Noisy Deadlines

100DaysToOffload

During a therapy session recently, I realized I have not been journaling deeply. Meaning, using writing to tap into my deeper thoughts. Journaling or writing practice has been one of the building blocks of my wellbeing and I’ve always preferred to do it by typing. And I don’t see it as blogging, where my words are out in the world for anyone to read. I see this practice as an intimate form of brain dump, to get thoughts unstuck and get more clarity. But lately I’ve been only writing quick notes of more superficial things, and I was not going deeper.

I’ve used Evernote, the Journey app, 750 Words and Standard Notes before. For the past year or so I’ve been using Standard Notes: I have 478 entries so far. But most of those entries are quick logs of what I’ve done for the day, with 1 or 2 paragraphs. I want to get back to free writing and writing for longer periods of time. One service that I love is 750 Words because it gives me incentive to keep on writing. The service is online, it’s paid, it has cool badges and stats. All the entries can be exported to .txt. It has a simple and beautiful interface. It is maintained by 2 people, Buster Benson and his wife Kellianne. They create cute badges and there are also monthly challenges. It’s distraction free and it’s only text, no images.

So, I got back to 750 Words this week. The goal is to write at least 750 words a day, and I can see how many words I’m typing and then check some stats like: how long to write 750 words, total time, total number of words written, my badges, etc.

I was surprised that I can actually write 750 words in under 30 minutes if I just keep on typing whatever comes to mind with no filter, no editing. That’s the idea I’m going for here: throwing it all out, unfiltered. It’s basically what Julia Cameron calls “Morning Pages” or the writing practice Natalie Goldberg describes in her book “Writing Down the Bones: Freeing the Writer Within”. Only after these brain dump sessions I’m able to open myself to write for my blog for example.

This practice nourishes my creativity, and I feel less afraid to publish words out in the open. If fits perfectly in my morning routine and it gives an extra boost of incentive to write every day.

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Post 36/100 of 100DaysToOffload challenge (Round 2)!

#100DaysToOffload #100Days #Blaugust2024 #Blaugust #journal #journaling

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By Noisy Deadlines Minimalist in progress, nerdy, introvert, skeptic. I don't leave without my e-reader.

Every day I carve out time to read on my Kobo. It can be during breakfast in the morning, 15-20 minutes during my lunch break, 10 minutes in a medical office waiting for an appointment. But most of my reading I do at night, after work, that's when I can have 30 minutes to 1 hour or more to sit down and read.

And I've been really focusing on this habit. It's now part of who I am. But I gave up other things to be able to keep reading that much. I don't have the habit of watching YouTube, except for when I want to research about a topic, like an author interview or a book review I am curious to watch, or the occasional video my partner will invite me to watch with him.

I also gave up mainstream social media years ago. I still have a Mastodon account that I've been using less and less. I've been feeling I'm not getting too much out of it, and I get overwhelmed by the different topics going on, all showing up one after the other, I don't like the Twitter-like format that much.

I still subscribe to a few newsletters, and I still use a RSS feed reader. I think RSS feeds are great for the “consume at your pace” type of deal. But even this will overwhelm me. I have been adding personal blogs feeds to my reader and now I have 70 feeds I'm subscribed to. And it's a lot for me! I want to get it down to a more manageable number.

So, I guess, what I want to say is that I've been experiencing information overload, and it's competing with my favorite downtime activity, which is reading books.

Maybe I've been so much time away from the current noisy and chaotic internet feeds that my level of comfort with new information coming at me has changed. I want some space.

I've deleted my RSS feed app from my phone. I will read my feeds only when I'm at a computer, once or twice a week. I think it will make this activity more mindful. My next step will be do some curation on my list of feeds to make it less overwhelming.

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Post 35/100 of 100DaysToOffload challenge (Round 2)!

#100DaysToOffload #100Days #Blaugust2024 #Blaugust #journal #digitalminimalism #socialmedia

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By Noisy Deadlines Minimalist in progress, nerdy, introvert, skeptic. I don't leave without my e-reader.

