And so here it is, the last day.
I do understand that every day of the challenge, the goal was to increase productivity, however as mentioned in the podcast, I don't see my usual daily activities drastically effecting where I see myself in a few years in a positive way. How I consume media has become a part of my lifestyle, and in return, effects the way I interact with people, the work I do, and the people I meet. I will probably exercise some of the challenges during times when I deem is necessary to boost productivity (like during exams), but I don't see myself doing too much more than that. Nonetheless It was a good few days to be able to experience how each challenge was like and be able to put it into practice.
Because of complications and some of the special events happening between my other two occupations, I was not able to fully experience was every challenge was like and its impact on a normal day. Hopefully in the future, I will put some of the challenges back into practice to give it a better shot to experience how it truly feels.
Because of my views on media consumption, my rule is going to be rather bland.
"Take only what you need" I think its okay to take in media on a regular basis, as long as its not interfering with the task at hand. In my case, my consumption of media adds to part of who I am. At the end of the day, im the one doing the tasks and for me to be me, I "take what I need" to be myself. Its good to be up to date with whats happening around me and the rest of the world, but in the end, I still have to face the tasks ahead of me.
Tuesday, November 15, 2016
Monday, November 14, 2016
Day 4
Simple enough, the challenge today was to initiate a conversation that lasts more than 7 minutes.
For me, it was an easy challenge, especially because today is one of the two days a week I work at Cabelas as a firearms outfitter. As firearm outfitters, we are expected to educate customers and help them make informed decisions on firearms and shooting related equipment. These conversations tend to get personal and last up to and hour, depending on the topics at hand.
Today, I spoke to many people but two encounters with customers really stood out.
the first one was with an enthusiastic, mid-aged couple who were looking to purchase their first firearm. They came to me, hoping I would knew anything about skeet and surprise! I shoot quite a bit of skeet. From that conversation, we were able to talk about our past experience on skeet shooting and that was when I found out that the nice lady was doing her Ph.D. at U Ottawa. We talked about school and mentioned how Carleton has a firearms association (which I am an exec on) and a skeet team (which I am trying out for). We then moved on to talking about beginners firearms, relating them to stories of how their parents started shooting and what they shot. It was really a throwback to the past for them and a great story for me to hear. From then the gentleman wanted to take a look at the expensive toys, quoting the price it costs for him to fly. At that point, me and the gentleman talked for what seemed to be an eternity about our flying experiences, where we got our licenses, bad pilots and exchanged funny stories. I ended up staying with the couple for about an hour, chatting it out with them until I had to leave to help a customer who wanted to talk to me, someone who I helped in the past. The two didn't want to hold me back from doing my job and insisted that they will come back again to continue where the conversation left off, and to purchase the firearm I suggested them. there was no more than a 30-second period that a joke was not shared amongst the three of us.
The second notable encounter was with a gentlemen I sold a very expensive rifle to last week. I sold it to him based on my past long range shooting experience from when I shot in the DCRA, and as it turns out, we have very similar goals and tastes when it comes to precision shooting, only he's mid-aged and as a lot more time and money than me! The funny guy came back to me to tell me about how the gun shoots, joking that it couldn't hit a broadside of the barn and that it was safer in front of the rifle than behind it. Very sarcastic guy that really knows how to keep the conversation going. We talked more about high-end firearms and shooting accessories, items not even available in store because of their high costs. we ended up looking at the most expensive scope in the store($3.3K) which he bought out of impulse... because of its my "closest recommendation" to something I'd use on my precision rifle in store. The gentlemen left telling me he would be back if he hits something with the damn rifle! really, the rifle can hit a loonie at 500 ish meters. I don't think he will have any issues.
I've noticed that the best conversations with individuals are always on the funny side or sad side. The funny ones usually pick up easily as soon as the joke train starts moving, while the sad ones are bounded by emotion. Always end a conversation on a good note, and sad ones usually work their way there.
For me, it was an easy challenge, especially because today is one of the two days a week I work at Cabelas as a firearms outfitter. As firearm outfitters, we are expected to educate customers and help them make informed decisions on firearms and shooting related equipment. These conversations tend to get personal and last up to and hour, depending on the topics at hand.
Today, I spoke to many people but two encounters with customers really stood out.
the first one was with an enthusiastic, mid-aged couple who were looking to purchase their first firearm. They came to me, hoping I would knew anything about skeet and surprise! I shoot quite a bit of skeet. From that conversation, we were able to talk about our past experience on skeet shooting and that was when I found out that the nice lady was doing her Ph.D. at U Ottawa. We talked about school and mentioned how Carleton has a firearms association (which I am an exec on) and a skeet team (which I am trying out for). We then moved on to talking about beginners firearms, relating them to stories of how their parents started shooting and what they shot. It was really a throwback to the past for them and a great story for me to hear. From then the gentleman wanted to take a look at the expensive toys, quoting the price it costs for him to fly. At that point, me and the gentleman talked for what seemed to be an eternity about our flying experiences, where we got our licenses, bad pilots and exchanged funny stories. I ended up staying with the couple for about an hour, chatting it out with them until I had to leave to help a customer who wanted to talk to me, someone who I helped in the past. The two didn't want to hold me back from doing my job and insisted that they will come back again to continue where the conversation left off, and to purchase the firearm I suggested them. there was no more than a 30-second period that a joke was not shared amongst the three of us.
