Today was very much a "game of 2 halves". I was up early, going quickly and on track until 4pm. But collapsed thereafter.
The teatime dip was triggered by nightfall, bad eating and a couple of drinks, but psychological and organisational factors turned it into full-on collapse.
The evening might have been quite 'productive' had I prepared to relax, with purposeful activities and materials to hand.
My failure to actively prepare for the downtown is nothing new, nor is the post-hoc recognition of it. But I'm hoping that I've begun to assemble the psycological tools to learn the lessons better this time.
Had I paused at around 4pm to evaluate the likely effects of socialy necessary eating and drinking drinking in the early evening, I could have prepared for active relaxation. Rather than merely slumping into aimless TV channel hopping.
A carefully selected tranche of Spanish binge TV/film would probably not have induced the sense of defeat that made it difficult for me to pull myself out of the slump.
Which reminds me that the checklists below, provide some tools to reduce the frequency and severity of such problems in future. For example, the three consecutive crosses in the 'prepare materials' row of the task list explains why I did not have any good quality binge viewing to hand.
Review
Good points
- Got going early
- Completed first 4 work sessions well
- Fifth consecutive day cycling
Must do better:
- Still not there on go to bed / wake up time
- Collapsed after pub grub and two beers
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 — Get going | ✕ | ✓ | ✕ | ✕ | ✕ | ||
| 0845 — Session 1 | ✕ | ✓ | ✕ | ✕ | ✓ | ||
| 1015 — Break | ✕ | ✓ | ✕ | ✕ | ✓ | ||
| 1030 — Session 2 | ✓ | ✓ | ✕ | ✓ | ✓ | ||
| 1200 — Dinner | ✓ | ✓ | ✕ | ✓ | ✓ | ||
| 1245 — Session 3 | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ||
| 1415 — Break | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✕ | ✓ | ||
| 1430 — Session 4 | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ||
| 1600 — Transition | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✕ | ||
| 1630 - Session 5 | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✕ | ✕ | ||
| 1800 — Tea | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✕ | ||
| 1830 — Maintenance | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✕ | ||
| 2000 — Relax | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✕ | ✕ | ||
| 2230 — Review, uwind | ✓ | ✓ | ✕ | ✓ | ✕ | ||
| 2330 — Bed | ✕ | ✕ | ✕ | ✕ | ✕ |
Learning Tasks Checklist
| Task | M | T | W | T | F | S | S |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reading comprehension | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ||
| Read aloud | ✕ | ✕ | ✕ | ✕ | ✕ | ||
| Just read | ✕ | ✕ | ✕ | ✕ | ✕ | ||
| Word & phrase exercises | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ||
| Sentence exercises | ✕ | ✓ | ✕ | ✓ | ✓ | ||
| Socratic dialogue | ✕ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ||
| A song | ✕ | ✕ | ✕ | ✕ | ✕ | ||
| Aural comprehension | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ||
| Verb exercises | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✕ | ✕ | ||
| Pronoun exercises | ✕ | ✕ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ||
| Preposition exercises | ✕ | ✕ | ✕ | ✓ | ✓ | ||
| Conjunctions | ✕ | ✕ | ✓ | ✕ | ✕ | ||
| Eng.→Spa. translation | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ||
| Spa.→Eng. translation | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ||
| Physical exercise | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ||
| Subbed video | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✕ | ✕ | ||
| Non-subbed video | ✕ | ✕ | ✕ | ✕ | ✕ | ||
| Research lang. acquisition | ✕ | ✕ | ✕ | ✕ | ✕ | List 'issues' | ✓ | ✓ | ✕ | ✕ | ✕ | Prepare materials | ✓ | ✓ | ✕ | ✕ | ✕ |
| Review this checklist | ✓ | ✓ | ✕ | ✓ | ✓ |