2020.
Stop, think & reflect
My last life report was in May 2019.
Do I need these reports? Does anyone other than me need these life reports?
Well... I don't know (and care too much, to be honest) about the opinions of others but I guess I need them. For myself. I still feel that it's a great way to stop, think, and do some needed self-reflection.
So, as usual, I keep up-to-date with some highlights from the previous month - I cover my lessons learned, analyze my income and spending, fitness & health, review the books I've read, music I've listened to, post my favorite pictures, and share other useful resources.
Why monthly reports?
Monthly reports help to reflect better, feel the responsibility, and keep me in check every month.
Lifestyle optimization is impossible without tracking. By tracking your activities, habits, and time, you can most definitely become more aware and conscious about what are you doing, when, and most importantly - raise the question of why.
I don't want to spend my time in a miserable way or in a way how society expects me to live it. Since the design is what I do for a living, I think the best way to live your life is by designing it yourself.
If you're not going to design life yourself, someone else will do it for you.
How was the first month of 2020?
January has been productive.
It's been kinda lonely, I'd say, but really really good in terms of work, mindset, and fitness.
That's funny because every time I'm writing this blog post, and I stop to think about the last month, no matter how hard, lonely, or frustrating times have been, I always feel grateful about the past and I tell myself, that the last month was outstanding.
And it's true. I guess when I'm in any kind of a struggle, it's hard to zoom out sometimes. But when I finally do, I can see the big picture, and the life I'm moving towards.
It's 2020 already, and I've been really consistent with my work, my self-improvement, and fitness. The only thing I need to fix is some of my habits - I was not tracking them thoroughly, and I think it's one of the main reasons why I do not follow them.
Don't track performance and you will not feel any responsibility, trust me.
So I'll keep this mental note for myself for February.
Physically it was a challenging month because of this never-ending lower back pain. However, this is not something I worry too much about, because I just got used to this, and I don't like whining about it in general.
Design
Since I do design for living, I guess I need a separate sub-heading for this from now on.
Design-wise, January has been really promising.
I agreed to help my friend with his legal business website re-design, and finalized the project in 3 weeks.
They didn't need much - just a new updated interface with some fresh visuals, and to keep all the current content.
The first thing I thought of - to lose their brand color - golden yellow-ish. This was a solid color but it lacked some character. Also, they tried to match it with black and white, and the website became too dull with too solid, corporate vibe.
It's the website - a legal platform - for regular people to find someone who can take care of their legal business or trouble. We wanted to keep the professional look but to make it more friendly and approachable.
I have updated the color palette, crafted new icons, created a new logo, clearer CTAs, and design a new contact form.
Income
January was alright - not the best in terms of money earned, but not the worst either. The good thing about my income is that I have a stable salary flowing in every month.
One of my tasks is to put some money into savings each month. The goal is 30% savings of the month's income but this month I was not able to do this since I had some car-related expenses.
Personal expenses
Regarding the personal expenses, January was expensive.
I wasn't able to save that much - I spent some money on updating my car headlights and windshield wipers.
Other expenses seem planned and logical - rent and utilities were business as usual, spent quite a lot of money on food this month (this is including dining out and food supplements - that's why).
Nothing fancy on departmental expenses (mostly hygiene stuff and a haircut), and really little on entertainment & fun money.
Fitness is still one of the biggest expenses since I take personal gym sessions with my coach but this an outstanding investment to my health for sure.
On the other hand, it's a clear trend that I didn't spend too much on random stuff and all sort of entertainment.
Fitness & Nutrition
January was 7 out of 10 in terms of fitness.
Felt my lower back many days, but nothing too much. Or maybe I just got used to it.
I had quite a lot of extremely good mornings - where I felt like a million bucks, did my morning routine, and thought of how good my life is.
I was in a good mood & spirits and spent most of the time being focused.
Since my last monthly life report (2019 May) I have changed my fitness coach - Kristina left for another job (with her all the best) - and I've been working out with Agne ever since. 1st of February will mark the 8th month working together, and it has been more than good.
I'm still keeping up with my usual fitness pattern - going to the gym with my coach Agne twice per week, and doing yoga or stretching for 30-40 minutes each morning. Also, I get a massage once per month and starting in 2020, I have been trying to walk more - at least 30 minutes outside walking around the city.