  • 🍂 I can sense the change of seasons with days now around 20°C, shorter daylight hours, and darker mornings. Fall is approaching, and it’s my favorite season! I avoid hiking in the summer due to bugs, so I always wait for Fall to begin my hiking adventures.
  • ⛸ I enrolled for Fall Ice Skating classes!
  • 🍎 I'm still doing my food diary. I've got one more week to go before my next appointment with the registered dietitian.
  • 📚 I've been reading a lot! I've been spending less of my free time on the computer or on my phone and that means more reading. Sometimes I don't even turn on my personal laptop over the weekends. I'm just preferring more offline time when I’m not working.
  • 📖 I just started reading the next pick for my Book Club: Surface Detail (Culture #9) by Iain M. Banks. I'm not at all familiar with this series, so I had to do some research just to understand the world building a bit. The series can be read in any order, but since I've never read any of those books, I was a bit lost after I read the first 3 chapters of Surface Detail. But now I understand a little bit more of the universe, so I'll keep on reading.
  • I'm feeling overwhelmed by my RSS feeds. I’m subscribing to 70 feeds right now, and I feel it’s too much. I need to do a cleanup soon.
  • I didn’t play Stardew Valley this week.

Currently reading

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Post 34/100 of 100DaysToOffload challenge (Round 2)!

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By Noisy Deadlines Minimalist in progress, nerdy, introvert, skeptic. I don't leave without my e-reader.

I’ve been registering all my meals and symptoms in a small notebook (10 cm x 14 cm) since Friday. Yes, in a paper notebook, small enough for me to carry around with my Kobo. I leave the pen attached to the notebook’s spiral so it’s easy for me to take notes of symptoms any time of the day. Sometimes it’s only after a couple of hours that I will feel something.

A friend asked me why I am not using an app for my Food Diary. This is what I responded:

  • I’m only doing this for a couple of weeks, so I wanted the simplest and easiest way to take notes. Nothing beats paper. (I will probably transfer the notes to an Excel spreadsheet later because… Excel nerd here).
  • I hate typing/writing on a mobile device. See above.
  • Apps will ask me to create an account and then they will bother me offering a premium subscription. No, thanks.
  • Also, there might be ads in the app itself. Nope.

My Food Diary with my Kobo (yes, they match colors!)

After starting this Food Diary I’ve been able to notice nuances to my symptoms. I’m paying more attention to what I’m eating. And I noticed that I was ignoring some of my symptoms because I just got used to them.

The Food Diary was a task given to me by my Registered Dietitian, but I’m also seeing a Naturopath for other related health things. I saw my Naturopath today and she’s super interested in my Food Diary because it will help her to figure some of my other problems as well.

I don’t want to get into too much detail about my health issues, but I needed to address some hormonal alterations that started showing up 2 years ago. I was seeing medical doctors all this time and none of them were worried about my blood test results. I’ve been living with some hormonal imbalances that I really wanted to investigate, but doctors always dismissed my concerns and symptoms.

And that’s why I decided to see a Naturopath again. I used to see one back in Brazil years and years ago and they can help when “conventional” medicine isn’t working well or as complement to it. At least there is somebody really listening to me and investigating the root cause of my imbalances. And taking a broader view by connecting the dots between my diet, the medication I’ve been taking for years, my symptoms, my gut health.

I was really weak the past few years with my anemia getting worse, and the doctors just telling me to “eat more meat” and “greens” even though my body wasn’t (and still isn’t) able to absorb iron properly. It took me 2 years to finally get a referral to see a Hematologist and get an IV iron injection to replenish my ferritin levels.

I feel much better now after getting the IV iron, but I’ve endured so many years in a weakened state that I don’t even know if now I’ve reached my normal energy levels. Based on what’s going on with my hormones and digestion system, my Naturopath thinks I’m still not at a 100%. I got some work to do, but I will get there!

The start of the journey is always awareness!

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Post 33/100 of 100DaysToOffload challenge (Round 2)!

#100DaysToOffload #100Days #Blaugust2024 #Blaugust #health #journal

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By Noisy Deadlines Minimalist in progress, nerdy, introvert, skeptic. I don't leave without my e-reader.

  • 🍎 I had my first appointment with a Registered Dietitian this week. It's been at least 7 years since I've last seen one and I feel I need better guidance on my diet now. I've been having more GERD symptoms lately, and I also noticed I've been mindlessly snacking all the time, and I gained some weight. I am basically doing a food diary for 2 weeks, registering all my meals and symptoms so that the dietitian can build a meal plan for me.

  • 🧀 Some diet notes: I think my lactose intolerance is becoming more severe. It has not been too intense in the past couple of years, so I still could eat cheese in moderation. But now... I'm already sad I will have to (probably) say goodbye to cheese 😢.

