On-thread Low Stakes Accountability MMG

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ertyu
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On-thread Low Stakes Accountability MMG

Post by ertyu »

Goal: no zero weeks

Participation: on this thread, open to all

How: Respond with any change in a positive direction you would like to implement over the next week. To strengthen your own motivation and serve as an example, you may wish to include a short description of why you want to pursue this mini-goal and how it would be useful to you in the grand scheme of things.

Whatever you decide to do should be the sort of thing you can meaningfully attempt in a week without it becoming overwhelming. When in doubt, undershoot. Indicate whether you would like input or simply cheerleading or both.

The following Monday (or later) report how it went and what course corrections / further developments you'd want to accomplish -- or whether you've abandoned the goal and why. If you would like to give support or have advice for someone else to consider, give them that advice.

I'll start:

In the week of Dec 5 - Dec 12, I will:
Last edited by ertyu on Wed Nov 30, 2022 2:29 am, edited 1 time in total.

ertyu
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Re: On-thread Low Stakes Accountability MMG

Post by ertyu »

ertyu wrote:
Wed Nov 30, 2022 2:07 am
In the week of Dec 5 - Dec 12, I will:
Before Dec 5, I will build up my pantry to 1 months' worth of food storage. I will focus on rice and legumes. I will chop up "soup base" vegetables and mix them up and ladle them into freezer baggies, which I will freeze. I will store 3-4 weeks' worth of drinking water (4-5 boxes of four 5l bottles each). I have already taken care of most of these items, buying, chopping, and mixing up a bunch of veg is what I have left.

Why: winter is coming. A food buffer will make me feel better in case I face conditions of food insecurity. If I have salt, cooking oil, dry spices, legumes, rice, a multivitamin, and water, whatever happens I'll be mostly fine because salt, oil, legumes, rice, and a baggie of chopped frozen veg result in a simple, complete protein meal.

Dec 5-Dec 12

I would like to change bedrooms. My apartment has a currently unused small bedroom (1/2 size of current one) which is better insulated (double twin bed, wardrobe, nightstand, 50 cm space to move around). It is gloomier but will be warmer in the winter. I can use the process to simplify and declutter. It snowed for the first time today where I am and this has lit a fire under my ass.

7Wannabe5
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Re: On-thread Low Stakes Accountability MMG

Post by 7Wannabe5 »

I like the mini-goal every week format. I'm game.

Before Dec 5- I will get organized to start strength training routine. I am super weak, because have been doing zero exercise while sick this past year.

Dec 5- Dec 12- I will strive to improve the aesthetics of my tiny apartment from 4.5 to 7. My budget will be $20 max. I didn't plan on living here for very long, so I never really unpacked or made it my own. This goal will be complicated by the fact that I am still suffering some thrift store shopping anxiety due to the bed bug incident over the summer.

mooretrees
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Re: On-thread Low Stakes Accountability MMG

Post by mooretrees »

Love it!
Before Dec 5 I will:
Read two to four chapters of The Permanent Portfolio and freeze plums in long term cooler.
Dec 5-12
Another two to four chapters of TPP.

ertyu
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Joined: Sun Nov 13, 2016 2:31 am

Re: On-thread Low Stakes Accountability MMG

Post by ertyu »

ertyu wrote:
Wed Nov 30, 2022 2:19 am
Before Dec 5, I will build up my pantry to 1 months' worth of food storage. // I will chop up "soup base" vegetables and mix them up and ladle them into freezer baggies, which I will freeze.
Part 1 Done. 15 ziplock bags of soup base in the freezer. I'm running an experiment in "how late into the year can i hold off on turning on the heat" and it's 55F/13C inside now. I was freeriding on the heat of the gas stove boiling legumes while i was cutting up my veg. made me feel like a right mastermind.

NewBlood
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Re: On-thread Low Stakes Accountability MMG

Post by NewBlood »

I love the idea of this thread, thank you ertyu!

by Dec. 5: I will attempt to finish the book "Immune", since that's when it's due back on my app. I have 70% left, so a bit of a stretch goal. I really should get off the forum and get on it.

Dec. 5-12: I will take care of my pending snail mail: cash a check (amount is too big for mobile deposit), bill, Christmas cards and a Christmas package for my great aunt.

sky
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Re: On-thread Low Stakes Accountability MMG

Post by sky »

I will do my stretches every day this week.

ben2000s
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Re: On-thread Low Stakes Accountability MMG

Post by ben2000s »

Dec 5-12: I will not purchase anything in plastic packaging.

