day). Fiction or 7 Habits Deep Breaths, Meditate Do quick chores swap garbage bags clean small part of a bathroom do the dishes fold some laundry Go outside and sit on the balcony or walk my dogs Just a small list of things I can do. Anything is better than looking at my phone or browsing dumb sites while I work... but these things are better to do quickly than just working straight without breaks as well. Just typing that out to put into perspective For today, Friday. I'm going to do these: Review and reflect on my coaching period and strategies Calendar included in that commit to my breaks --- I will do do Friday's reflection later today. I know I could do that tomorrow morning too, but I would prefer tonight. So I'll try to aim for 8pm.

Thanks for your thoughts. I think it makes sense that the best way is unsurprisingly to just practice it and speak with others. Duolingo is alright, but yeah by itself it's not enough. It gets really repetitive. So it does really help to have my wife around, who speaks the language herself fluently, that's been a positive. I try to make an effort to speak French when my kids get to daycare and school as well. I have seen tutors that offer lessons online, but yeah I'd prefer something more in person. That's something I'll look into at the local level, something less classroom like as well. I suppose it's not something that can be rigidly answered with a "how much time to practice per day" question, and I appreciate the candidacy around that. This still gives me good steps that I can fill into my "how" area of the goal planning I do. Thank you again for your thoughts 🙂 Really appreciate them

Thanks for providing links with your findings Torch 🙂 I always appreciate a thorough post with resources to back up what it says. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it. I'm glad you're looking out for your niece and nephew. Are their parents generally present in said outdoor activities for their kids? I hope they are. You're putting a good example in my opinion for your nephews. My kids also do soccer and they like it a lot. They also do swimming, and my oldest is also really into baseball. I love being outdoors with them in general, my wife and I also make it a point to go outdoors and get some exercise before they use any tech. Even during snowy days that's something I always try to encourage (snow can be a lot fun too)

Hello Lorballett, yeah this forum is not very active. Though personally, I like that. I'm recovering from a social media addiction (one of my compulsive behaviors) and a lot of forums included in that for me, so the lack of activity actually helps form more interpersonal connections; I give more thought to where and what I post each day instead of just seeking a thread as "something to do." Well, at least that is what I find. Whether it's video game recovery or other compulsive tech behaviors, I do think that we shouldn't spend all our time during recovery and post-recovery on the computer either; don't replace one addiction with other less-than-ideal habits. In other words, I think the low activity is a feature, not a bug. The Daily Journals section is the most active part, I post there once a day at least on my own journal, mostly for my own self reflection and accountability. There are also other communities in other platforms, including Discord and Facebook (if you browse this forum on desktop, you should see a side bar with links). Those sites are bottom lines for me, so you won't see me there, but if you can safely use those platforms without going into rabbit holes, then I encourage you to join them.

Wanted to ask; how much time do you recommend practicing per day for language learning? I've been rethinking my own long term goals, and I think learning French should be in there for me. Anything else you can recommend too in terms of practicing and scheduling out lessons, I'll take all the advice I can.

