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Small changes you can stick to over massive overhauls that you give up on quickly and make you feel poorly about yourself 2021

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[unattractiveproductivity]

Attention Management: How to Take Control and Live Intentionally

We live in an age of information, and it’s becoming even more difficult to be in control of our attention. Every second, it seems like there’s something new to be consumed, something new to pay attention to. Because of this, it’s important to take control of our attention and more intentional about how we spend our time, and we can do so by practicing attention management.

Keep reading below for a transcription + some other posts you might be interested in:

Energy Management

Flexible Time Blocking

The Mandatory Midday Break

A Small Guide to Journaling

Staying Focused while Studying

Hope this helps!

Keep reading

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Quick Tips for Learning Languages on Your Own

Here are some mindsets and techniques that helped me study Italian on my own after classes ended. Hope this helps :)

Also, I’m trying out a new format for shorter posts–let me know what you think!

Text format below.

Keep reading

[unattractiveproductivity]

Completed: get a new job (7/22/2020)

The big one! The thing that kind of put my life on pause for 6 months!

I finally got a new job and I’m so happy with it. I won’t share too many personal details, but I work with dogs now, which is... something I’ve always wanted, to the point where I assumed it wasn’t possible, because it would be too good.

Currently I work at the front desk, and later on I’ll be training to be a dog trainer!

I ended up taking a 60% pay cut at my per-hour rate and 82% at my per-year rate, which is a LOT. I’m very, very lucky to have supportive and relatively well-off parents who made it possible for me to even accept a job like this one.

Despite the pay cut--even at the top levels of this job, it’d still be 22% less than what I made at entry-level in IT--I’m way happier with this career path. I actually like being at work. Contrast with my last job, where I hated every minute.

I have a lot of thoughts on that, which I’ll get out under the cut.

It’s interesting that in my IT job, I was already overworked and overloaded with responsibility, while being paid quite a bit more than I felt I really needed. It kind of... incentivized not getting promoted? I didn’t want more responsibility, or to spend any more time on work, and I already had more money than I needed.

The pressure and workload on entry-level workers was absolutely ridiculous, and it was clearly worse for people in the levels just above us.

On top of that, I didn’t feel like I was doing much to directly help people in my last job. I worked in auditing, which helps people in theory, but... when a big client will leave, causing your auditing firm to lose revenue and have to fire people, if you don’t give them your stamp of approval... it’s not the most moral place to work.

At my new job, it is another wacky capitalist extravagance, but on the plus side, I get to help people have better relationships with their dogs. One thing I have an innocent, true belief in is that dogs and humans were made to work together. We’re friends by nature! I love that my job now is strengthening those friendships.

Anyway, that’s all my rambling for today. This is basically a journal, so I just wanted to get all of that out. TL;DR, I got a new job finally and I love it!

Inspired by @lapetitevampire​‘s post about this challenge!

I really like this concept–basically, the idea is to create a list of 101 things you want to do in the next 1001 days (2.75 years).

Bucket lists have always put me off. I look at them and am instantly thrown into dread about how many things I won’t do before I literally die. That shit’s too scary for me to reckon with.

This is way more approachable, and I think it encourages you not to put things off forever. I really enjoyed just the exercise of making a list and thinking about all the things I’d like to have done in the next couple of years.

My list is under the cut. It ended up being a lot of non productivity-related items, which honestly feels great. I’m glad to be focusing on what I want to do.

Keep reading

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COMPLETED: Cut hair (8/11/2020)

This took surprisingly little time, probably about 15 minutes in total (and then some cutting off of stray pieces here and there for a while after).

Overall, I like it a lot, and it was nice to have such a surprisingly easy “win” if that makes sense. I thought cutting my hair at this length was going to be super difficult and disappointing, but it was the exact opposite.

Inspired by @lapetitevampire​‘s post about this challenge!

I really like this concept–basically, the idea is to create a list of 101 things you want to do in the next 1001 days (2.75 years).

