Edward's Journal

[WorkInProgress]

True. But It would reset my day marker and I don't want that

Edited March 24, 2016 by WorkInProgress

[Zakaex]

True. But It would reset my day marker and I don't want that

Not encouraging anyone to cut down on their streak of course, but hopefully an encouragement to those who have once failed in something and convinced themselves that this is some label for them destined to stop trying. 

[Zakaex]

Day 71 (March 23, 2016)

Listening to the audio book " Psycho-Cybernetics" by Maxwell Maltz on the way to the gym today. Thought it might've been some weird science textbook on biology, but it turns out to be a self-help book written through the life experiences of a plastic surgeon.

Maltz goes on to say that there are literally people out there hypnotized by their selves with negative beliefs; these are then confirmed through actions LED by that same conviction (me being one of them before). I immediately thought of the countless friends, classmates of mine claiming that they are not a "math person" just because they consistently receive poor grades in math, yet one thing I realized by now is that we have never asked is how much time was spent studying for the subject. More often than not, we reap what we sow; the chances are that the ones who have higher grades did work for it through a much more focused commitment than the average student!

[Zakaex]

Day 72 (March 24, 2016)

Discovered intermittent fasting today and have decided to try it out starting next week: A method to lose fat, gain lean muscle mass all the while freeing an additional two hours or so in my schedule (not needing to prepare meals anymore)? Hell yes! 

At first, I was kind of skeptical about it. With every thesis, there is always an antithesis, so I tried to conduct some research about it - "why is intermittent fasting wrong" and "why intermittent fasting works." My conclusion to this after not only consulting with the internet but also my personal trainer (who had witnessed successful experiences from his colleagues), is that this method does indeed work with the exception being that you are pregnant or diabetic. Interestingly enough, I have never thought of dieting through fasting before; it always use to cross my mind that every after five hours I just have to eat to have more energy or be more productive, etc. 

[Zakaex]

Day 73 (March 25, 2016)

Looked up an interesting YouTube video today by Thomas Frank talking about effects of listening to music while studying. Despite him being a former college student claiming that he has 'tested' it by working with and without music, I still find it rather subjective as his initial tests do not come with any quantitative analysis which could turn out very personal to every individual. However, he did suggest this website. A music generator designed by neuroscientists to increase focus, relax better or have better sleep.

As a matter of fact, I am just typing up today's entry while listening to one of the modules designed for relaxed focus journaling. Whether it works or not is still to be determined, but so far I do seem to be able to concentrate better than YouTube tracks. 

Edited March 26, 2016 by Zakaex

[Cam Adair]

Just experiment and find what works best for you. I do wayyyy better with music than without, but I Know others who are the total opposite.

[Zakaex]

Day 74 (March 26, 2016)

Had an extremely productive day today shying away from my computer, from studying to doing house chores and eating correctly (experimenting with the intermittent fasting). Here I am concluding that if you set your mind to do something: whatever the mind perceives it can achieve. Although the grind does not seem very fun at all when compared to the other instant gratifications we have in life, Jeff Bezos talks about in his book "The Everything Store" by Brad Stone, that he believed in no work life balance at all. Which begs the question of whether or not it is possible to love doing taxes or washing the dishes? 

[Cam Adair]

Love The Everything Store - great book. 

[Zakaex]

Day 75 (March 27, 2016)

15 Days more to go! By the time the detox is over, however, I will be traveling overseas back to my hometown, living again with two of my hardcore gaming brothers. I was practicing visualization today going back home living with them as I did not long ago, it will be another test of willpower against any of these triggers for sure. Though it should be safe at times to start playing a round of Smash bro's to settle a score with my younger brother at times (Since I am not particularly hooked on fighting games), the meditation sessions should help when it comes to becoming more mindful of myself and becoming more aware of what really causes these temptations for me.

[Cam Adair]

Crazy how time flies! You've done great man, really proud of your progress.

[Zakaex]

Crazy how time flies! You've done great man, really proud of your progress.

This is thanks in no small part to you and all the other community members consistently revisiting my journal from time to time! I promise I will not disappoint and make it all the way to the end!

[Zakaex]

Day 76 (March 28, 2016)

Had a tremendously productive day today, probably one of the most productive one by far. Woke up, made my bed and worked until lunch. Not surprisingly, following an intermittent fasting schedule frees up so much more time to spend on working instead of planning, traveling and paying for meals! The only downside so far is that I tend to be extra hungry when it comes to lunch and dinner since I only have an 8-hour window to eat, but this can easily be resolved through making some better decisions and learning to cook at home (which will probably save up even more time and energy).

[Cam Adair]

Day 76 (March 28, 2016)

Had a tremendously productive day today, probably one of the most productive one by far. Woke up, made my bed and worked until lunch. Not surprisingly, following an intermittent fasting schedule frees up so much more time to spend on working instead of planning, traveling and paying for meals! The only downside so far is that I tend to be extra hungry when it comes to lunch and dinner since I only have an 8-hour window to eat, but this can easily be resolved through making some better decisions and learning to cook at home (which will probably save up even more time and energy).

And you can eat MORE. Also, drinking more water will certainly help.

