The Student Room Group

366 Day Challenge: 2024 Edition!

Happy New Year TSR!!!!!

I’m back! And older than ever!! With a new name to boot! What do ya’ll think?

I changed my name from Weekly Wins and Woes to Achievement Unlocked because I like this title more. Thank you TalkAI for the recommendations!

It’s also a new year and I feel my blog deserves a fun change to reflect that but there are still a lot of my older posts lying somewhere around this platform though now that I’m starting to build my own brand I need to change things up!

Last year was wild - for me at least. I’ve finished all my exams, gained weight (exam season will do that to you 😢) and gained some new insights on my life which I’m excited to share as I can now focus on my goal to build a great blog. One post at a time!! 💫💫💫

While my previous blog focused on teen mental health, I’d prefer for this one to act as a window into my life as I try to get through this year unscathed. I have a TON of resolutions that I really want to see through and not only will I be giving you all daily updates on my progress to serve as accountability but you can all join me on this journey if you’re interested.

As I mentioned, I have a TON of resolutions I want to see through. There’s 17 to be exact (I might add or drop a few along the way) and I’m ready to place bets on how many I’ll actually see through! Some of my main goals are to learn German, learn to draw and become THAT student. You know, the girl boss class valedictorian type. I’ll be start Uni this year in March and I’m super nervous and excited. I want to be the absolutely best student while enjoying myself along the way. I’ve also gotten my first job! Super excited about that!

As productive as I may like to imagine I am, I am well aware that not everything will go according to plan. I still want to mentally prep myself for it all. That’s why this week is going to be my prep week. It’s basically my time to organize all my goals and programs so I can create a functional timetable and have time to do everything. 17 goals is really overwhelming so I need a hardcore plan. I’m still figuring out what mine will be though.



Talk tomorrow!
(edited 3 months ago)

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Hey TSR!
Just found out that I'm not allowed to share links from other websites here as it counts as a breach of privacy. I deeply apologize for my ignorant mistake and I promise it will not happen again. Also, does the breach of privacy also count for YT videos and the like?
Day 2: New Years Resolutions!

Hello TSR!
I think the best topic for today’s post is how to make and stick to your new years resolutions. Assuming you’ve made them.

You have, haven’t you?

Worry not. It’s taken me a bit of time to figure out how exactly to make my own New Years Resolutions and it really is harder than it seems. It’s not just about writing down the stuff you want to do in the new year, it’s about making a plan to achieve those goals and a promise to see that plan through.

I struggled throughout November figuring out how to make my resolution and now I pass that knowledge on to you…because I know for a FACT some of you are just sitting there twiddling you thumbs.

Now here’s how you do it:
When handling goals, you want to be S.M.A.R.T.E.R about them than most others. That is:

Specific Don’t just say, ‘I wanna be healthier’. That’s too vague and you won’t be able to keep track of your progress. You have to break down that big general picture of ‘being healthy’ into smaller bits that you can keep track of and reward yourself for upon accomplishing. For example, I’d like to lose 40kg, lift 100kg and run a marathon to become fitter. Each of these is doable. I can eat less and lift more to slowly get there. (Now whether I actually do them is a different matter.)

Measurable
Like I said before, you need to be able to track the progress of your resolution otherwise you will lose interest in it when you don’t see progress. I can easily stand on a scale to check my weight and see whether I’m losing or gaining (I’ll cry if I gain 😭). Someone whose goal is to become a better student should take regular tests to track their improvement. So when coming up with a plan for your goals, take into mind how you plan to keep track of them.

Actionable Your resolution has to be something you can actually do in a given time period. Don’t go for impossible tasks that will frustrate you when you realize that you can’t actually see them through because of whatever hindrance. Go for little changes and things that will improve your quality of life. The hypothetical student could aim to get anything above a 80% in their next test. That’s doable. Basically, be realistic with your goals.

I want to keep my posts short so I’ll stop here for now. If you still can’t figure out what to write down for your new year resolution then think of it this way, what bad habits do you want to stop and what good habits do you want to start? Then use this method to make a plan for it. Feel free to ask if you have any questions, are confused about something or just want to share what you’ve come up with.

See you next post!
Day 3: New Years Resolutions! (Part 2)

Hello TSR!!!
I hope the first three points of the S.M.A.R.T.E.R method I shared were a big help.
Here are the last four:

Relevant
Your resolution has to mean something to you. You have to value it in some way otherwise you’ll never want to do it. The aforementioned student whose aim is to become top of the class wouldn’t add writing a webtoon to his list of resolutions if he knew it wasn’t something he was interested in or served his big goal. You should do the same. Don’t go for stuff just because it’s popular. If running a marathon, or going scuba-diving or meditating isn’t your thing then don’t do it unless it’s a step needed to reach your main goal. In that case, suck it up and JUST DO IT!!

