Become a Bard Challenge Month 3 Summary
How Was Month 3?
Month 3 of the Become a Bard Challenge spanned from 29 August to 27 September 2024. And it was a doozy! I did not have COVID or any other virus, but I experienced multiple intense sinus infections. In spite of this, I felt quite energized and motivated throughout much of the month. I was able to have nine “perfect days” where I earned 20 out of 20 points. This is the same number of “perfect days” as Month 2. Which is awesome! I have said before that the goal of the Become a Bard Challenge is progress over perfection. I need to think of a better way to identify the 20/20 days so I stop using the word “perfect.” Hopefully I can figure it out before I post the Month 4 summary.
Results of Month 3: 456/600
A 30-day period within the Become a Bard Challenge is considered a success if I earn at least 480 of 600 total possible points, or a grade of 80%. Points were earned every day in Month 3 by meeting goals across 5 categories: (1) 4 points for 7 hours of sleep; (2) 4 points for completing 10 minutes of either language study or music practice; (3) 4 points for completing 35 minutes of reading or writing; (4) 4 points for completing 15 minutes of rigorous exercise; and (5) 4 points for drinking 24 ounces of water. By the end of these last 30 days, I could earn a up to 120 points in each category. The points from all categories can tally to 600 total points every month.
My final score for the third month of the BAB Challenge was 456 points, or 76%. A breakdown of each category is given below.
Sleep: 100/120 (~84%)
I was able to get 7 hours of sleep for 25 of the 30 days in Month 3. Factors that effected my sleep quality throughout this month was a combination of the repeating sinus infections plus stress from dealing with racism at work. I will not go into detail about that second factor, but I have to acknowledge that it caused me to lose sleep on multiple nights.
Language Study & Music Practice: 40/120 (~33%)
Even after being combined, Month 3 had the same results for language study and music practice as Month 2. I only completed these activities for 10 of the 30 days. I believe I understand where I am going wrong for each subsection in this category.
I am trying to teach myself to play the classic guitar. In my two-bedroom apartment, I spend the majority of my time in either my living room or my dining room. But my classic guitar resides in my second bedroom/office area. I only spend time in that room when I am teleworking or writing. I believe the mistake I am making is that I am not making the habit obvious enough for me to do when I am not teleworking or writing. Essentially, it is “out of sight, out of mind.” I have moved my classic guitar from my office to my living room.
I am trying to learn German. I also want to improve my Spanish competency from “intermediate” to “proficient.” I believe that the mistake I am making is thinking “just remember to study today” when I should probably be thinking “study at this specific time.” This applies to both language study and music practice. Moving forward, I will change the daily thought process from “just remember to do it'“ to “do it at this set time.”
Reading & Writing: 120/120 (100%)
I read or listened to audiobooks every day in the past 30 days! I finishing eight titles. In the order I finished them, my September 2024 reading list includes: (1) Exile by R.A. Salvatore; (2) The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang; (3) The Moon is a Harsh Mistress by Robert A. Heinlein; (4) A Botanist’s Guide to Parties and Poisons by Kate Khavari; (5) Never Whistle at Night: An Indigenous Dark Fiction Anthology, edited by Shane Hawk and Theodore C. Van Alst Jr.; (6) I’m Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy; (7) The House in the Pines by Ana Reyes; and (8) Atomic Habits by James Clear.
Of these titles, I listed to audiobooks of Exile, The Kiss Quotient, The Moon is a Harsh Mistress, A Botanist’s Guide to Parties and Poisons, Never Whistle at Night, and I’m Glad My Mom Died. I both listened to the audiobook and read the hardcover of Atomic Habits. I read a physical copy of The House in the Pines.
Check out my book reviews for The Kiss Quotient, A Botanist’s Guide to Parties and Poisons, and The House in the Pines! Reviews for Never Whistle at Night and Atomic Habits are coming soon in the Horror and Non-Fiction bookshelves.
Rigorous Exercise: 76/120 (~63%)
I completed 15 minutes of rigorous exercise in 19 of the 30 days, lowering my grade from 80% in Month 2 to approximately 63% in Month 3. I am not terribly bothered by this though. As I said earlier, I experienced multiple sinus infections throughout Month 3. This made it difficult to have the energy or motivation to complete 15 minutes of rigorous exercise every day.
Drink Water: 120/120 (100%)
I remembered to drink 24 oz. (or 3 cups) of water every day in September! It has definitely become easier to drink water every single day. I understand that that may sound strange to many, but (when you have ADHD) remembering to drink water is an entire challenge in and of itself.
What to do Differently Next Month
Having to remember only five categories made things so much easier in Month 3 than having to remember 6-7 categories in Months 1 and 2. The one thing I will change is to allow half points for the Music Practice/Language Study and Reading/Writing categories. There were so many days where I only had time to do one of the two categories in either category. This resulted in many days of me recognizing that I did not have the time or energy to do both, so I did neither. The intent of allowing half points is to reward myself for remembering or having the time to do at least something within each category. At this point, I plan on this being the last time I make adjustments to the categories and point system. Time will tell, but I feel that I have found a system of organization that works well and is conducive to success. I will leave a BABC Category Cheat Sheet at the bottom of this and future Become a Bard Challenge monthly summaries.
Sleep = 4 points
Music Practice or Language Study = 4 points
Reading or Writing = 4 points
Rigorous Exercise = 4 points
Drink Water = 4 points
Expectations for Month 4
I did not meet the minimum 480 points needed to pass the third month of the BAB challenge. I will only increase the daily goals for categories where I earned 80% or more of the total monthly goal. The daily sleep goal is the only category that will remain unchanged, regardless of monthly outcome. The daily goals of each category for Month 4 are listed below.
Sleep: 7 hours
Music & Language: 10 minutes
Reading & Writing: 1,000 words
Rigorous Exercise: 15 minutes
Drink Water: 24 oz.
Dångkulo' na' saina ma'åse'! Thank you so much for reading the Month 3 Summary of the BAB Challenge!
BABC Category Cheat Sheet: Each category is worth 4 points total.
Sleep
Naps do not count. Only hours spent sleeping at night qualify.
Music Practice or Language Study
Studying music notation and music theory as well as playing an instrument qualify as music practice. Going through language exercises, translating song lyrics, listening to music, and watching movies or TV shows all qualify towards language study.
Reading or Writing
Physical copies, digital editions, and audiobooks of published fiction or non-fiction all count towards reading. Writing includes creative writing, blog writing, and journaling.
Rigorous Exercise
Whether it’s doing yoga and other routines at home, going to the gym, or going for a walk outside, make sure to move with purpose every day.
Drink Water
Just drink water!
Post Date: 2 October 2024