Bucket lists have always put me off. I look at them and am instantly thrown into dread about how many things I won’t do before I literally die. That shit’s too scary for me to reckon with.

This is way more approachable, and I think it encourages you not to put things off forever. I really enjoyed just the exercise of making a list and thinking about all the things I’d like to have done in the next couple of years.

My list is under the cut. It ended up being a lot of non productivity-related items, which honestly feels great. I’m glad to be focusing on what I want to do.

Keep reading

[unattractiveproductivity]

COMPLETED: Hold a baby animal (8/19/20)

So, first of all, I got a new job, and second of all, someone at my work had a litter of puppies! I’ve gotten to hold a few of them, actually.

This was a goal I’d totally forgotten about until after it happened and I was looking at my list this morning. I’m happy to have completed it!

Inspired by @lapetitevampire​‘s post about this challenge!

I really like this concept–basically, the idea is to create a list of 101 things you want to do in the next 1001 days (2.75 years).

Bucket lists have always put me off. I look at them and am instantly thrown into dread about how many things I won’t do before I literally die. That shit’s too scary for me to reckon with.

This is way more approachable, and I think it encourages you not to put things off forever. I really enjoyed just the exercise of making a list and thinking about all the things I’d like to have done in the next couple of years.

My list is under the cut. It ended up being a lot of non productivity-related items, which honestly feels great. I’m glad to be focusing on what I want to do.

Keep reading

[unattractiveproductivity]

So uh... this is a bit of a curveball.

I know very few people follow this blog, but if you’re seeing this, I hope that you and your loved ones are safe.

As far as the long-term goals I’ve outlined, a couple things are changing due to COVID-19. I’ll be talking about that under the cut.

Shifting focus to goals I can do at home

There are about 29 goals on the list that I can still do under the current conditions. Most of them are in the Creativity and Other sections, along with a couple that might be possible, but I’m not sure, such as volunteering and buying lottery tickets. So I’ll mostly be focusing on things that I can create or practice at home.

Financial goal changes

I have a job offer for a temporary job that’s still standing, but that’s being delayed. Who knows what the job market will be like after this, so... I’m not terribly optimistic about my finances. What I’ll be focusing on financially is mostly just trying to find a job and pay off my debt.

Stuff I finished but didn’t post about here

I completed my goal to decorate for spring! We got a wreath and a string of flowers, and we put out the colorful vase that we found by the dumpster. Might share photos later. Other than that, I haven’t completed any new goals.

Inspired by @lapetitevampire​‘s post about this challenge!

I really like this concept–basically, the idea is to create a list of 101 things you want to do in the next 1001 days (2.75 years).

Bucket lists have always put me off. I look at them and am instantly thrown into dread about how many things I won’t do before I literally die. That shit’s too scary for me to reckon with.

This is way more approachable, and I think it encourages you not to put things off forever. I really enjoyed just the exercise of making a list and thinking about all the things I’d like to have done in the next couple of years.

My list is under the cut. It ended up being a lot of non productivity-related items, which honestly feels great. I’m glad to be focusing on what I want to do.

Keep reading

[unattractiveproductivity]

UPDATE: changed “Save money for to take time off” to “Pay off debt”

Sorry, it’s kind of a sad update today. But I want to be realistic.

I can still save money to take time off eventually, but... I don’t see that happening before 2023. And now I have some debt to pay off, so that’s got to come first.

Inspired by @lapetitevampire​‘s post about this challenge!

I really like this concept–basically, the idea is to create a list of 101 things you want to do in the next 1001 days (2.75 years).

Bucket lists have always put me off. I look at them and am instantly thrown into dread about how many things I won’t do before I literally die. That shit’s too scary for me to reckon with.

This is way more approachable, and I think it encourages you not to put things off forever. I really enjoyed just the exercise of making a list and thinking about all the things I’d like to have done in the next couple of years.