Wed 11.20 No mobile games - 210 days No compulsive social media use: 48 days No compulsive research: 48 days No passive screentime before bed, first thing in the mornings, or during work: 51 days Better day mostly because I shoved in a workout despite having gone to work late as a result, but I can say for sure that the rest of the 8h of work (having had to work late) were a lot better. Still felt a tad unproductive myself, but a valuable day nonetheless. I was talking with my wife today about the 7 Habits. I showed her my revised mission statement (can't believe I didn't do this till now) and she was impressed with me for having self-reflected and thought at this level. She also went through my goals and offered some brainstorming suggestions for the steps on each one. ... which actually, ended up concluding that I need to think more deeply. Yes, on all of them. It started with the simple question of "what would we do with that money if I get promoted at work?" And a whole swath of options showed themselves; travel to another country, get a house (with a home gym as I've described), get the kids in more extracurriculars... etc. Maybe I can put all that stuff in writing better. Maybe I can work it into my goals as well, my 3 long term ones. So this is going to take longer, but I think it's good I got this feedback from the one who I am closest to. --- Things I will do to stay healthy Sleep around 8h - really good sleep. To bed at 10:30pm, and woke up at 6am naturally. That's back on track! Brush Teeth + Floss - I'll brush + floss after this entry. Read a book - See above with 7 Habits Go for walks / Exercise - Wife and I went to the gym after a busy morning, and did weights together; bicep curls, tricep extensions, squats, and farmer's carries. Last one involves carrying 2 heavy weights by your side and just walking with them; it helps a lot with your forearms and core, although I mostly felt it on the former. Shower + wash face - I will do this right after this journal, I wasn't super sweaty after the workout and we did come back from busy appointments late, so this is something I still need to do. Nutrition Breakfast: yogurt with cashews and raisins Lunch: sandwich Dinner: chicken with a garden salad Talk to my kids + play with them - Did more practice in the learning app with my oldest, read 1 book each to the baby and the middle one Talk to my partner - See above with 7 Habits Meditate + Deep Breaths - dang I forgot again this morning, probably would've helped too with a frustration I ran into while building a data pipeline Practice French - this morning during the busy morning. Journal - here's my entry, and I'm glad for the brainstorming session with my wife ------ 7 habits As I said, I'll have to think more deeply about my goals. That's something I'm probably going to do on the weekend, and focus up on it. I know I typically get busy about this Commitments: Finish planning goal 1 and do the same for the other 2 goals (this will be a recurring commitment, because the process takes time) (cont) Instead, it will be brainstorm these goals some more with my partner. I'll keep this as a continuous goal Talk to my partner about some future investment options for a home gym. I did talk to her, so this one is complete. She suggested a rowing machine and an elliptical to be added, two things she likes as well. And also schedule some time to get story ideas discussed together. She and I agreed to a time tomorrow during my lunch break So I still have one commitment, which is to just keep working on those long term goals and think about the steps involved. For e.g. I'm thinking get promoted is a step to eventually getting a house, and to making a change within the company and industry I work for. That's why I think I need to get some flash cards out, or sticky notes, and put action items in them. I like these because they help with organization, I can move the notes / flashcards and rearrange them in order. Will keep it at that for now. Good night everyone!

Tue 11.19 No mobile games - 209 days No compulsive social media use: 47 days No compulsive research: 47 days No passive screentime before bed, first thing in the mornings, or during work: 50 days It was a bit of a rough day, with not a lot going on in the way of good gym time. I could tell this affected me at work later in the day. Things I will do to stay healthy Sleep around 8h - I went to bed at 10:50pm, but the baby woke up at midnight and wouldn't go back to bed. He was still hungry so had to feed him, I think he's going through another growth spurt cuz he's been otherwise fine sleeping through the night (usually just requires rocking). I went to bed at 12:30am again and woke up at 6:45am. I estimate about 7h total combined (give or take) but still on the lower side. Ce la vie avec les bebes. Brush Teeth + Floss - brushed this morning and will be doing both again tonight Read a book - I still have to do some of my exercises admittedly. I will likely not get to posting them tonight. Go for walks / Exercise - I had to make time at lunch for working out, which wasn't ideal. The morning didn't get off to a great start, I was hyperactive (my mind was rather) and it affected me until I got that energy out. Shower + wash face - I had a rinse after working out, but will need to a face wash tonight. I'm posting earlier than usual, so I'm hoping that helps. Nutrition Breakfast: yogurt with nuts and cereal Lunch: sandwich Dinner: pasta with sauce Talk to my kids + play with them - after work we went to pick up an order (more xmas stuff) and the kids came along with us. Then when we got back home, we all cleaned out our entrance closet which was due. They actually helped and found it fun. I dunno if I'd count this as "playing" but they sure did lol. So there we go. Talk to my partner - it was my wife today who had a tough day, as the baby is moving quite a bit on his own now and he's getting busier. I helped her out as much as I could in my work breaks, but he's starting to get impatient and not liking the carrier on me. Kicked me right in the groin twice! Not that it hurt a ton because he's a baby, but it's still not fun. We'll experiment with different carrier positions, usually he falls asleep on me though. I guess he's just getting older. Meditate + Deep Breaths - I did a quick one after working out. I'll do another before bed, I've been enjoying this as a routine. Practice French - I did French practice with the green owl this morning, and also spoke to my kids while organizing the front closet. Journal - tough day but I'm grateful for turning to my top lines. I removed water drinking because I've been pretty good about this so far. ------ 7 habits So admittedly, I didn't get to this. I think I overestimated the amount of time I'd have after work and doing that pickup. I'll keep my commitments for tomorrow as the same. Commitments for tomorrow: Finish planning goal 1 and do the same for the other 2 goals (this will be a recurring commitment, because the process takes time) (cont) Talk to my partner about some future investment options for a home gym. Actually... I can do this one now. Let me get it done, and I'll post about it tomorrow. And also schedule some time to get story ideas discussed together. Same with this one. I'll post about it tomorrow gonna go meditate and do my bedtime routine. Good night everyone!

