I set a couple of goals at the beginning of the year, such as the 100 Books Reading Challenge, 50 Reports Reading Challenge, 50 Biography Reading Challenge, John C. Maxwell 50 Books Reading Challenge, 50 Magazine Reading Challenge, 365 English Podcast Listening Challenge, 365 French Podcast Listening Challenge etc.
Here is a breakdown of how I faired in executing the above goals in February 2023:
We don’t rise to the level of our expectations, we fall to the level of our training. – Archilochus
I have been experimenting with various goal-setting strategies, such as goal stacking, goal scheduling, spaced repetition, morning routine practice, and the Pomodoro Technique, among others. At the beginning of every year, I set various goals and challenges to optimize my potential and fine-tune my body, mind and soul, such as the 100 Books Reading Challenge, 50 Reports Reading Challenge, 50 Biography Reading Challenge, John C. Maxwell 50 Books Reading Challenge, 50 Magazine Reading Challenge, 365 English Podcast Listening Challenge, 365 French Podcast Listening Challenge etc.
I set these challenges yearly to keep me grounded and help me stay hungry. As the late former Apple CEO Steve Jobs famously advised in his 2005 commencement speech at Stanford University, “Stay Hungry, Stay Foolish,” I try to review my goals weekly and reaccess my commitment to the set goals. Some of the other goals and daily routines that I practice daily includes 5 AM Morning Routine (Study time for certification, SAVERS framework), Daily Meditation (400+ streak), daily gratitude journaling
Here is a breakdown of how I faired in executing the goals.
January 2023 Goal Updated
Exercise Regimen
I spent 1/9th of my time in January 2023 exercising.
Total time spent exercising = 83 Hours
Total hours in January = 744 Hours
Time Spent Swimming = 30 hours 10 mins | 54.7 KM
Time Spent Running = 22 hours 55 mins | 216.7 KM
Time Spent Cycling = 4 hours 2 Mins | 50.4 KM
Time Spent weight lifting = 5h 38 mins
Time Spent shooting Basketball = 17 hours 46 mins
50 Biography Reading Challenge
John C. Maxwell 50 Books Reading Challenge
Meditation
I meditate daily with the following guided meditation: : Daily Jay – Jay Shetty, Daily Calm – Tamara Levitt, and Daily Trip – Jeff Warren. I average 25-30 minutes meditating, focusing on my breath and re-centering my focus.
Podcast Listening
All the Best in your quest to get Better. Don’t Settle: Live with Passion.
In 2022, I set a goal of reading 100 reports by the end of the year but was not able to follow through. I am aiming to read 50 reports in 2023.
Goal: Read and Finish 50 reports by December 31st, 2023.
Strategy: Read and Finish one report per week.
I started experimenting with the Magazine reading challenge in 2021 and I have not really been consistent with reading the magazines weekly. I read 28 in 2021, 10 in 2022 and I aiming for more consistency in 2023.
Goal: Read 50 digital magazines by December 31st, 2022.
Strategy: Read one magazine per week.
John C. Maxwell is a No. 1 New York Times bestselling author, coach and speaker who has written more that 100 books which have sold more than 24 million books in 50 languages. John was named #1 leadership expert in the world by Inc. Magazine in 2014.
John C. Maxwell is my favourite non-fiction author especially on the area of leadership. As John often says “Everything rises and falls on leadership.” I am always looking for ways of getting better as a human, exploring the pursuit of excellence and greatness. John Maxwell writes some of the best books on leadership, he is a great communicator and story teller. In my bid to work on my leadership skill/self-leadership, I am committing to reading 50 John C. Maxwell books in 2023.
In 2022, I experimented with the 50 Biography Reading Challenge and I was able to read 38 biographies.
A biography is a detailed description of a person’s life. It involves more than just the basic facts like education, work, relationships, and death; it portrays a person’s experience of these life events. 1
Goal: Read 50 biographies by December 31st 2023
Strategy: Read and Finish one biography per week.
January
In October 2022, I started experimenting with listening to a podcast in french every day (French Language Listening Challenge). I have been able to listen to lots of spoken french daily, although I was not able to listen daily but have been able to schedule and maintain momentum.
Goal: Listen to 365 podcasts by December 31st, 2023.
Strategy: Listen to one podcast per day.
I experimented with listening to one podcast episode per day in 2022 (365 Podcast Listening Challenge 2022), and I could listen to 365 podcast sessions throughout the year. I listened to my favourite podcasts, such as How I Built This with Guy Raz, Deep Questions with Cal Newport, THE ED Mylett Show, The School of Greatness with Lewis Howes, and The Rich Roll Podcast on a weekly basis. One of the strategies that enabled me to listen to the 365 podcasts is scheduling. I listen to the podcast episodes at the same time every day; immediately after I finish my morning workout session.
MasterClass.com is a streaming platform where anyone can learn from the world’s best. With an annual membership, subscribers get unlimited access to instructors and classes across a wide range of subjects. Stream thousands of lessons anywhere, anytime, on mobile, desktop, and TV.
I am a super fan of Masterclass.com and have been averaging at least one masterclass session per week in the past two years.
Earlier in April, I set a goal of watching 50 documentaries in 2022, but at some point, I stopped documenting the documentaries. I am setting a goal of watching 50 documentaries in 2023, and I plan to follow through this time. Some of the ways I would follow through would be selecting the documentaries based on themes, scheduling to watch the documentaries same time weekly and documenting every series watched.
A documentary film or documentary is a non-fictional motion picture intended to “document reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction, education or maintaining a historical record.
I have been experimenting with learning various programming languages for quite a while now. During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, I made some progress with Python, but I did not follow through with a hands-on project. In 2021, I tried to learn mobile application stack with android and ios development plus Java but gave it up eventually. Programming can be tough, but with persistence, resilience and great problem-solving skills, I believe it is figouratable.
I have tried to learn HTML, CSS, Javascript, Python, and Java through various platforms such as Linkedin Learning, Udemy, Pluralsight, Coursera, books, and YouTube tutorials, among others. I attended a BootCamp in Toronto in 2019, but I had to drop out because the learning style was not suitable for me. I have observed that to get a hang of these programming languages; I need to work on projects instead of spending too much time on tutorials.
A documentary film or documentary is a non-fictional motion-picture intended to “document reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction, education or maintaining a historical record.
Goal: Watch 50 Documentaries by December 31st, 2022
Strategy: Watch 1-2 Documentaries per week
Source: Netflix, Apple TV, HBOMax, Wondrium, Hoopla Digital
Goal Set Date: April 23rd, 2022
Goal Deadline: December 31st, 2022
April
May
June
I started experimenting with the Audiobooks Listening Challenge in 2020 and am beginning to get a hang of how to listen to more audiobooks. In 2022, I would be listening to 50 audiobooks
Strategy
Listening Times
January
February
March
April
I started experimenting with the Magazine reading challenge in 2021 and was able to read 28 Magazines in 2021. I am aiming to be more consistent in 2022.
Goal: Read 50 digital magazines by December 31st, 2022.
Strategy: Borrow from the public library through platforms such as RB Digital and Flipster.
Reading Time: Weekends (1-2 Magazine per week).
January
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
Goal: Read and Finish 100 reports by December 31st, 2022.
Strategy: Read and Finish two reports per week.
January – 7
February – 7
March
April