  • ✏️ I joined #Blaugust2024!

  • 📒 I've been using my Rocketbook Fusion for 4 months now for all my work notes. One thing I noticed is that I go through a LOT of ink! I've been buying the pens refills, and they go out fast! The process of scanning the pages with the app is great. Now, wiping off the pages with water and cloth every week... not so much. I haven't decided anything yet, but I think I've been putting off cleaning the pages because it's a lot of work. Food for thought.

  • 📖 I'm glad I finished reading the book for my next Book Club meet-up this weekend (I thought I wouldn't be able to make it). It's called “The City of Brass” by S.A. Chakraborty. It's not a bad book, it's well written, great world building, but I wouldn't give it 5 stars. It was meh. I'm still processing the reasons why I didn't enjoy it that much.

  • 🎧I've been listening to a few podcasts dedicated to the romance genre. I got some recommendations, and I tried a few books that really weren't my thing. Romance is such a vast genre, with hundreds of sub-genres, so I'm still learning about my reading preferences. The good thing is there is a book for every taste/trope/theme/setting. I will try some new authors in the next few months.

  • 🚩I deleted my blog's “Now Page”.

Cool Online Reads:

I enjoyed these articles discussing social media. I identify with the issues. I have a Mastodon account, which I don't really check that often.

About making reading fun (and reading more!):

And the benefits of therapy:

I loved this writing setup. I noticed we use the same mouse!

Romance Novels Podcasts I've been exploring:

Games I'm playing: Stardew Valley

  • I'm halfway into my first Fall season. I love the colors!
  • I got enough money and resources to expand my house and have a kitchen! (under construction)
  • I got a second chicken coop (to prepare for winter).
  • I found and retrieved Mayor Lewis Shorts.

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Post 32/100 of 100DaysToOffload challenge (Round 2)!

#100DaysToOffload #100Days #weeknotes #Blaugust2024 #Blaugust

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By Noisy Deadlines Minimalist in progress, nerdy, introvert, skeptic. I don't leave without my e-reader.

The “Now” page is an idea from Derek Sivers that started a movement around 2015. I thought it was cool, but in reality, I was never good at keeping it up to date. I mean, sometimes I'd rather just write a post about what is going on in my life. Also, the “now” aspect of it reminds me of social media. It gives an urgency to communicate what is going on “right now” and I prefer sharing things more intentionally. And to be honest, that's probably not the sense that Derek Sivers originally had for the “Now” page, but I just perceive it that way unconsciously.

On the other hand, I really enjoy writing the “Week Notes”! I first saw this idea on a few blogs that were participating in the 100 Days To Offload last year (2023).

Sometimes I totally forget that I have a “Now” page, so it's not updated as frequently. The “Week Notes” are a better way of registering what I'm up to. It's a nice chunk of time to look back to and reflect upon and I like the regularity of it. When I'm doing my end of the month review it's amazing to look at my Week Notes and see a summary of what happened in my life, the good things, and the bad things.

So, I'm deleting my “Now” page today. I think I will move some of the info that is there to my “About” page: things like my routines and podcasts I'm listening to because those are pretty consistent.

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Post 31/100 of 100DaysToOffload challenge (Round 2)! and Blaugust2024!

#100DaysToOffload #100Days #Blaugust2024 #Blaugust #NoisyMusings

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By Noisy Deadlines Minimalist in progress, nerdy, introvert, skeptic. I don't leave without my e-reader.

So, I decided to join the Blaugust 2024! It's my first time. I love that there are weekly themes and prompts ideas to write. I've already discovered some cool participating blogs!

I will introduce myself this week, then.

Hi, my name is Ariadne. I'm a woman in my mid 40's and I have been writing this blog since 2012 or so. I've kept the same name since the beginning, when I started it in Tumblr, then quickly moved to Wordpress. By 2018 I moved to write.as and never looked back.

I have a background in Civil Engineering focused on buildings, but I really wanted to be a Computer Scientist. I've always loved computers! I started playing with them in the late 80's in a TK-85 with cassette tapes. I still work with computers and spreadsheets all day.

I work as a construction estimator for a big general contractor. I was born in Brazil, and I've been in Canada for 7 years. I've been together with my partner for almost 2 decades now (gosh, has it been that long?). He's my life love and best friend 😍. We've been through a lot together (including leaving everything behind and moving to a new country!).