Time-bound
Placing a deadline on when you should have achieved your resolution will provide the pressure you need to see it through. Obviously, you have to set a realistic deadline. There is no way anyone is going to lose 30kg in one month (sadly 😢). And if for whatever reason you don’t meet the deadline, relax, push it a little further and try again.

Evaluate
This is the most important step in my opinion. One of the biggest problems people face with their resolutions is remembering them. That’s mostly because 1) you don’t write them down and 2) when you do write them down, you leave them somewhere and forget about them. The best way to fix this is to write down your resolutions, place them somewhere you frequent and look at them as often as is necessary. It’s ok to change your mind about a resolution. Humans are dynamic creatures so if you feel you no longer want or need to learn how to play the banjo, that’s ok. But don’t start dropping resolutions out of laziness. Our dynamic nature isn’t an excuse for laziness! At the end of the week and month, look at that list of goals you set and ask yourself, am I any closer to where I want to be? If that lazy bug is really nagging you to drop a goal then ask yourself, why did I pick this goal in the first place? That should guilt you into getting back on track.

Reward
The second most important part of this process. Whenever you accomplish something give yourself something nice to celebrate. Obviously, it shouldn’t be anything that will ruin all the progress you’ve made. It can be as small as a pat on the back or as big as an entire container of chocolate ice cream just for you!!!!! It’s up to you. Just celebrate yourself for what you’ve achieved, regardless of how big or small it is. It’s your victory! 🏆

See you next post!
Following! Best of luck with your goals :smile:
Original post by burstingbubbles
following! Best of luck with your goals :smile:

thank you!!!
I'll be posting every day!!
(edited 3 months ago)
Day 4: Actually making the resolutions
Hello TSR!
I shared with you ways to create your new years resolution and they seemed pretty straight forward, right? I mean, the instructions were pretty basic so following them shouldn’t be too hard, right?

Erm…Well… 🤷🏾

I’m having problems. Not with my own instructions - though wouldn’t that be ironic - but with organizing them. You see, I suffer from PERFECTIONISM and not only do I need to have a plan for my goals, I need to have the perfect place to plan them which can be really stressful. To make matters worse, I need the perfect plan to plan my plans.


I use notion to help me plan my goals and that isn’t the problem. The problem is figuring out how to plan my goals because I know what my goals are! I know what I want! The problem is how do I get what I want. You see where the perfectionism starts kicking in?

I need the perfect plan; the perfect steps; the perfect EVERYTHING. The thing is, though, homeschooling has taught me that no matter what I do, not everything will be perfect and a part of me has learnt to accept that. When change comes, I’ve learnt to adapt, move on and go with the flow. But that’s only a part of me: the realist. And with all this new year’s planning, the realist and the perfectionist are playing tag of war over control over my mind.
When the perfectionist gains more ground I start worrying about how pretty my notion dashboard is and whether I’ve gotten all the resources I’ll need to start learning how to read music (another one of my goals) and when the realist gains more ground I’m a little calmer and think more about making more of a functioning and relevant system to effectively use notion. And as stressful as that sounds - and believe me, it is - I don’t hate either side. I actually love my perfectionist anxiety and my realistic calmness. My perfectionist side makes sure I have a pretty aesthetic and reminds me of all the nitty gritty parts of my plan that could use an improvement and my realist side keeps me calm and focused on creating an effective workspace. Both sides are great! No one wants a boring dashboard or an inefficient system.

So listen If you’re like me and you’ve got two or more little people trying to get you to focus on a specific aspect of something, I think you should just roll with it 🤷*♀️ It’ll probably lead you to somewhere nice. And don’t worry too much about the procrastinating. Even productivity junkies like me procrastinate. Heck, I’ve been procrastinating on writing this post for a few days now even though I love writing because it makes me feel lighter. 😅 So just try to be easy on yourself, it’s only the beginning of the year. And if you’ve already made your resolutions then best of luck!!

See you next post!
Also, could someone please tell me how to add pictures and gifs and other fun stuff to my posts. I don't wanna be the one with the boring pages!!!!!!!
Also, what does the yellow start and OP next to my name mean?
Are they cuz of the yellow card I got?
Original post by OldestKnowsBest
Also, what does the yellow start and OP next to my name mean?
Are they cuz of the yellow card I got?

