Category

Goals

Category

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

  • 12 Books Read – Non-Fiction (4), Biography (4), John C. Maxwell (4)
  • Reports – 2 Read | Magazine – 2 Read
  • Documentaries: Tyson (2008) | John Wooden: They Called Him Coach
  • Exercise Time = 83 Hours | 327.3 KM covered
  • Daily Gratitude Journaling plus intention journaling, weekly reviews
  • Daily Meditation Practice (25-30 minutes daily using the calm app)
  • Practices
  • 365 English Podcast Listening Challenge – 31 Podcast sessions.
  • 365 French Podcast Listening Challenge – Daily French Podcast Listening sessions.
  • Morning Routine: (IT Certification Preparation) – 2 Hours (Monday – Friday)
  • Exercise Regimen (Basketball Shooting (40-60 minutes every morning), Threadmill Running(50-60 minutes 6-7 times per week), Swimming while listening to french (60-90 minutes per day – 14 KM/7 hrs+ per week), Weight Lifting and Cycling.
  • Reading from my Kindle device (Kindle Unlimited), hardcover books, Audiobook platforms (Scribd, Audiobooks.com and Audible).

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

100 Books Reading Challenge

  1. Dopamine Nation: Finding Balance in the Age of Indulgence by Dr. Anna Lembke
  2. Embrace the Suck: The Navy SEAL Way to an Extraordinary Life by Brent Gleeson  
  3. Company Of One: Why Staying Small Is the Next Big Thing for Business by Paul Jarvis
  4. Coach Woodens Pyramid Of Success: Building Blocks For a Better Life by John Wooden 

50 Biography Reading Challenge

  1. Undisputed Truth: My Autobiography by Mike Tyson.
  2. Total Recall: My Unbelievably True Life Story by Arnold Schwarzenegger 
  3. Wooden: A Lifetime of Observations and Reflections On and Off the Court by Coach John Wooden.
  4. Govt Cheese a memoir by Steve Pressfield.

John C. Maxwell 50 Books Reading Challenge

  1. Winning With People: Discover the People Principles that Work for You Every Time by John C. Maxwell.
  2. Everyone Communicates, Few Connect: What the Most Effective People Do Differently by John C. Maxwell.
  3. The Self-Aware Leader: Play to Your Strengths, Unleash Your Team by John C. Maxwell.
  4. JumpStart Your Leadership: A 90-Day Improvement Plan by John C. Maxwell.

50 Magazine Reading Challenge

50 Reports Reading Challenge

Meditation

I meditate daily with the following guided meditation: : Daily Jay – Jay ShettyDaily Calm – Tamara Levitt, and Daily Trip – Jeff Warren. I average 25-30 minutes meditating, focusing on my breath and re-centering my focus.

400+ Meditation Streak
Meditaion Streak – Lanre Dahunsi

Podcast Listening

All the Best in your quest to get Better. Don’t Settle: Live with Passion.

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.

  • Goal: View 50 Masterclass sessions
  • Strategies: Watch one masterclass session per week, preferably on Weekends

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.

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

  • Buy one Audiobook every month which comes with my premium monthly subscription on Audible.com
  • Borrow Audiobooks from the Public Library

Listening Times

  • Gym Time: Listen while on the treadmill or during a weight lifting session
  • Commute: Listen while in traffic or transit (Airport, waiting time).
  • Early in the Morning and before sleeping.

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