Time flies so fast, it feels like I haven't done much in July. I realize that I have been too lax with my time management, and as a result, I have wasted a lot of time in the past month.
But regardless, I still need to keep a record.
I feel like my life doesn't have a proper system in place, but if I keep thinking about establishing a system, I will never be able to accomplish it. I read an article yesterday that said a system or framework is developed gradually, so I should start by documenting and imitating existing systems before creating my own.
No, the system is not the end goal. The system is just a means to achieve growth. First, I need to understand what my goals are. Then, I need to figure out what problems I need to solve in order to achieve those goals. The monthly summaries are meant to review these problems and the methods I used to solve them, and to adjust the direction in which I want to progress.
If I start from my ultimate goal, I can see that some goals are process-oriented while others are outcome-oriented. But ultimately, everything is a process because the end of life is death.
So what are my goals? This question is constantly being asked, and the answer should also be constantly evolving. Since goals are constantly evolving, the methods to achieve them should also evolve.
In terms of long-term goals, I hope to live until I'm 70, which means I still have 50 years left in my life. In these 50 years, I hope to:
- Work: Have a job I enjoy that can support my life.
- Life: Have a rich spiritual life, good physical health, and harmonious relationships.
To further break it down, I need to focus on what I should be doing right now and compare it with what I am actually doing. This is the importance of reviewing.
Production#
- WeChat Official Account: Growth Weekly * 3
- Xiaohongshu (Little Red Book): Notes * 4
- Project: Writing Guide (on hold)
- Project: Website Development (in progress)
- Task: Front-end Technology (learning in progress)
- Mid-term Task (graduation): Participate in social practice to earn credits
I missed one issue of the WeChat Official Account because I had to take my driver's license test over the weekend, but I will make up for it in the future. The original intention of writing this weekly is to record my own reading, but when I make it public, it feels like my growth is being exposed, and I feel the need to deliberately package myself and choose more interesting articles to read. This goes against the original intention. When choosing articles to read, I should prioritize what is helpful to me, and then select articles that may be useful to others.
The data for Xiaohongshu this month is still good, and the cover has improved a lot. Although equipment is not the most important factor, good equipment can lower the technical requirements and produce better-looking photos. In terms of quantity, the frequency of updates for this account has been a bit low, with most of the posts being published in the second half of the month, which is related to my participation in social practice in the first half of the month. I will update more in August. Only with updates can there be opportunities.
As for other projects, the reason the writing project is on hold is because I haven't figured out how to sell it yet. I plan to learn about operations first by selling other people's products through distribution before building my own product. Website development and learning front-end technology are progressing slowly. According to Naval, code and content are leverage. Although AI has lowered the barrier for coding, it is still important to keep improving because lower barriers mean more competition.
As for the mid-term task of graduation, my goal is to obtain a bachelor's degree certificate first, and if there is an opportunity, pursue a master's degree.
Life#
Spiritual#
- Books: "The Left Ear Listens to the Wind"
- Long articles: At least 7
- Anime: "The Funeral of Furielien"
- Online novels: Several
I have added many books to my bookshelf, but I haven't finished reading any of them. The reasons for this are: 1. I don't have a fixed reading time, and I mostly read when I am tired and sleepy, with a significant gap between reading sessions, causing me to forget what I read previously. 2. I can't read continuously for an hour, so I can't have a coherent understanding of the content. 3. I always add books to my shelf based on recommendations from others. 4. Reading on my phone makes it easy to get distracted by other apps. To improve this, I should find a fixed time to read using a computer or tablet. This time should meet the conditions of being awake and focused for more than an hour without any distractions. Therefore, in August, I can try waking up early to read for an hour. I should start with books that involve fundamental thinking, such as "How to Read a Book."
The purpose of reading long articles is mainly for my weekly newsletter, not necessarily because I am interested in the content. Interest is secondary. I need to adjust my approach and actively search for articles that are useful and interesting to me, without worrying about how others perceive them.
"The Funeral of Furielien" was highly recommended by lm in June, and I had some free time while learning to drive, so I finished reading it in two days. It was really good. There was one line that struck me deeply, "For those decisions that must be made, if you don't make them now, you will still have to make them later. If you keep postponing, then you won't make any progress in this lifetime, and life is always so short." Yes, for those crucial issues, we cannot escape them. It's better to solve them sooner rather than later, as solving them early allows for adjustments if the results are unsatisfactory. Time is our adversary. We are not immortal elves with unlimited lifespans. We cannot spend 100 years learning how to love someone, nor can we wait forever. Time is precious, so set off early to see more scenery. As Lei Zhang said, "Being content with mediocrity is the beginning of aging." I hope that ten years from now, I will still be on the road.
