Introducing the “Become a Bard” Challenge
When a 30-Day Challenge Just Doesn’t Work for You
The internet is filled with challenges that aim to get you fitter, slimmer, playing an instrument, or speaking another language within 30 days. But what if you want to do all these things? It may be difficult for many to track multiple simultaneous 30-day challenges, especially if your aim is to improve yourself or expand your knowledge in more than one area. Additionally, the monotony and repetition of many 30-day challenges can become boring. So it seems that, for me, the pre-challenge is finding a 30-day challenge that will keep my interest and engagement long enough for it to become a lasting sustainable routine. After scouring the internet, I could not find exactly what I was looking for. So I am setting out to create a challenge structured around my interests in order for me to reach my goals.
To find a starting point, the first question to myself was simple: What do I want for myself on the other side of this challenge? Ultimately, I want to be a physically and mentally healthier version of myself who regularly practices the past times that bring me happiness. I want to get enough sleep every night. I want to eat right and exercise regularly. I want to play my musical instruments with proficiency. I want to be conversational in multiple languages. I want to read more. And, above all else, I want to be a published fiction author one day.
Identifying what I want was integral to understanding the next step in this process: How do I create a routine that keeps me engaged and interested long enough to successfully sustain a routine? By necessity, the answer to this has to be tailored to my personal interests and desires. Something that always captures my absolute attention is the wonderful world-building of fantasy writing. I have happily spent thousands of hours diving into the worlds of J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, over a dozen of R.A. Salvatore’s Forgotten Realms books, and many more stories. Naturally, this lead me to Dungeons & Dragons, and the incredible experience of creating your own adventurer.
Welcome to the Become a Bard Challenge
Dungeons & Dragons (D&D) is a high fantasy tabletop role-playing game where you, three or four of your friends, and a Dungeon Master (think of a cross between a narrator and a referee) form a party of adventurers to complete campaigns. You create your adventurer by choosing a combination of race/species, class, ability scores, and background. Of the many adventurers I have created—and no matter how many times I tell myself to branch out and try new styles—I find myself returning to one character class more than any other: the bard. D&D bards use music and storytelling, among many other things, to power their abilities. They play multiple musical instruments and speak multiple languages. D&D bards are dynamic, diverse, and versatile in their physical and magical skills. After taking this into consideration, I became giddy at the thought of creating a challenge where I can one day embody my own D&D adventurer. Hence, I am calling this the “Become a Bard” challenge.
Measuring Success Through Experience Points
In D&D, your adventurer’s success is measured through level progression as they gain experience points. I will “level up” by gaining experience points every single day. For the BAB Challenge, experience must be gained across six categories: (1) sleep, (2) rigorous exercise, (3) music practice, (4) language study, (5) reading, and (6) creative writing. Meeting the daily sleep goal will earn 5 points, the rigorous exercise and music practice goals will earn 4 points each, the language study goal will earn 3 points, and the reading and creative writing goals will earn 2 points each. Not completing the full daily expectation for a given category will result in zero points. Doing more than the daily expectation for each category will not earn extra points. For example, if the daily expectation for rigorous exercise is 20 minutes and I complete 40 minutes, I will receive 4 points. A total of 20 points can be earned every day. Below is a quick summary of each category’s point value.
Sleep = 5 points
Rigorous Exercise = 4 points
Music Practice = 4 points
Language Study = 3 points
Reading = 2 points
Creative Writing = 2 points
For the sake of consistency, each month’s points will be compiled for 30 days, regardless of what the actual month is and what day in the month I started. A total of 600 points can be earned in each 30-day period. The overall goal of the BAB Challenge is progress, not perfection. Although our D&D adventurer must earn 100% of their experience points to level up, I can level up if I earn at least 80% (480 points) of the 600-point goal. A tally of every month’s points along with a summary of how the month went will be posted here in the first week of the following month.
Considering that this is “Month 0” of the Become a Bard Challenge, the categories and points system I detail above are only a prototype for now. I will use these first few months to troubleshoot this system—using data to keep what works and discard what doesn’t—and make adjustments as needed. Once I feel I have developed a category and points system that is most conducive for success, I will stop making adjustments and just do my best to be consistent.
Expectations for Month 1
The goal of this endeavor is to prioritize progress over perfection in maintaining fun hobbies and healthy habits. With that in mind, the focus of this first month is to just show up. The first month’s daily expectations will therefore be set at low and easily achievable figures.
Sleep: 7 hours
Rigorous Exercise: 10 minutes
Music Practice: 5 minutes
Language Study: 10 minutes
Reading: 10 minutes
Creative Writing: 20 minutes
Dångkulo' na' saina ma'åse'! Thank you so much for reading this introduction to the BAB Challenge!
Post Date: 3 July 2024