My list is under the cut. It ended up being a lot of non productivity-related items, which honestly feels great. I’m glad to be focusing on what I want to do.

Keep reading

[unattractiveproductivity]

UPDATE: added goal to start a podcast

The other day I was prompted to answer the question, “What kind of business would you and your girlfriend have if you worked together?” (source)

It surprised me how quickly a clear answer came to me. We would start a podcast, of course.

We’ve hosted a show together on our college radio station and really enjoyed the experience. The only thing that was bad about it was that we threw ourselves too hard into it and were putting in an unsustainable amount of work for each weekly episode (about 20 hours total).

But we loved the process--researching, finding interesting things to talk about that we were excited to share, weaving together segments into a narrative or theme, editing, and most of all, working together.

No one will read this post, so this is just for me, but I really do think we’d enjoy running a podcast together. I don’t know what it would be about, or when we’d do it, so the 2.75-year long list is perfect for this goal. I definitely want to try this, but we don’t have to start right now, and we shouldn’t put it off indefinitely either. I’d love to have started a podcast with my girlfriend in the next couple of years.

Inspired by @lapetitevampire​‘s post about this challenge!

I really like this concept–basically, the idea is to create a list of 101 things you want to do in the next 1001 days (2.75 years).

Bucket lists have always put me off. I look at them and am instantly thrown into dread about how many things I won’t do before I literally die. That shit’s too scary for me to reckon with.

This is way more approachable, and I think it encourages you not to put things off forever. I really enjoyed just the exercise of making a list and thinking about all the things I’d like to have done in the next couple of years.

My list is under the cut. It ended up being a lot of non productivity-related items, which honestly feels great. I’m glad to be focusing on what I want to do.

Keep reading

[unattractiveproductivity]

1/25/2020

I went back to working on Saturdays again. An intern was supposed to come but never showed up so instead I spend a lonely afternoon sorting reference books

[unattractiveproductivity]

COMPLETED: Make a campfire (1/18/20)

Gf and I went camping. We actually forgot the firewood but it turns out they sell it at the campsite! It ended up being way too cold and we had to leave after 1 night instead of 2, but having a couple of campfires was great.

Inspired by @lapetitevampire​‘s post about this challenge!

I really like this concept–basically, the idea is to create a list of 101 things you want to do in the next 1001 days (2.75 years).

Bucket lists have always put me off. I look at them and am instantly thrown into dread about how many things I won’t do before I literally die. That shit’s too scary for me to reckon with.

This is way more approachable, and I think it encourages you not to put things off forever. I really enjoyed just the exercise of making a list and thinking about all the things I’d like to have done in the next couple of years.

My list is under the cut. It ended up being a lot of non productivity-related items, which honestly feels great. I’m glad to be focusing on what I want to do.

Keep reading

[unattractiveproductivity]

Inspired by @lapetitevampire​‘s post about this challenge!

I really like this concept--basically, the idea is to create a list of 101 things you want to do in the next 1001 days (2.75 years).

Bucket lists have always put me off. I look at them and am instantly thrown into dread about how many things I won’t do before I literally die. That shit’s too scary for me to reckon with.

This is way more approachable, and I think it encourages you not to put things off forever. I really enjoyed just the exercise of making a list and thinking about all the things I’d like to have done in the next couple of years.

My list is under the cut. It ended up being a lot of non productivity-related items, which honestly feels great. I’m glad to be focusing on what I want to do.

