💭 Making Things

2023.09.06

🔨 Working with my hands

I have always been someone who builds things on computers vs working on physical things. I really enjoy doing things that require tools and manual labor. I know it isn't much when compared to the act of woodworking, etc, but I put together a shelf unit and installed some hooks in the garage above it, to replace our old wobbly coat rack. It looks so much nicer and I really enjoy doing something with my hands, and then seeing the final result. It's so much more satisfying than creating something digital.

📝 Self tracking

I have long history of self traking.

I've used 3rd party apps to track things such as steps, heartrate, weight, food, water, fasting, sleep, etc. I've created digital solutions to track these things. I've used pen and paper to track these things.

Something that I tend to do is track things just because, for the sake of tracking, and not do anything with the data.

I considered making an app for health tracking, but then I decided I'd rather just do it in my bullet journal. One hold up on that is I don't always have it with me, but I have a notes app I made for myself that I will use keep daily log information in until I can transfer it to the journal.

I will track data only if it aligns with one of these purposes:

• It will hold me accountable and keep the item top of mind so I do it
• To inspect how the things I've tracked affect things such as how I feel, mentally or physically

The way I am going to track it is I will set up a weekly tracker every Monday, which I can adjust from week to week if something isn't working out or doesn't align with one of the above reasons.

These are the things I am going to start out with:

• Water consumption (as a reminder to consistently drink water)
• Mindful eating (each meal + general for the day, hold myself accountable + see how I feel when I don't eat mindfully)
• Fasting (start again + hold myself accountable)
• Running (start again + hold myself accountable)
• Meditation (start again + hold myself accountable)

In addition to habit tracking I'm going to also do the following each week:

• Daily gratitude journaling
• Highlights from the week

I've tracked all of this before, but it's time I started creating systems for change in my life. I am reminded of this quote from Epictetus:

How long are you going to wait before you demand the best for yourself

I deserve to treat myself better, and I won't settle for anything less.

Post 002/100 of #100DaysToOffload

👋 Hey! Thanks for reading! If you have any comments or questions about this post, or anything else, I'd love to chat! You can find the best way to contact me on my hello page or send me an email.