The second notable encounter was with a gentlemen I sold a very expensive rifle to last week. I sold it to him based on my past long range shooting experience from when I shot in the DCRA, and as it turns out, we have very similar goals and tastes when it comes to precision shooting, only he's mid-aged and as a lot more time and money than me! The funny guy came back to me to tell me about how the gun shoots, joking that it couldn't hit a broadside of the barn and that it was safer in front of the rifle than behind it. Very sarcastic guy that really knows how to keep the conversation going. We talked more about high-end firearms and shooting accessories, items not even available in store because of their high costs. we ended up looking at the most expensive scope in the store($3.3K) which he bought out of impulse... because of its my "closest recommendation" to something I'd use on my precision rifle in store. The gentlemen left telling me he would be back if he hits something with the damn rifle! really, the rifle can hit a loonie at 500 ish meters. I don't think he will have any issues.
I've noticed that the best conversations with individuals are always on the funny side or sad side. The funny ones usually pick up easily as soon as the joke train starts moving, while the sad ones are bounded by emotion. Always end a conversation on a good note, and sad ones usually work their way there.
Sunday, November 13, 2016
Day 3
Today, the challenge was to avoid mainstream media, focussing on only things I think will progress my day.
I will have to admit that it wasn't difficult, especially with my 13.5 hour work day keeping me occupied from good, rich, mainstream content. I do however miss my daily intake of Barack Obama and Joe Biden memes !
Since I was excluded from electronics for most of the day, it was hard to describe how this challenge impacted me, however, I can say that on a normal day where Im not being challenged, I'm usually on my electronics, killing time on memes and tabloids and such. That allows me to efficiently kill time while allowing me to catch the daily fad and feed of memes.
Because of that every day instinct to check my phone every given opportunity to see whats new, my fingers were constantly itching to press that unlock button and go to the facebook app. I actually managed to not open facebook all day, going as far as only messages with my friends. Trump of course was part of the conversation this time. Other than that, I didn't consume any more mainstream media.
The lack of knowledge of whats happening around the world today really got me thinking. Ive noticed that I was only able to comment on conversations pertaining old news. I was completely excluded from the daily meme conversation at work, not only because I had nothing to contribute but also to follow the guidelines of the challenge. In all I felt like I was missing part of my life to function. Many of my interactions with other humans involve referencing everyday material and when that aspect is gone it changes the way I interact with others, taking a little bit of me out of myself.
I will have to admit that it wasn't difficult, especially with my 13.5 hour work day keeping me occupied from good, rich, mainstream content. I do however miss my daily intake of Barack Obama and Joe Biden memes !
Since I was excluded from electronics for most of the day, it was hard to describe how this challenge impacted me, however, I can say that on a normal day where Im not being challenged, I'm usually on my electronics, killing time on memes and tabloids and such. That allows me to efficiently kill time while allowing me to catch the daily fad and feed of memes.
Because of that every day instinct to check my phone every given opportunity to see whats new, my fingers were constantly itching to press that unlock button and go to the facebook app. I actually managed to not open facebook all day, going as far as only messages with my friends. Trump of course was part of the conversation this time. Other than that, I didn't consume any more mainstream media.
The lack of knowledge of whats happening around the world today really got me thinking. Ive noticed that I was only able to comment on conversations pertaining old news. I was completely excluded from the daily meme conversation at work, not only because I had nothing to contribute but also to follow the guidelines of the challenge. In all I felt like I was missing part of my life to function. Many of my interactions with other humans involve referencing everyday material and when that aspect is gone it changes the way I interact with others, taking a little bit of me out of myself.
Day 2
Another day, another task.
Day 2: clear any unecessary data from phone.
thinking back to when I got my phone, I have never really cleared things I didn't need. I've been whording all this excess junk, thinking I don't need to clean it because I still have a lot of space on it.
For the most part, deleting the apps were not a hassle. It was very easy to identify the ones I was never going to use again. After completely rushing through my phone, I've noticed that some apps have not been opened for 3+ years! Those were the first ones to go. I also noticed that some apps were not appropriately sorted into the proper folders, making me unaware of their presence, leading to me never using them. Now with social media apps all in one folder, I can now total the amount of incoming notifications I have instead of having 5 apps with their own notifications.
I didn't just delete apps on the phone. I even went as far as deleting unnecessary app data. This data included old notes, random pictures, screenshots, and videos, unlistened to / duplicates in my music, and any no longer needed files. Sometimes it was hard to delete the data as you never know if you needed it again, or if you will ever find that perfect opportunity to use that meme again.
After the process, I actually cleared about 1.1 GB off my phone(that's a lot of dank memes). I didn't notice a huge difference from before but everything did seem a little uncluttered and more organized which was astetically pleasing. Consolidating the social media apps has given me a very good overlook on how many incoming messages and notifications I have, however, it has become a nuisance when it comes to accessing them. Opening a folder took extra time and didn't allow me to know where the notifications came from. In the end, usually search apps I use less frequently on the search bar. The cleansing of data has given me a better sense of what I have and where things are and will encourage me to continue the trend of having the phone organized. Mild OCD when it comes to this.
