Today was not a good day. It was dominated by sleep deficit — and, hence, reduced will-power, focus and productivity.
It left me recognising that I still lack a routine or programme that's sufficiently balanced, realistic and well-documented enough — to be self-sustaining.
That said, I did get a surprising amount of work done — thanks, in part, to gradual improvements in the task list.
As you can see, below, many tasks have been re-labelled/re-defined, and the time minima have gone — at least for the time being. Mostly, because the time minima were pretty arbitary in the first place.
On the other hand, the list is now getting unmanageably long — and needs trimming.
I'm currently toying with the idea of splitting tasks into 2 groups — optional vs. mandatory. Based on the argument that I need some way to encourage and document an essential minimum of 'work done' on priority skills.
Some new tasks were added — comprehension tests. Although these won't receive ticks, until I've assembled sets of tests with answers.
I suspect that I might resort to combined reading, translation and comprehension testing — using Google Translate to provide quick and dirty solutions for what I've read from press, fiction, and non-fiction sources.
This seems a plausible approach, given the 'wood from trees' problem of locating good comprehension tests among my many thousands of learning materials.
Review
The day started with sleep deficit. I'd gone to bed after 2 am — because my head was buzzzing last night. And I got up before 8 — because I simply couldn't get into the last sleep cycle that I needed.
There's a pattern here — and not a good one. I'm an night owl, living in a world populated by early biirds.
I thought it reasonable to assume that it would be easier for me to adapt, than to expect the rest of society to do so.
I still think that. But if I'm still failing after 21 days of monumental effort, I may need to consider adjusting my teaching times — to a schedule that suits my diurnal limitations.
Routine Checklist
Legend
- Ticks — right activity on time
- Crosses — not done to schedule
- Hyphens — not applicable to currrent routine configuration
| Task | M | T | W | T | F | S | S |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0730 - Wake | - | - | ✓ | ✕ | ✕ | ||
| 0745 - Exercise | - | - | ✓ | ✕ | ✕ | ||
| 0815 - Break (-fast) | - | - | ✓ | ✕ | ✕ | ||
| 0830 - Set-up | - | - | ✓ | ✕ | ✕ | ||
| 0845 - Session 1 | - | - | ✓ | ✓ | ✕ | ||
| 1015 - Break | - | - | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ||
| 1030 - Session 2 | - | - | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ||
| 1200 - Dinner | - | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ||
| 1245 - Session 3 | - | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ||
| 1415 - Break | - | - | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ||
| 1430 - Session 4 | - | ✕ | ✕ | ✓ | ✓ | ||
| 1600 — Break | - | ✓ | ✓ | ✕ | ✓ | ||
| 1630 - Exercise | - | ✓ | ✓ | ✕ | ✕ | ||
| 1745 - Break | - | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✕ | ||
| 1800 - Tea | - | ✕ | ✕ | ✓ | ✕ | ||
| 1845 - Maintenance | - | ✓ | ✕ | ✕ | ✕ | ||
| 1945 - Break | - | ✓ | ✕ | ✓ | ✓ | ||
| 2000 - Relax | - | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ||
| 2200 - Review, | - | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ||
| 2230 - Bed | - | - | - | ✕ | ✕ |
Learning Tasks Checklist
| Task | M | T | W | T | F | S | S |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Speak read press aloud | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ||
| Speak read fiction aloud | ✕ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ||
| Speak non-fiction | ✕ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ||
| Listen & speak phrases | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |||
| Listen & speak sentences | ✕ | ✕ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ||
| Listen & speak answer Qs | ✕ | ✕ | ✕ | ✓ | ✓ | ||
| Listen & sing - a song | ✕ | ✕ | ✕ | ✓ | ✓ | ||
| Aural comprehension test | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| Reading comprehension | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| Grammar exercise | - | - | - | ✓ | ✓ | ||
| Conjugate cue verbs | - | - | - | ✓ | ✓ | ||
| Listen to radio news | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ||
| Write radio news sum. | ✕ | ✕ | ✕ | ✕ | ✕ | ||
| Listen to fiction | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ||
| Listen to non-fiction | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ||
| Read press | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ||
| Write press translation | ✕ | ✕ | ✕ | ✕ | ✕ | ||
| Read fiction | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✕ | ✓ | ||
| Read non-fiction | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ||
| Write stop positions | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ||
| Listen to my speech | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✕ | ✕ | Write 'issues' notes | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Physical exercise | ✕ | ✓ | ✓ | ✕ | ✕ | ||
| Watch subbed drama | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ||
| Watch subbed film | ✓ | ✕ | ✕ | ✕ | ✕ | ||
| Watch no-sub docu | ✓ | ✕ | ✕ | ✕ | ✕ | ||
| Research lang. acquisition | ✓ | ✓ | ✕ | ✓ | ✕ | ||
| Review this checklist | ✕ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |