The idea to do a Quarterly Review came after reading Jim Collins’s Good to Great. I’m excited to write my first-ever post on it to see if I’m on track to achieve my 2023 goals by year-end or not! Additionally, it will test out the resiliency of my schedule and goals because there are always unexpected events.
Unexpected 2023 1st Quarter Events
- Moderately injured my internal and external oblique on my right side due to table tennis. It’s been almost 3 months and my injury is slow to heal. This means the end of me playing table tennis until I can strengthen my obliques. I really enjoyed playing and am quite sad about this. My injury also inspired me to strength train so that my muscles can handle playing table tennis sometime in the future.
- My car was damaged by a hit-and-run driver while it was parked on the street overnight. It took about 4 weeks and cost around $10,000 to repair. Many thanks to Super P for his advice on how to handle the situation.
- Someone almost successfully stole my identity! Luckily Mark caught it early and it took about 3 weeks for us to resolve it. What helped greatly was that Mark was signed up for USPS Informed Delivery so we were able to somewhat understand what the identity thief/thieves were trying to do. Additionally, Mark also spent many hours implementing preventative measures to minimize the damage if our identities are ever stolen in the future.
In the past, I would have been too distracted by these unexpected happenings to continue diligently with my goals. Through mediation and stoicism, I’ve learned to compartmentalize.
You have power over your mind and not outside events. Realize this, and you will find strength.
Marcus Aurelius
Unexpected 2023 1st Quarter Major Changes I Felt Compelled to Make
- Changed my nightly sleep routine. I got rid of most of my detrimental-to-a-good- night’s-sleep habits. I did this after suffering a terrible and terrifying lack of sleep that occurred during week 1 of 2023. That week, I couldn’t sleep more than 2 hours a day no matter how hard or how many sleep tricks I tried! Thanks to Matthew Walker’s Why We Sleep, I was able to understand the science behind how and why we sleep. Even though I pretty much hated all his recommendations, I followed them because I was desperate. Luckily for me, following them worked!
- Changed most of my eating habits due to my eating disorder and other health issues. For almost 3 months, I now no longer eat while reading (20+ year habit) and I now eat for health instead of taste (30+ year habit). What helped me change was reading Metabolical by Robert H. Lustig, MD, MSL, and listening to Huberman Labs Podcast Dr. Layne Norton: The Science of Eating for Health, Fat Loss & Lean Muscle. The first 3 weeks were the hardest. It’s still hard. I’ve mostly stopped resenting eating healthy because I have so much more energy in general. Many thanks to Catan for modeling healthy eating for me since 2015ish!
- Changed my stance on cardio. I added 150 to 300 minutes of vigorous cardio weekly after reading The Menopause Manifesto by Dr. Jen Gunter. I have never done so much cardio in one month as I did in March 2023. I see myself continuing on because the consequences of not doing so scare me. Many thanks to Brink and Mark for each taking a different day of the week to accompany me on our weekly speed walks!
2023 Goals 1st Quarter: Completion Percentage Weeks 1 to 13
- Goal #1 Writing Completion Percentage Average: 97.4% – I don’t think I’ve ever written so diligently, consistently, and creatively in my life! It’s likely because I’ve never slept, eaten, and felt so physically strong in my entire life before. That and reading aloud Elizabeth Gilbert’s Rules for Writing about 4X a week.
- Goal #2 Mental Health Completion Percentage Average: 100% – I think this is because of my improved nightly sleep routine.
- Goal #3 Physical Health Completion Percentage Average: 97.4% – I think this is because I’m super scared of the many years of perimenopause waiting for me so I’m forcing myself to prioritize physical exercise.
- Goal #4 Manage My Binge (Non-Purging Bulimia) Eating Disorder Completion Percentage Average: 100% – I think this is because now that pretty much everyone knows I have this and I only surround myself with people who make zero remarks on how much I’m eating or not eating. My Binge Eating Disorder Checklist has also come in handy a few times.
- Goal #5 Emotional Health Completion Percentage Average: 98.7% – I think this is because I follow Nedra Glover Tawwab and Tara Brach’s teachings along with listening to Tim Ferriss, Debra Millman, and Huberman Lab podcasts.
This is also the first time I’ve ever kept track of quarterly results with percentages. I’m incredibly glad I decided to use percentages because I think it kept me accountable. It also helps that I’m aiming for 85% completion in each goal and anything over is a bonus.
What I think helped me keep my score high is my environment. I read several health books, posted Jim Collins quotes on my walls, and read key passages of James Clear’s Atomic Habits 4 days a week. Additionally, I listened to Tim Ferriss and Huberman Lab podcasts to inspire myself to continue when I did not feel like working toward my 2023 goals. Lastly, writing in my Bug Kelly book daily like Jim Collins helps me understand what I truly want through my actions.
I hope my progress in the 2nd Quarter of 2023 will also be over 85% completion per goal!