Mon 11.18 (part 2) Talk to my kids + play with them - after work, I talked to my older kids in French and reviewed some exercises with my oldest on this site to help him with his literacy (mine as well tbh). I put the baby down to bed, then helped my wife put the other two to bed Talk to my partner - both chatted during the day. Pretty good appointment this morning, it's about having a 4th kid (yea you could say we're nuts). That's what these appointments are about. We have to go through fertility to boost our chances, is the basic gist of it. Also I brought up how we should discuss our story ideas more often. I'll keep talking about this to see if I can get a common time that works for both of us. Meditate + Deep Breaths - Right, I knew I had forgotten something... okay, I'll do one right after journaling as a way to unwind from the day. Drink Water - I got my water bottle with me throughout the day. I feel like I can remove this next journal entry, I'm at the point where I'm remembering to do this. Practice French - oui, je parle avec mes enfants. I might do a bit of Duolingo before bed as well Journal - entry is here. ------ 7 habits - proactivity test - day 30 This is the last day of the proactivity test, but that doesn't mean I will stop. I'm thinking that this yesterdays commitments and todays will keep going. It gives me good structure for sticking to important things first. Find that notepad! I found it! It was in a backpack I took with me to the park. I'll now be able to continue with my workbook there. I found it just an hour ago. I only had those 3 steps apparently; the agenda time, the reflection time, and the backlog review time. Still good starts, and I'm glad I recalled them from memory last night. Schedule above called out events. I scheduled times to get an agenda for my 1-1 with my manager weekly. That will help structure that meeting out and provide direction. I also have calendar items for self-reflection; I decided one at the beginning of the workweek, and one at the end of the workweek. Finally, I have two times at the beginning of each workday to just review my backlog items. All done with this. Finish planning goal 1 and do the same for the other 2 goals (this will be a recurring commitment, because the process takes time) (todo) As I just found the notepad, I'll keep this as a goal for tonight as well. I knew this one was going to be a recurring one. Take some time to physically write down the gym equipment needed for when we get a home Done and I'll bring it up to my wife tomorrow. This was an easy one to write down quick. Commitments for tomorrow: Finish planning goal 1 and do the same for the other 2 goals (this will be a recurring commitment, because the process takes time) (cont) Talk to my partner about some future investment options for a home gym And also schedule some time to get story ideas discussed together. gonna go meditate and maybe do some French lessons before bed. Night everyone!