📚 I love reading and I try to spend most of my downtime with books (in my case, e-books on my Kobo). Reading calms my mind and lets me explore different worlds and possibilities. I was mostly into sci-fi and fantasy for a long while, then some mystery, but now I'm branching out to cozier/fluffy reads with romance as well.

I'm an introvert. I need quiet time every day (and reading is perfect for that!). I hate crowds and noisy places. But I love rock and heavy metal.

I've developed several managing/coping skills for my anxiety and stress. I do yoga, I meditate, I journal, I blog, I exercise. I prioritize my sleep no matter what. I have dietary restrictions to manage acid reflux, so I don't eat out a lot. I cook 99% of my meals from scratch. I don't drink coffee or carbonated drinks. I don't drink alcohol. I avoid any type of spicy food, onions, pickles, citric foods, lactose.

I focus a lot on my wellbeing these days. Since my early 20's I had chronic low back pain, and it took me years to find out ways to manage it and be mostly pain free (exercise was the most important one). Everything I do today for my health is to avoid having that pain again. It was not fun because it was debilitating (really, sometimes I couldn’t walk!). I'm okay now, but I must keep up with my routines to keep it that way.

I'm also organized and a minimalist: I hate clutter, and I try to be very intentional with my belongings. I think a lot about organization and productivity: I love the GTD methodology and it has helped me so much!

🎮 I used to play a lot of video games (I grew up as PC gamer; I love a keyboard!). My all-time favorite games/series are Mass Effect, The Witcher, Assassin's Creed, Neverwinter Nights, Dragon Age, Temple of Elemental Evil, SimCity, Age of Empires, Starcraft, to name a few.

Nowadays I'm playing cozy games like Stardew Valley and Dorfromantik.

So, that's it!

I probably won't be writing every day for the Blaugust, I don't want to put that much pressure on me, but I'm really enjoying the flexibility and sense of community with this initiative 👋.

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Post 30/100 of 100DaysToOffload challenge (Round 2)! and Blaugust2024!

#100DaysToOffload #100Days #Blaugust2024 #Blaugust #introduction

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By Noisy Deadlines Minimalist in progress, nerdy, introvert, skeptic. I don't leave without my e-reader.

  • 🏡 I took 2 days off this week right before a long weekend so I had an extra long weekend! I used that time to just relax at home. Lots of drinking tea and reading. Some light walks here and there. I also stayed away from my computer for the most part. My focus was only reading for a couple of days and it was relaxing.
  • ✍ Because I was mostly disconnected for the past few days, my RSS feed is full of unread articles right now. And I just noticed that Blaugust 2024 is on and that seems fun! So I'm thinking of joining on this second week.
  • 📚 I don't usually re-read books, but I decided to re-read a romance novel I read 9 years ago. I saw it being discussed in a podcast, and there are some interesting elements about it that I completely forgot and probably didn't pay attention to the first time I read it. So I did finish it, and I really enjoyed it!
  • 💪 I went to the gym instead of running outside this week because it was too hot. Another heat wave came in.

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Post 29/100 of 100DaysToOffload challenge (Round 2)!

#100DaysToOffload #100Days #weeknotes #Blaugust2024 #Blaugust

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By Noisy Deadlines Minimalist in progress, nerdy, introvert, skeptic. I don't leave without my e-reader.

I was all about fiction this month! I explored a gorgeous graphic novel, read a book with not enough octopuses, and continued reading a bunch of series.

  1. The Mountain in the Sea by Ray Nayler, 420p: It’s full of thoughtful and conceptual ideas exploring our unknowability towards others but with octopuses. I liked the fictional book quotes at the beginning of each chapter, leaving me with some ideas about the nature of consciousness, intelligence and being human. I wish the first contact situation were more deeply explored, meaning, I wanted more octopuses! 🐙 The characters and the plot didn’t work too well for me. Sometimes it felt the dialogues were out of place with the characters doing an academic exposition on a subject to each other. The ending seemed too easy given all the complexities of the matter presented since the beginning of the story.

  2. A Lady by Midnight (Spindle Cove #3) by Tessa Dare, 384p: I liked the grumpy/sunshine trope in this one. Corporal Thorne is broken and sad, but he has a soft heart. Katie grew up an orphan and she is a talented music teacher and strong willed. There is an adorable puppy, hilarious incidents (like the one with the melon) and an emotional slow burn romance. There is family drama with things being unburied from the past, a ball and even a duel! I had lots of fun reading this one.

