The Basics

“I'm quite illiterate, but I read a lot. ” J.D. Salinger in The Catcher in the Rye

This week I really enjoyed my volleyball sessions, I was really feeling myself at training on Wednesday, that carried on to Friday's session as well. On Sunday I participated in the French Cup with my team's under 21 year olds. The chemistry needed to be built on the spot, since it was our first time playing as one.

To get to the second round of the French Cup the team has to be at least second best out of three teams playing on that day. We lost the first game 2-0 due to our team's miscommunication and rigidness. The second game we went all in and won 2-0. It was a quite a rollercoaster of emotions. Thanks to that win we were qualified for the next round which will take place in a month's time.

I had some difficulties bouncing back to my efficiency levels at the start of the week. In Paris I refused to do any work since I wanted to enjoy my stay there. Thus on Monday I got to experience the unpleasant feeling one gets while going to a test without studying. The test was not difficult, but without studying it was not easy either.

On a brighter note: I managed to write a code block for the first time ever. This of course implies that I did not go googling around or asking for the answer from my peers. I just wrote some funky sentences and it did what I wanted it to do. When the code finally functioned I stared at my computer with a huge smile for a good 10 minutes.

I have not found much time to spin some decks those last few weeks. Nevertheless I still wholeheartedly take time to blast music while doing other tasks. My bluetooth speaker is connected to my phone at all times. Music gives me this incredible energy to do just about anything, it helps out especially well with chores.

Interestingly enough this week I was asked not one but two times how to organise oneself. Having read and researched quite a bit on the subject of productivity for about two years I was happy to help. Of course the request was to give one specific work to follow. In my opinion Atomic Habits is a solid starting block. It gives a general view of how to build small and powerful habits.

"Here's how the math works out: if you can get 1 percent better each day for one year, you'll end up thirty-seven times better by the time you're done." James Clear

Here's the structure to creating a good habit according to the book :

1. Make it obvious (Do an activity right after one that is already part of your routine.)
2. Make it attractive (Pair an action you want to do with an action you need to do.)
3. Make it easy (Reduce the amount of effort needed to start a task, the less steps there are the easier it is to just do it.)
4. Make it satisfying (Give yourself an immediate reward when you complete your habit.)

That's just about it. Keep it simple. See You next week!