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Lemur
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Re: On-thread Low Stakes Accountability MMG

Post by Lemur »

Great idea for a thread...

Dec 5-Dec 12 - I will get back under 170lbs (I'm currently around 172-174lb) by eating around 1800-2000 calories and hitting my daily steps goal. I've been having a hard time getting back on track since I went off the rails in November. Let this be the week that starts back my long-term streak of healthy eating.

Also no YouTube for a week. I need to do one of these digital detoxes. My attention span is starting to suck again. Edit: Actually a further thought this morning - I went ahead and just removed all the apps on my phone that steal my attention for more than a minute a day (even Chrome!). I don't have social medias but I play a lot of games...and frequently get caught in the YouTube Shorts algorithm. Last night I started reading Cal Newport's Book "Digital Minimalism" which I picked up a few weeks ago at the library and did not start reading until today and its very relevant for my cause right now. Also lowered calorie target to 1600. This should put me at a 7000 total caloric deficit for a week when I hit that target everyday (2lbs worth). If I'm going to be hungry anyway, might as well up the challenge slightly. Its usually these initial tough weeks that allow myself to reset and then moderate things better going forward.
Last edited by Lemur on Mon Dec 05, 2022 11:46 am, edited 3 times in total.

ertyu
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Re: On-thread Low Stakes Accountability MMG

Post by ertyu »

ben2000s wrote:
Sun Dec 04, 2022 9:28 pm
Dec 5-12: I will not purchase anything in plastic packaging.
I love this one. I ran the list of things I bought over the last couple of weeks through my head, every single thing was packaged in plastic in one way or another -- even produce was put into individual plastic bags, weighed by the grocery store person, and sealed with a staple around the top. It really chllenges one to think.

IlliniDave
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Re: On-thread Low Stakes Accountability MMG

Post by IlliniDave »

Dec 5-12: I'm going to try two, one positive (do something), 1 negative (don't do something).

1)Average an hour per day (more is okay) each of

-playing guitar with an explicit goal of improvment
-writing fiction

Twofold purpose. First, I just want to build some momentum because my intent for both is to have them figure into my goals/plans (aka resolutions) for 2023. Second I want to migrate to spending more time doing them than I do talking about doing them (I participate in online groups/communities for both). While talking about them with like-minded folks has value, due to some personal flaws it leads to frittering away too much time impulsively clicking the interwebs.

2) (inspired by ben200s) Avoid buying anything sweet.

Simple rationale. iDave(Dec 2022) = almost 1.2*iDave(Jul 2021)

7Wannabe5
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Re: On-thread Low Stakes Accountability MMG

Post by 7Wannabe5 »

Before Dec 5- I will get organized to start strength training routine. I am super weak, because have been doing zero exercise while sick this past year.
Dumbbells arranged. Spreadsheet created. First session entered. Done!
Dec 5- Dec 12- I will strive to improve the aesthetics of my tiny apartment from 4.5 to 7. My budget will be $20 max. I didn't plan on living here for very long, so I never really unpacked or made it my own. This goal will be complicated by the fact that I am still suffering some thrift store shopping anxiety due to the bed bug incident over the summer.
I felt compelled to buy a decent new broom, so down to $8 on budget. I rehung some artwork which had fallen off the wall, but focusing first on getting everything to what I refer to as Polish Grandma level of clean and tidy. For better or worse, this is making me wonder whether I really want to further making myself feel at home in this space vs. pare back down to uber-minimalist and move out. Perhaps this process itself will inform the decision.

Dec. 13-20 - Craft holiday exchange gift using stuff that I already have on hand.

bostonimproper
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Re: On-thread Low Stakes Accountability MMG

Post by bostonimproper »

Dec 5-12, I will finish reading The Fire Next Time and make it through the halfway mark of one of the other books in my queue— probably Slouching Towards Bethlehem or The Lying Life of Adults, but I reserve the right to change my mind if something else catches my eye.