  3. When a Scot Ties the Knot (Castles Ever After #3) by Tessa Dare, 376p: I loved the set up, and the introduction with Maddie's letters was really well done! It's funny and it's sweet. Maddie was super interesting:  she worked as an illustrator of insects and there were some funny bits involving lobsters. The male protagonist is a grumpy Scottish dude, but then we learn he has a soft heart. I loved how supportive of each other they were, even though the whole premise of the story starts with the blackmail trope and fake marriage. It was just excellent.

  4. Monstress, Vol. 1: Awakening (Monstress #01-06) by Marjorie Liu, 208p: This is a graphic novel series that was recommended to me. Such a gorgeous artwork, it's beautiful! The tone was darker than I expected, there is lots of gore that I wasn't prepared for. I loved the cats with their wisdom, they are my favorite characters. It was very engaging from the beginning, and I am curious to dive more into this world.

  5. Turn Coat (The Dresden Files #11) by Jim Butcher, 576p: I loved the mysterious “whodunit” plot. There are some high stakes here, super powerful magical entities, great battle scenes and a clever plan to expose the murderer. I thought this one had excellent pacing, well balanced with action scenes and dialogue. Full of cool plot twists (well it starts with a huge plot twist: who'd think Morgan would go to Harry for help?). We can see Harry growing inside the White Council. We get to know the wizards HQ in Edinburg and it was nice to see Harry challenging the Senior Council. It cleverly brings previous plotlines together. One of my favorites of the series now.

  6. Scott Pilgrim vs. the Universe (Scott Pilgrim #5) by Bryan Lee O'Malley, 184p: In this one we get to see the twins Kyle and Ken Katayanagi. There was less stuff happening in this one. It was fun to see Scott and Ramona living together and then having disagreements. It sets up the stage for the next ex-boyfriend: Gideon. Again, just unpretentious fun!

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Post 28/100 of 100DaysToOffload challenge (Round 2)!

#100DaysToOffload #100Days #readinglist #books #reading

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By Noisy Deadlines Minimalist in progress, nerdy, introvert, skeptic. I don't leave without my e-reader.

  • 📅 This week I went back to using Cal Newport’s Time Block Planner at work. I felt like I needed an hour-by-hour grid, with enough space to redraw the plan as I go through my day. So, I’m using the Rocketbook for high level planning (month and week plans), my notes and meeting notes. But for the daily plan detail I prefer a dedicate time blocker.
  • 👟 I finally got proper new running shoes! I went to a specialized store to get some advice, and I showed them my old pair and. After they observed me walking around, the conclusion was that I have a more neutral stride, not much overpronation going on. Good to know!
  • 🏃‍♀️ Running: 4 runs in total, one of them was by the river with a nice breeze. It was hot in the last few days (around 30C) so my pace was slower because of the heat:
    • July 23, 2024 => 7.11km – 49 minutes – pace 6:53 min/km
    • July 26, 2024 => 7.22km – 49minutes – pace 6:48 min/km
    • July 27, 2024 => 4.61km – 33minutes – pace 7:08 min/km
    • July 28, 2024 => 7.3km – 53minutes – pace 7:15 min/km
  • 🧩 We started the Tiamat Dragon puzzle. The border is almost complete, it’s only missing 2 pieces that must be mixed with all the others. We’ll find them eventually!
  • 🛌 We were searching for a new mattress, and we found a firm one that we like this weekend. We’ve both been waking up with a sore back and we can feel our current mattress doesn’t hold the same firmness anymore (we both don’t like soft mattresses). So, we are switching from memory foam to a good firm pocketed-coil mattress. It will be delivered later this week, and I can’t wait!
  • 🎧 I listened to two Metallica albums non-stop, something that I rarely do these days (listening to a full music album from start to finish, I mean). Nostalgia feelings everywhere!
  • 📖 I finished reading Turn Coat (The Dresden Files #11) by Jim Butcher. It is a series that is always there for me with a great protagonist, a dog, a cat, good humour and magic shenanigans with vampires and werewolves. Always a fun ride!

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Post 27/100 of 100DaysToOffload challenge (Round 2)!

#100DaysToOffload #100Days #weeknotes

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By Noisy Deadlines Minimalist in progress, nerdy, introvert, skeptic. I don't leave without my e-reader.