Become a Bard Challenge Month 5 Summary

Dec 6

How Was Month 5?

Month 5 of the Become a Bard Challenge ran from 1 November to 30 November 2024. Although I did not meet the minimum final score of 480/600 to consider the past 30 days a success, there were other ways in which I consider Month 5 to be a win. I learned about what I could do differently to better balance the BAB Challenge with work and family life, I was able to see the benefits of splitting categories into smaller parts, and I was able to have a side-by-side comparison of two distinct habit forming techniques.

Month 5 Final Score: 392/600

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 are earned every day by meeting goals across 5 categories: (1) 4 points for 7 hours of sleep; (2) 2 points each for completing 10 minutes of music practice or language study; (3) 2 points each for completing 500 words of reading or writing; (4) 4 points for completing 15 minutes of rigorous exercise; and (5) 4 points for drinking 24 ounces of water. After 30 days, I could earn up to 120 points in each category. The points from all categories can tally to 600 total points every month.

My final score for Month 5 of the BAB Challenge is 392, or approximately 65%. A breakdown of each category is given below.

Sleep: 104/120 (87%)
I am happy with being able to get enough sleep for 26 of the 30 days in Month 5. Getting enough hours of sleep (let alone good quality sleep) is incredibly difficult for those of us with ADHD. According to a peer-reviewed article published in Nature and Science in Sleep, many sleep disorders are observed to be comorbid with ADHD. I am not sure if I should start tracking how well I feel I slept every night, but the amount of sleep I get is definitely worth tracking throughout this challenge.
Music Practice or Language Study: 48/60 (80%) for Music Practice, 12/60 (20%) for Language Study
In the music practice subcategory, I was able to either study music notation or practice with an instrument for 24 of the 30 days. I also for the first time implemented something called mental practice: imagining the physical movements of a new skill in between sessions of actively practicing the new skill. According to a peer-reviewed article published in PLoS One, a journal under the National Library of Medicine in Bethesda, MD in the United States, mental practice may promote skill learning when done in between practice sessions of a given skill. I am only one person, so I cannot in any way say that I am evidence supporting recent research on mental practice. But I can provide anecdotes about how picking back up where I left off with music practice felt much easier this month as I consistently implemented mental practice in between daily sessions.
In the language study subcategory, I only studied language for 6 of the 30 days in Month 5. This was disappointing, but I am not disappointed with myself. November 2024 was a hectic month! December 2024 will be just as hectic. But now I have a better idea of how to juggle my BAB Challenge daily goals with work and family responsibilities. In pushing to be more consistent with daily music practice, I implemented the types of cues and habit stacking that James Clear talks about in his book Atomic Habits (check out my review for it in the Non-Fiction bookshelf). Yet, for some reason, I did not apply this planning to my daily language studies. That will change in Month 6! I will make it a point to create time and place cues for language study and stack it with an existing habit.
Reading or Writing: 52/60 (87%) for Reading, 28/60 (47%) for Writing
The reading subcategory is consistently one of the most successful parts every month of the BAB Challenge. In November 2024, I was able to finish five books: (1) Track of the Cat by Nevada Barr, (2) Bookshops & Bonedust by Travis Baldree, (3) Alice by Christina Henry, (4) The Neighbor Favor by Kristina Forest, and (5) Artemis by Andy Weir. Check out my book reviews for Track of the Cat, Bookshops & Bonedust, and The Neighbor Favor in the Mystery, Fantasy, and Romance bookshelves. Book reviews for Alice and Artemis will be posted in the Horror and Science Fiction bookshelves at some point.
For the writing subcategory, I had intended to write 1,000 words every day throughout November 2024. Yet the first 10 days of Month 5 demonstrated that I was consistently writing 500+ words each day. The laundry list of things I must do on a given day made my initial 1,000-word daily goal too difficult to accomplish. Taking this into consideration, I readjusted Month 5’s writing goal to 500 words each day. Yet even after this adjustment, I was able to write at least 500 words for 14 of the 30 days in Month 5.
Rigorous Exercise: 36/120 (30%)
November 2024 was definitely a lazy month when it comes to physical exertion. I came up with many excuses not to exercise between a week in a different city for a work training and a separate week with family for Thanksgiving. But even though I only worked out for 9 of the 30 days in Month 5, I did find a lot of success with better overall eating habits. I greatly decreased between-meal snacking from a daily occurrence to a rare treat and I committed to eating healthier meals.
Drink Water: 112/120 (93%)
Consistently drinking 24 ounces (or 3 cups) of water for 28 of the 30 days in Month 5 is an accomplishment I am incredibly proud of. Before the Become a Bard Challenge, I would go days with my only water consumption being in the form of coffee or tea. It would not be until I am suffering from a splitting headache that I would finally take a sip of plain water.

Month 5 Takeaways

This is the first fully recorded month of the Become a Bard Challenge with two categories split into subcategories. Before splitting, the music/language and reading/writing daily goals would not have been considered accomplished unless I completed both activities in each category every single day. This resulted in me just giving up (so to speak) on a category on a given day if it become clear I would not be able to accomplish all daily goals in that day. But allowing there to be subcategories and “half points” seems to have had a positive effect on my progress and my motivation. Without splitting, my final score for Month 5 would have been 320/600, which is approximately 53%. I still did not pass this month even with splitting categories into subcategories, but 65% feels much better than 53%.

Without intending it, November 2024 also became the first month of the BAB Challenge where I could have a data-driven comparison of habit forming techniques. I consistently employed a distinct method for each subcategory in the music practice/language study category throughout Month 5. With daily music practice, I created specific time and place cues for when to perform this activity while stacking it with an existing habit: I practice music in my living room every morning at 5:30 AM as I drink my coffee. With daily language study, however, I just told myself to make sure I do it. This resulted in a final grade of 80% for music practice and 20% for language study. That is a significant difference! Going forward, I will make an intent to study language in my living room every afternoon when I get off work as I drink water.

Expectations for Month 6

Christmas and other family obligations are peppered throughout the final month of this year, so I anticipate difficulty keeping up with daily accomplishments in December 2024. But! I will do my best to earn more than 80%. Month 6 of the Become a Bard Challenge will span from 1 December to 30 December 2024. The daily sleep goal is the only category that will remain unchanged, regardless of the previous month’s outcome. The daily goals of each category for Month 6 are listed below.

Sleep: 7 hours
Music & Language: 10 minutes
Reading & Writing: 500 words
Rigorous Exercise: 20 minutes
Drink Water: 24 oz.

Dångkulo' na' saina ma'åse'! Thank you so much for reading the Month 5 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 works all count towards reading. Writing includes creative writing, blogging, and journaling.
Rigorous Exercise
Whether it is doing yoga and other routines at home, going to the gym, or a long walk outside with my dog, I will make sure to move with intent every day.
Drink Water
Just drink water!