My book reading plummeted right as I switched careers four years ago (unsure as to why, anxiety spillover into my personal life maybe?) and I would like to get back into the habit.

ben2000s
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Re: On-thread Low Stakes Accountability MMG

Post by ben2000s »

ertyu wrote:
Mon Dec 05, 2022 5:12 am
It really chllenges one to think.
It challenges you to think about what?

mooretrees
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Re: On-thread Low Stakes Accountability MMG

Post by mooretrees »

mooretrees wrote:
Wed Nov 30, 2022 8:20 pm
Before Dec 5 I will:
Read two to four chapters of The Permanent Portfolio and freeze plums in long term cooler.
Completed the reading. Didn't do the plums, but did start dehydrating grapes. Found the plastic bags for the plums so will start working on them today and tomorrow. Feel like I accomplished the gist of what I wanted so happy with that.

bostonimproper
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Re: On-thread Low Stakes Accountability MMG

Post by bostonimproper »

bostonimproper wrote:
Mon Dec 05, 2022 1:24 pm
Dec 5-12, I will finish reading The Fire Next Time and make it through the halfway mark of one of the other books in my queue— probably Slouching Towards Bethlehem or The Lying Life of Adults, but I reserve the right to change my mind if something else catches my eye.

My book reading plummeted right as I switched careers four years ago (unsure as to why, anxiety spillover into my personal life maybe?) and I would like to get back into the habit.
Finished The Fire Next Time, which was excellent. Would highly recommend for anyone interested in a quick read on how the dynamics/ideological clashes between the Black Power and Civil Rights movements felt at the time.

I’m about 10% through The Lying Life of Adults. I’m a big fan on Ferrante’s My Brilliant Friend series, so generally pretty excited for this one too.

Quadalupe
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Re: On-thread Low Stakes Accountability MMG

Post by Quadalupe »

Good initiative! Before December 19th I will not drink anything besides water and tea, except for Thursday 15th where I can attend a beer-tasting and taste 4 beers (which isn't the same as drinking 4 beers!) Furthermore, I will not eat any sugary stuff besides Monday and Thursday.

Progress
Drink only water-tea: drank some cola and alcohol free beer Monday and some cola Tuesday. Drank a beer on Friday at a relatives birthday party
Don't eat any sugary stuff: didn't eat any on Tuesday. Ate a slice of cake on Friday. Ate a few pieces of candy on Saturday and Sunday.
Last edited by Quadalupe on Sun Dec 18, 2022 12:43 pm, edited 2 times in total.

7Wannabe5
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Re: On-thread Low Stakes Accountability MMG

Post by 7Wannabe5 »

Dec 5- Dec 12- I will strive to improve the aesthetics of my tiny apartment from 4.5 to 7. My budget will be $20 max.
I only spent $12, but I also only reached maybe a 6, not 7, on aesthetics. Like if you were traveling all day, and my tiny apartment was the outlier-cheapest available AirBnb you booked at the last minute, you might think "Okay, good. Not too terrible" when you walked in. Will consider re-visiting this goal sometime in the new year.
Dec. 13-20 - Craft holiday exchange gift using stuff that I already have on hand.
I will probably knit up some colorful dish towels. I might do some sort of humorous take on the discovery of previously unknown grandfather through results of DNA on ancestry.com.

disk_poet
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Re: On-thread Low Stakes Accountability MMG

Post by disk_poet »

I love this thread. Thanks @ertyu for starting it. This is perfect to get me back on track.

Goal for Dec 13 to 19

[ ] Take vitamin D every day to improve handling winter darkness
[ ] Drink 2L every day

Reasoning: Hopefully it will help me get my energy levels up and help me reconnect with the ERE forum after dealing with health issues and injuries over the past few months.

ertyu
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Re: On-thread Low Stakes Accountability MMG

Post by ertyu »

ertyu wrote:
Wed Nov 30, 2022 2:19 am
Dec 5-Dec 12

I would like to change bedrooms. My apartment has a currently unused small bedroom (1/2 size of current one) which is better insulated (double twin bed, wardrobe, nightstand, 50 cm space to move around). It is gloomier but will be warmer in the winter. I can use the process to simplify and declutter. It snowed for the first time today where I am and this has lit a fire under my ass.
I did not do this. Temperatures went back up and I'm fine in current room which gets more sunlight and is less depressing. I might have to reevaluate this goal - daylight is too important. The other room is smaller and will be warmer, but it also get less daylight.

What I did do is looked into, and learned how to use, some of the free hyperlinked note-taking software. I also watched some videos on the GTD system disussed in one of the other threads. So overall, still not a zero week.

Dec 13-Dec 19

Do not purchase food other than from the produce store (fresh fruit and veg to cook) or from my prepaid lunch card from work. Bring grounds to work and make my own coffee instead of buying.

ETA: slight cheating for using up processed food or bougie bullshit that's already been purchased (bougie bullshit = feta)
Last edited by ertyu on Tue Dec 13, 2022 3:50 am, edited 1 time in total.

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