[Zakaex]

Day 77 (March 29, 2016)

On a streak of productivity today again! Manage to check off all that was required on the to-do list. Also, I've also noticed that practicing mindfulness (meditation exercises) helps me develop a sense of awareness of my subconscious mind; I think this was covered in the book "Rewired" now that I think about it. I was able to pinpoint out some of the cognitive biases that were covered in Respawn, which affected my decision making in making choices on what to eat, overcoming some of the primitive instincts that make decisions for us based on our emotions (Mainly aimed towards instant gratification, which is typically bad for me when it comes to health and weight loss).

[Cam Adair]

13 days to go man. Woop!

[Zakaex]

Day 78 (March 30, 2016)

Trying out a time tracking app called "Toggl" today. If what Peter Drucker says in his book "Managing Oneself" that to master anything we must learn to master ourselves, then I think this would be an excellent starting point. Come to think of it; as an INFP I have always had awkward time management skills, doing things only when I 'feel like it'. Hopefully by collecting enough data through logging my time on my activities, there will be a possibility of seeing trends that I can fix over the long run.

[Zakaex]

Day 79 (March 31, 2016)

Literally felt a neural rewiring in my brain today. Since classes are finally over, I woke up acknowledging the amount of freedom I am given after 12 weeks of intense work (both physically and mentally). Naturally, I thought maybe this sort of thinking would start triggering urges to play video games again one way or the other; instead, I was motivated to read. To READ, what am I thinking? 80 days ago I would have never thought of reading self-help books would become a go-to activity for leisure! I am very impressed by the power of this detox journey, perhaps after this is over I might even go for a second longer run (perhaps aiming for 180 days this time).

[Cam Adair]

Booooya. Love your updates man. So much good happening.

[Zakaex]

Day 80 (April 1, 2016)

Finally relapsed... how unfortunate, I was 10 days away too :( Oh well back at it to day 1 I guess... APRIL FOOLS.

In all seriousness, however, it would seem like urges to relapse are lurking just about everywhere around the corner waiting to pounce on me. As mentioned in one of the lessons of Respawn, along with one of Steven Pressfield's book "Do The Work": We are always fighting against ourselves, day by day, the pain does not go away, but we can learn to outsmart it and outmaneuver it. It may seem hard to do so for the first few weeks since it feels too strange to live in a world cut off from the activity you spend half the day doing, we are suddenly given so much free time we have no idea what to do.

Furthermore, the principle reminded me of a great quote from Skyrim, although fiction, holds great truth:

"No day goes by where I am not tempted to return to my inborn nature... What is better - to be born good, or to overcome your evil nature through great effort?"

[Zakaex]

Day 81 (April 2, 2016)

With this semester's classes finally put to an end, I am faced with at least a week before exams. While this is beneficial to almost every student, only a few of them truly understand how to utilize the extra time given to boost up their potential grades. Thus, I am forced to become surrounded by celebrations and parties of friends that emanate this aura of relaxation, so much so I began to yield subconsciously to them today and almost triggered a relapse (joining their 'gaming session'). Thankfully, by building up mindfulness through this journey filled with meditation, exercising (physically and mentally) and journaling, I was able to recognize some of my cognitive biases that are causing me to succumb to temptations. 

With only 9 more days before fully completing the 90-day challenge, I cannot afford to lose against myself.

[Cam Adair]

Good job catching yourself. Try and push out of your social comfort zones and go find other students utilizing this time effectively. Surround yourself by those who are pursuing similar goals.

[WorkInProgress]

Day 80 (April 1, 2016)

Finally relapsed... how unfortunate, I was 10 days away too Oh well back at it to day 1 I guess... APRIL FOOLS."

you got me

[Zakaex]

Good job catching yourself. Try and push out of your social comfort zones and go find other students utilizing this time effectively. Surround yourself by those who are pursuing similar goals.

I hear you man, but it's just harder said than done for me As frustrating as it is, some practical tips to surrounding myself with like-minded, success-driven people is to increase my overall knowledge base - more often than not this usually attracts more intellectuals to your attention apparently. 

[Cam Adair]

Good job catching yourself. Try and push out of your social comfort zones and go find other students utilizing this time effectively. Surround yourself by those who are pursuing similar goals.

I hear you man, but it's just harder said than done for me As frustrating as it is, some practical tips to surrounding myself with like-minded, success-driven people is to increase my overall knowledge base - more often than not this usually attracts more intellectuals to your attention apparently. 

So one thing I would consider is where are the more "serious" students hanging out right now during break? They are likely at the library or coffee shops near campus. Check those out. If you need to take a break from your friends for a few days, do it. It's only a few days

[Zakaex]

Good job catching yourself. Try and push out of your social comfort zones and go find other students utilizing this time effectively. Surround yourself by those who are pursuing similar goals.

I hear you man, but it's just harder said than done for me As frustrating as it is, some practical tips to surrounding myself with like-minded, success-driven people is to increase my overall knowledge base - more often than not this usually attracts more intellectuals to your attention apparently. 

So one thing I would consider is where are the more "serious" students hanging out right now during break? They are likely at the library or coffee shops near campus. Check those out. If you need to take a break from your friends for a few days, do it. It's only a few days

Very true, the likelihood of hearing clanging beer bottles and hungover students spouting nonsense will likely be zero in the campus libraries. It may take a little bit more energy to get going (packing and stuff), but I'm sure it will benefit me greatly over the long run.