Day 2: clear any unecessary data from phone.
thinking back to when I got my phone, I have never really cleared things I didn't need. I've been whording all this excess junk, thinking I don't need to clean it because I still have a lot of space on it.
For the most part, deleting the apps were not a hassle. It was very easy to identify the ones I was never going to use again. After completely rushing through my phone, I've noticed that some apps have not been opened for 3+ years! Those were the first ones to go. I also noticed that some apps were not appropriately sorted into the proper folders, making me unaware of their presence, leading to me never using them. Now with social media apps all in one folder, I can now total the amount of incoming notifications I have instead of having 5 apps with their own notifications.
I didn't just delete apps on the phone. I even went as far as deleting unnecessary app data. This data included old notes, random pictures, screenshots, and videos, unlistened to / duplicates in my music, and any no longer needed files. Sometimes it was hard to delete the data as you never know if you needed it again, or if you will ever find that perfect opportunity to use that meme again.
After the process, I actually cleared about 1.1 GB off my phone(that's a lot of dank memes). I didn't notice a huge difference from before but everything did seem a little uncluttered and more organized which was astetically pleasing. Consolidating the social media apps has given me a very good overlook on how many incoming messages and notifications I have, however, it has become a nuisance when it comes to accessing them. Opening a folder took extra time and didn't allow me to know where the notifications came from. In the end, usually search apps I use less frequently on the search bar. The cleansing of data has given me a better sense of what I have and where things are and will encourage me to continue the trend of having the phone organized. Mild OCD when it comes to this.
Friday, November 11, 2016
Day 1
Well here it is, day one of the blog challenge.
Today, my goal was to focus exclusively on the task at hand and honestly, I did better than I thought I was going to do. It almost deemed to be an impossible goal to accomplish because of the number of distractions I get on minutely basis. These distractions usually include messages I receive from groups and individuals which I usually respond to as soon as I see, diverting my attention away from the task at hand, however, today was different.
Today was remembrance day, a day when we honor our fallen soldiers from deployments past, present, and future. I was tasked with fulfilling general duties downtown all day, from 6:00 AM until 6:00 PM. Amazingly enough, I was busy for the entire 12 hours without any, let's say major distraction. At the start of the day, my phone was put onto silent, as directed by my superiors in the morning briefing. Before I left for my tasking, I took a quick peek at my phone, and of course, No one is awake at 6:30 so there really isn't much new. For the next 6 hours, I remained busy until lunch came. I had 15 minutes to grab some chao before I had to get back to my tasking. The few times I was distracted, it was actually by people who joked with me, taking probably 20 seconds out of my day each time, but i wasn't going to say no to a short conversation so I went with it. As soon ask I was relieved from my duties, I decided to reply to the messages that have been accumulating that day.
Today would not have been the most optimal day to do this challenge because there was no easy distraction to pick up on. I honestly think the day would have the same outcome without the challenge on the back of my mind, however, If I were in school today, I would have limited myself from many basic distractions. I would have been more efficient throughout the day because my attention wouldn't be swaying back and forth, increasing the amount of time required to complete the task at hand.
from a broader perspective, I did manage to be on task all day however I did not force myself to do so rather, I never got the opportunity to get distracted. Im sure the day would definitely have been different if I were actively trying not to be distracted.
Today, my goal was to focus exclusively on the task at hand and honestly, I did better than I thought I was going to do. It almost deemed to be an impossible goal to accomplish because of the number of distractions I get on minutely basis. These distractions usually include messages I receive from groups and individuals which I usually respond to as soon as I see, diverting my attention away from the task at hand, however, today was different.
Today was remembrance day, a day when we honor our fallen soldiers from deployments past, present, and future. I was tasked with fulfilling general duties downtown all day, from 6:00 AM until 6:00 PM. Amazingly enough, I was busy for the entire 12 hours without any, let's say major distraction. At the start of the day, my phone was put onto silent, as directed by my superiors in the morning briefing. Before I left for my tasking, I took a quick peek at my phone, and of course, No one is awake at 6:30 so there really isn't much new. For the next 6 hours, I remained busy until lunch came. I had 15 minutes to grab some chao before I had to get back to my tasking. The few times I was distracted, it was actually by people who joked with me, taking probably 20 seconds out of my day each time, but i wasn't going to say no to a short conversation so I went with it. As soon ask I was relieved from my duties, I decided to reply to the messages that have been accumulating that day.
Today would not have been the most optimal day to do this challenge because there was no easy distraction to pick up on. I honestly think the day would have the same outcome without the challenge on the back of my mind, however, If I were in school today, I would have limited myself from many basic distractions. I would have been more efficient throughout the day because my attention wouldn't be swaying back and forth, increasing the amount of time required to complete the task at hand.
from a broader perspective, I did manage to be on task all day however I did not force myself to do so rather, I never got the opportunity to get distracted. Im sure the day would definitely have been different if I were actively trying not to be distracted.
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