Hey Ikar, that's a great suggestion. I didn't even think of it, and yeah honestly, in today's economy I think it's worth considering turning a few hobbies into sources of more income. Maybe a side gig of mine could be the writing goal, which is something I've called out too. I read a pretty funny short story this morning, "The Answer is No" by Frederik Backman, a Swedish author. Very satirical story with some really deep themes about how people compulsively seek social connection vs isolation to the extreme. That created enjoyable friction between unhinged characters. I enjoyed the back-and-forth bickering writing style of the characters. I like how the very flawed and introverted protagonist also grows... just a bit anyways, but grows nonetheless and learns to experience empathy (much to his initial horror). In particular, I really like how the author will break the 4th wall for comic effect. As a paraphrased example: "We can't do that!!!" she yelled, in a manner which one would assume you'd write with three exclamation points at the end. 😄 Really funny stuff. Well, I don't want to spoil too much of it, I do recommend the short story. It's only 67 pages long, which is about the perfect length if you ask me. I read it as part of Amazon's early access offers for its Prime members, btw, otherwise I believe it comes out on December 1st this year. Anyways, all this to mention that the short story and your perspective is providing me with inspiration and excitement to give writing something myself a go. You bring up a good point that a "promotion" can come from more than just one source. Writing is something I want to pursue for sure and I love that you provided me with this alternative perspective. --- Mon 11.18 (part 1) No mobile games - 208 days No compulsive social media use: 46 days No compulsive research: 46 days No passive screentime before bed, first thing in the mornings, or during work: 49 days I'll keep this short for now. I was excited by Ikar's reply, that is a very good change of perspective, of looking at the goal I'm aiming for and how it can be achieved through different means. Things I will do to stay healthy (part 1) Sleep around 8h - I went to bed at 11:35pm, and woke up at 6:15am. Closer to 6h and 45m by my estimate, not ideal. I did post my journal entry late yesterday though. Seems like I have more time to journal during the workday when my kids are not home (not surprisingly haha); as far as work goes, I get enough ways to journal quickly while I take breaks. But as I'm starting to notice that, I do need to make a plan to get my notes written through the midday during weekends. One good thing shouldn't come at the expense of another. So something I'm thinking of is to just create blocks of time in the weekend, and talk to my wife about them. I know that my kids have swimming lessons still, and that timeslot seems to be good for me to do some 7 Habits workbook exercises. I will consider changing that to journaling instead. Trips to the park seem to be good for that too, with my kids; if at least for a bit, while they play by themselves before they want me to join into their games (not complaining about that either). The rest of the timeslots, I need to talk with my wife first to figure them out. Brush Teeth + Floss - brushed this morning, need to do both again tonight. Read a book - See the short story I read today in the morning; "The Answer is No" by Frederik Backman. My wife had an appointment in the morning, which is why I got a chance to read this short story. Go for walks / Exercise - Despite the appointment, we still had the time to go to the gym; because we woke up early and because the appointment didn't take so long this time. Yeah, only 30min, which is quick compared to 1h from previous appointments; hence why I've been reading, and doing 7 Habits, etc while I go on them haha. Anyway, we did cardio today, 30min on the treadmill together doing incline walks. Shower + wash face - after working out I did both Nutrition Breakfast: leftover chili again. I'm counting 4 days since it was made, so if I don't have any more later tonight, I'll have to throw the rest out Lunch: I'll be reheating the leftover pasta again. The joy of having so many leftovers. Dinner: tbd I'll do a part 2 later tonight.

