Hi. I'm still here. 👋
I want to write more, just never get around to it. Work has been busy, hopefully will finish two papers before 2021 wraps up, plus a big long-term project is making major moves (but won't finish until next year).
Trying to set up some better routines for myself for the coming months, but we'll see.
The end of my New Year Resolution (related to drinking alcohol) is fast approaching, and it's on my mind. Broadly speaking I think it's been a success, though I need to think hard about how to retool and do even better next year. Data analysis will come towards the end of this month / the beginning of 2022.
I'm feeling a kind of depressive wave related to ongoing COVID issues, including the latest and hate-est Omicron Variant. It's officially in Japan, and the borders are shutting hard again (after they literally just reopened to visa-holders last month!); same in Israel, and it's likely to happen across Europe too. Prediction markets suggest it's likely worse (more infectious) than Delta; best-case it still spreads everywhere but it happens to be less deadly. Time to wait and see. In the meantime, I feel trapped in Japan again.
That said: let's try to make December the best month of this year by committing to some better habits.
On the New Month Resolution Project
First, a more global view of what's been happening.
The first year of my NMR experiment was focused on precisely that: experiments. Big or weird or unexpected changes to see if I could make some big gains from unexplored areas. The biggest successes have been that I learned to remember my dreams, I learned a song on the piano that I've always wanted to play, and I'm able to sort-of whistle.
Year 2 has been largely about habit-building: daily meditation, going to the gym, drinking less, diets, writing more, etc. Some things stuck: I meditate and go to the gym more regularly (at least they feel like things I do rather than some unfamiliar task I need to focus on), I'm slightly better about picking my nails, and I've drank a lot less than last year.
I'm thinking hard about what next year holds for NMR. In the meantime...
New Month Resolution: December 2021
I want to lock-in some of the gains I've started to make regarding good habits. So for December, I'm doing a sort of "greatest hits" NMR: lots of little resolutions that I want to carry with me into next year. Here's the list:
Drink only socially (not at home to "wind down");
Wake up before 8AM every day (target is 7AM, before 8AM is still fine);
Meditate at least three times per week for at least 10 mins;
Go to the gym at least twice per week (Ring Fit, an exhausting hike, or >20,000 total steps counts);
Don't take my phone into the bathroom with me (continuing to listen to a podcast is still fine if it was already playing);
Avoid picking my nails;
Finish the book I'm reading ("Free Range Kids");
Drink at least 100oz of water every day;
I think that's plenty.
Stay safe out there, friends.