101 goals in 1001 days: a bucket list for right now

Start date: Friday, 1/17/2020

End date: Friday, 10/14/2022

Creativity

Finish and publish a novel on Amazon

Write and publish a spellbook

Get a tattoo

Successfully propagate a plant

Fill a journal

Fill a sketchbook

Knit something

Cross-stitch something

Learn a new song on guitar

Complete a large (1' x 1') painting

Use sewing machine

Make a candle

Cook edible gumbo

Turn J's t-shirts into a quilt

Write and publish an informative article for fun

Write a poem

Start a podcast

Work and money

Get a new job

Save an emergency fund

Pay off debt

Save for a new car

Invest in something

Get a credit card

Going places - local

The LGBT campground

Waterpark

Museum

Drive-in movie theater

Medieval-themed restaurant

Roller rink

Aquarium

Somewhere supposedly haunted

Ride a roller coaster

Do another event with the lesbian group

Attend a non-local band’s show

Attend a local band's show

Attend a sports game

Picnic

See a musical live

Do karaoke outside the apartment

See a standup or improv show

Perform at an open mic night

Find another geocache

Quality time with J while camping

Make a campfire (1/18/20)

Going places - further

See the milky way

National park - day trip

National park - overnight

State park - day trip

State park - overnight

Backpacking trip - day trip

Backpacking trip - overnight

West coast

Statewide renaissance festival

Beach

Women's land

Sleep in a cabin

Dark sky reserve

Cousins’ place up north

Swim in a natural body of water - freshwater (lake, river)

Swim in a natural body of water - salt water (ocean, gulf)

Media

Play Nancy Drew #34

Complete a Goodreads yearly reading challenge

See In The Heights in theaters

At home

Decorate for spring

Decorate for summer

Decorate for fall

Decorate for winter

Throw a party

Experiences - anywhere

Smoke (on the original list this is #69 but Tumblr won’t let me number multi-part lists like that)

Get a massage

Volunteer

Hold a baby animal

Vote in a non-presidential election

Climb a tree

Skinnydip

Do a jello shot

Watch the sunrise

Celebrate Halloween outside our apartment OR throw a Halloween party

Walk barefoot in snow

Do a line dance

Buy 5 lottery tickets

Have a birthday celebration (not necessarily a party)

Make a new friend

Successfully skateboard for 30 seconds straight

Play a ghost-themed party game

Other

Cut hair

Dye hair

Work up to 50 pushups

Work up to 100 situps

Read 1 book entirely in Spanish

Read 2 books entirely in Spanish

Read 3 books entirely in Spanish

Watch a season of a TV show in Spanish with subtitles in Spanish

Know 10 words/phrases in Tagalog

Try wearing contacts

Be honest with J's mom

Reserved - to add on later

[Reserved for 2021]

[Reserved for 2021]

[Reserved for 2021]

[Reserved for 2022]

[Reserved for 2022]

I’m also reserving the right to re-evaluate and change goals if I know I no longer have any interest in them. I’m sure things will change as time goes on, but I’m excited!

[unattractiveproductivity]

Oh I kinda like this! It's like a bucket list but you have less of an excuse to put them off forever lmao

Anyway these are cool goals! I might try doing something like this soon

I haven't used this blog in a while but for 2020 I want to start 101 things in 1001 days, a mix of a todo and a bucket list where you try to do 101 predetermined goals in about 2.75 years.

Making the list is a lot harder than it first seems! I'm currently at 92 things after 3 days of brainstorming! I would love suggestions for tasks

[unattractiveproductivity]

Today's productivity tip: for when you don't feel like doing any of it

Take your to-do list for the day (or make one, if you haven't already) and assign numbers to the items.

You can number all of them, or the most important ones, or the ones that are easiest to start--in my case, the ones that can be done indoors, because it's cold out.

Then use a random number generator like random.org or a many-sided die. Whatever it lands on, just do that thing.

I use this as a shortcut for when I have a long to-do list and I don't feel like doing any of it. Even if the number it lands on is something I don't want to do, I just do that one immediately and get it over with. No arguing with myself over not wanting to do it--the die has decided. 🎲

[unattractiveproductivity]

I think today I'm gonna do some planning and refine my goals into more actionable steps

[unattractiveproductivity]

Anyway, here's a photo from before I quit my job lmao

Even the most tedious, boring situations can produce some cool shit