Sun 11.17 No mobile games - 208 days No compulsive social media use: 46 days No compulsive research: 46 days No passive screentime before bed, first thing in the mornings, or during work: 49 days Gotta go to bed right after because I need to get up at 6am tomorrow for appointments. Things I will do to stay healthy Sleep around 8h - yes, to bed at 12am, and woke up at 7:50am. So almost 8h. Kids woke both of us up at this time (this is a sleep in for them) Brush Teeth + Floss - oh yeah I gotta do both tonight. I'll do that after finishing this entry. Talk to my kids + play with them - I brought them to the park in the morning, let them play for a bit, eventually they asked me to push them on the sings. Also I used the easel I got my kids with them, did some painting and some chalk drawing on it. Go for walks / Exercise - I'll count the wagon ride to the park and back as an arm workout; both my kids combined are like 80 pounds or more to pull on that thing, even with wheels that is a workout (I know because I was sweating and it wasn't very warm out today). Read a book - I did do some 7 Habits at the park with my kids, while they played in the slides and the playground. Though I seem to have misplaced my notepad where I wrote on... I'll have to find it tomorrow. I brought a physical notepad with me because my phone was almost out of battery when I was at the park. Talk to my partner - today the main thing I remember that we discussed was the workouts we've been doing together. I have noted more muscle in my arms particularly, as well as stamina for myself. My wife has noticed the loss of weight and being more comfortable as a result. Win-win for both of us, we enjoy each others company. We may not be able to workout all the time together, but it is always something I look forward to when we can. ... now the thing with this is that we do get a gym with the apartment we live in. That's been a big reason to go to the gym tbh; it's not like I have to drive out anywhere or even pay a subscription to maintain our access (our rent covers it). And part of the reason a promotion would be nice is to get a house; I'd be lying if I denied that the money is a part of it, but it isn't the only reason either (I do care about my own growth, my maturity developing too). So when we do get a house, something we do want to make sure we invest on is a home gym of sorts. I already have a pretty good idea of what I'd like in a home gym too, based on what I use the most in the apartment. I'll share that here: Kettle bells (25lbs to 50lbs) Barbell weights (ideally adjustable weighted ones to not have a ton of them) ^ rack for both of the above Treadmill Pull-up bar adjustable bench (for things like dips, or sitting weight exercises) Yoga mats I think all those things are a good start for a home gym. But anyways, a home is more of a 10year plan thing, which is when I estimate we can afford a house. The house market is too unpredictable where we live, right now it's very expensive but unsure if that will still be the case by 10y from now. I'm fine living in an apartment for now though. Shower + wash face - yes, at night before spending some time with my wife. Meditate + Deep Breaths - after spending some time with my wife Drink Water - I did stay hydrated in the walk to the park and back this morning, and I also made sure to have a glass with every meal Nutrition Breakfast: leftover chili Lunch: leftover pasta Dinner: turkey burgers in the air-frier with cucumber tomato salad Practice French - I just got some about 2h ago. Journal - very nice day, better than yesterday. ------ 7 habits - proactivity test - day 29 Commitments yesterday: * Go to sleep early! Now I know I don't have some thing I need to look for Well it wasn't early, but I did get back to 7~8h of sleep. * Continue with the "Getting it Together!" step. I did do this but I can't find my physical notepad where I wrote the exercises. The book asks me to pick the goal I originally chose for the first How exercise, so in this case it would be for "goal 1 - Get Promoted" From memory, I know that I still have some planning to sort out on it, I didn't finish it. But the steps I remember will be scheduling 1-1 agenda items ahead of time with my manager (something the ADHD coaching actually notes too that I do). Create new calendar items for self-reflection at the end of the week during the work day (something else that my ADHD coaching doc also notes) During work because it will actually get me to slow down near the start of the last day, which is a helpful reminder to "zoom out" on my progress, and plan for next week (this is actually what todays meditation was about too; taking the time to pause can then allow us to reflect and plan ahead) ... and now that I think about it, this might not be a bad idea to even have 2 times a week in the mornings. Have a weekly and recurring event to review my backlog items Deadline for me to schedule this is for tomorrow, so I'll commit to those. I know I have more things I wrote down, but I gotta find that notepad because I'm not remembering at the moment. Commitments tomorrow: Find that notepad! Schedule above called out events. Finish planning goal 1 and do the same for the other 2 goals (this will be a recurring commitment, because the process takes time) Take some time to physically write down the gym equipment needed for when we get a home OH and I'll share the template as an attachment, if anyone else wants to give it a go for themselves. Cheers everyone!