Week 36: Sept 1-7

Weeknotes are typically retrospective, but this space is for me to reflect on my goals for the coming week.

1. Catch up on writing book reviews for this site
2. Clarify my needs versus wants (big picture)
3. Plan a friendly gathering to welcome the turning of the leaves

Week 35: Aug 25-31

This week was exhausting with my shoulder PT adding strength and conditioning onto the current routines of range of motion. I’ve also continued to surprise myself in finishing eight books before August ended, putting me quite a ways ahead of my goal to finish 26 books in the next year (two books a month). I’m optimistic that this will continue, but I know that eventually studying for the CompTIA CySA+ exam will cut into my personal reading time.

Week 34: Aug 18-24

As is the experience of many people working in database software, one of the most common experiences one has at the office is a spinning wheel or loading bar while a report is retrieved or data is written to the appropriate locations. These moments have always proved challenging for me as they often trigger a period of distraction where I check my phone, refresh social media, pop over to YouTube, and generally lose way more time than the spinning wheel ever actually takes. This week, I challenged myself to use the spinning wheel as a Bell of Mindfulness–an opportunity to center myself and reclaim a conscious moment.

Needless to say, that was easier said than done. The first day I only ‘heard’ the bell twice. I hope to continue this practice over the coming weeks.