The new 'at least 30-min outside' is actually a part of a bigger plan - following the 7 spiritual laws of success. Spending more time outside helps a lot - to relax, focus, and to have more clarity. It's my much-needed self-reflection time, and I also take some pics when I troll around the city.
Fasting. Obviously, there's no need to change what's working for you. That's why fasting is still my daily nutrition pattern. I'm keeping a usual 16:8 pattern, meaning that I don't consume any calories for at least 16 hours a day, and have my 'eating window' for the remaining 8 hours.
It has been some days when I only did 13-14 hours, and some when I fasted longer. However, that's the best thing about it - I am not too obsessed about all this, and it's perfectly fine to even skip a day or two.
Productivity
January was really productive. I was motivated by starting the year right, getting some advantage over the competition, and strengthening my habits.
I also got back to using the Pomodoro Technique (focusing on deep work for 25 minutes, and then resting for 5 minutes).
About a year ago, I was doing this 'peak-performance partner' thing with my good friend, where we kept each other responsible by getting an overview of the previous week and planning the next one. However, we are not doing this anymore, and I wish we could start over, just to place some more responsibility mechanisms in place.
However, I was not really tracking my habits too much - I somehow stopped using the Momentum App, and that's why some of the habits got out of the way, especially waking up on time.
The habits I have failed:
(1) waking up around 7-ish, Just could not do it... too cloudy and rainy somedays and too went too late to bed the other days.
(2) No screen for the first 50 mins of the day Well, still checking some emails or weather in the morning; but not checking any social media up until around 11 am, which is I'm happy about.
(3) No screen for the last 50 mins of the day This one is hard for me because I'm used to working on my stuff even in the evenings. I managed to do this when I went for a late-night walk right before bed.
The habits I managed to maintain:
(1) Yoga, stretching or exercising daily for at least 30 minutes
(2) Daily meditation and gratitude
(3) Daily reading for at least 30 minutes
(4) No alcohol
(5) Tracking money
(6) No phone when driving Really proud of myself about this one!!
(7) At least 30 minutes outside daily
A new one I have added starting January 2020
Books, articles & resources
I read 2 books in January (total of 2 in 2020):
Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less by Greg McKeown
My review: I re-read this book at least once a year, and usually it's my very first book for the new year.
Mr. McKeown actually put together a TIMELESS book. I use the term 'timeless' since the main advice in the book can be used anytime, if you actually choose to start helping yourself.
Essentialism is a philosophy based on the idea "less but better."
The second one is to learn how to say no. Not only to time wasters but also to opportunities. I'm talking about good opportunities. You should only say 'YES' to great opportunities.
Most of the concepts are not that easy to implement in your daily life, but who said life is going to be easy, huh?
Pretty happy to read this just at the right time of decluttering my life. Theory mixed up with some practical tips and real-life stories. You should probably read this is you are moving towards minimalism in your life. Say 'NO' a lot but definitely not to this book.
My review: Whoa, this was an extremely well-structured book. Guess why? Because Abby Covert writes about the information architecture. Some easily understandable insights not only for the designers but for all others, too. Also, great points on getting to know your audience and who is going to use your information architecture. I highlighted the most pages of the book.
Articles worth reading
A pretty decent list to start the year. Some well-known truth, but well-argued, working as a gentle reminder for yourself.
One of my favorite and a really powerful one - Stay Away From Drama and Negativity. Personally, I've been avoiding negative people and those who are dragging me down but still not 100%. There's some place for an improvemement.
Some great guidelines right here on how to work on your dream before your day-job. Some people do this after their day-job - for example, me - but early morning work is a great alternative and I'm pretty sure I will try it sometime in my life.
Insights on motivation, preparation, and execution.
Quotes of the month
"IIt’s hard to have a dream when you’re deep inside of one" - Mac Miller
"See the world as it is, right now, not as I would like it to be"
"The law of power: always say less than necessary" - Robert Greene
Music finds
Every month I put up a playlist from some new tracks I discovered and also some good oldies I remembered from way back. Enjoy:
My most anticipated album, of course, was Mac Miller's 'CIRCLES'. It's his posthumous album, and obviously, the last one.
Also, I discovered Roddy Ricch, and been listening to Solange a loooot.
May flicks
Here's a new section - my fav flicks I took during the month. Enjoy.
Thanks for reading,
V.
Commentaires