Online novels are like junk food for the brain. You know that consuming them is unhealthy, but you keep eating them. Looking back, I think I developed a addiction to online novels during the period of studying at home during the pandemic. I have read them before, but I found them boring and stopped. Now I realize that I just hadn't found the right ones for my taste. For me, if consumed in moderation, they can be a way to relax, especially since I don't have many other hobbies. But it's easy to overindulge, and I think I did in July. The reasons are that it's summer vacation and there aren't many urgent things to do (although there are, but the brain prefers instant gratification), and also because I was stressed during the final week of June. The solution is to cultivate a new hobby, such as practicing calligraphy (I picked it up last semester, so I'll continue with it during the summer vacation).
Physical#
- Exercise: Go swimming once.
- Sleep: Almost always sleep after 12 AM.
- Diet: Overall regular, but not balanced enough.
In April, mx and I started working out together. The frequency is not high, but at least I have developed a liking for this activity.
In July, I only went swimming once with wq on July 8th. I listened to wq counting her belongings in the dormitory, but I still forgot to bring my swim cap, so I had to buy one on the spot. It seems that I have taken everyone in the dormitory swimming at some point. I learned how to swim with xn and successfully learned how to swim in the shallow water; with lm, I realized that I couldn't swim in the deep water, so I still need to improve my swimming skills; with wq, I learned how to do the leg movements for freestyle. In addition, the only other exercise I did was practicing driving for two weeks, and taking a walk by the river with wyj on July 30th. I need to increase the intensity of my workouts in August.
In the first half of July, during social practice, I slept early. In the middle of the month, when I was practicing driving at school, and at home in the latter half of the month, I slept relatively late. In the middle of the month, I slept around midnight, and in the latter half, it was usually around one or two in the morning. Staying up late is extremely harmful to the body, and I already know this. In August, I need to return to a normal sleep schedule and try to sleep before 12 AM.
I have been able to have three meals a day, but my diet structure is not balanced. I consume too many carbohydrates and not enough vegetables and protein. In August, I need to take control of the kitchen at home and strive for a balanced and nutritious diet for half a month. I have always had this idea, but I haven't implemented it because I haven't established a standard operating procedure (SOP), which means that every time I cook a meal, it takes a long time. I have come up with a simple SOP:
- Determine the menu and recipes for the next day the day before.
- Go to the market to buy the ingredients for the next day's meals after finishing tutoring in the afternoon.
- Cook dinner after returning home from tutoring.
Relationships#
- With family: Average.
- With friends: Close contact with lm, maintaining stable contact with yy.
When I was at school, I didn't know what to talk about with my parents, so I would only call them once a week. When I returned home, besides meal times, we would each stay in our own rooms, with minimal communication. I feel that my relationship with my parents depends a lot on my emotional state. For example, the day before yesterday, when I was in a bad mood, I couldn't stay at home for a moment. I need to stabilize my emotions in order to be more understanding and considerate towards my parents and maintain a stable relationship. In this relationship, what I haven't learned is how to express love, to the point that I seem unnatural in expressing care even in my interactions with friends.
I had active conversations with lm in July, although we don't always chat in real-time, we always answer each other seriously. It seems that every holiday, I have someone to talk to, and I share everything with them, big or small. This person is the one I have been in contact with recently, and I don't think they would dislike anything I share with them. Perhaps, this is the most natural way to record life. Yes, I should make good use of these chat records in the future. Didn't you say you don't know what you love? Look at your chat records. You may not see it in a day, but over a month or a year, you will start to see some clues.
Achievements in July#
- Passed the driver's license test and obtained a driver's license.
Things to Do in August#
Production:
- Regularly update the WeChat Official Account, prioritizing self-interest.
- Update the Xiaohongshu account more frequently, at least 5 posts. Aim to achieve this year's goal.
- Continue learning front-end technology and accelerate website development.
Life:
- Finish reading "How to Read a Book" and take notes. Wake up early to read for an hour.
- Read at least 12 long articles (3 articles per week).
- Practice calligraphy at least one day a week.
- Start recording exercise duration.
- Maintain a regular sleep schedule, sleeping before 12 AM.
- Maintain a balanced diet.
- Maintain existing stable relationships.
Just now (August 1, 2024, 6:10 PM), I saw a curious post on Jike asking "When do you most want to go back to?" and I noticed that several answers were about going back to university, which means that many people have regrets about their university days. I think in the future, I will also feel that I didn't make the most of my university life because of certain things. So, what I can do now is to write a blog post for my future self, to tell myself through these words that I am already doing great!