I just means your the original poster of the thread
Original post by jisvngxstay
I just means your the original poster of the thread

Oh. That makes sense. Thank you!
Day 5: Writer’s anxiety strikes and so I ramble.

Hello TSR!!

I’ve been reading a lot of other writers’ works on Medium and Sub-stack. It’s so amazing and inspiring to think that every single one of these people started from nothing but a desire to ignore the stranger-danger rule and share a part of themselves with the world with words. I truly admire them.

It’s also completely daunting to think that these people started with absolutely nothing and then blew up one day into the stars we look up to and I wonder whether I’m actually cut out to be up so high! I mean, it’s crazy!
I love writing. Before writing this post I looked back at my previous posts to judge them critically and expected to find a reason as to why I should give this whole thing up. On the contrary, I actually really like the stuff I typed! I genuinely can’t believe that I’m the one that actually wrote all this down. If my content had been released by a different writer I would definitely read it so it’s even more mind-blowing that non of this came from some highly skilled writer, it’s just me. And then I want to laugh and cry at the same time.

Laugh + cry = Craugh?

But really. This writing project has been something I’ve really wanted to get into since the middle of 2023 but couldn’t fully commit because I had way too many exams going on. But now I can and I’m so happy that I have.
Another interesting thing I’ve noticed is how much more optimistic I am about other beginners in the content creation business. I love commenting on other people’s work if only so they can have one comment and a like to encourage them to keep going. It makes me feel so special and I’m genuinely happy for them.

You know, right now I’m looking at what I’m writing now and thinking, What the heck? 😂 This is so cringe. I feel kinda silly but that’s ok.

I went through a difficult time at the beginning of the year, 2023, and I feel like if I’d discovered my passion for writing and found writers who joke about themselves like this I probably would’ve felt a lot better about the situations I was in at the time. SO I hope my randomness can make someone else out there feel good about themselves!

You know what’s even crazier? I’m writing all this while listening to High Hopes by Panic! at the Disco! Talk about… I dunno…destiny? Sympathetic’s playlists on YT are always SO GOOD!!

Anyway, I feel like I should talk about something that’s actually interesting. Not just my egotistical ramblings which even I’m not sure made any sense to begin with. 😂

I can’t think of any revolutionary advice or groundbreaking whatevers to share right now, so instead I’ll just tell you an African story I read when I was much younger. I know many of you aren’t Ugandan and probably didn’t grow up in a traditional setting so you should know that many traditional stories are meant to either 1) explain nature and why certain things are the way they are and 2) warn little kids about misbehavior and teach them some morals.

I grew up in the city, Kampala, so I wasn’t told these stories they way Hollywood might have you believe: huddled around some really old, probably blind and toothless grandmother by a fireplace. No. I’ve only been to a village twice in my life and spent all my time watching cartoons. I discovered many traditional stories in books at home or school but I don’t really remember them all that well so I googled this one.

Wow, this is gonna be a long post!

This story is about Anansi and the Chameleon.

Once upon a time…
Anansi was one of God's favorite creatures but Anansi grew more and more conceited and arrogant by the day because of his favor and his prideful nature seriously annoyed God.

Anansi lived in the same village as the Chameleon.

Anansi was rich and owned the finest fields in the area, while the Chameleon was poor and worked hard in his meagre fields to make ends meet.

However, one year rain fell on Chameleon's fields, which were now abundant with beautiful crops. To teach Anansi a lesson, God let no rain fell on Anansi's land and the crops dried up, and dust blew everywhere.

Anansi then resolved to take Chameleon's fields for himself. Anansi first tried to buy the fields, but Chameleon refused to sell. Anansi offered more and more in exchange, but Chameleon still held on to the land. Early one morning, Anansi walked boldly down the road to Chameleon's fields and began harvesting the crops.

When Chameleon saw this, he became very angry and chased Anansi away. When a chameleon walks, it leaves no tracks; it is virtually impossible to tell where a chameleon has been. Knowing this, Anansi took Chameleon to the tribal court to sue for possession of the fields.

The chief asked Chameleon to prove that the fields were his; Chameleon had no proof to offer. Anansi, on the other hand, took the chief to Chameleon's fields, showing the many footprints on the road. These were Anansi's footprints, and the chief awarded the fields to Anansi right then and there.

Although the court decision gave the land to Anansi, God has a higher justice than that which the courts mete out. So, God give Chameleon an idea for a clever plan.
Chameleon dug a deep, deep hole and put a roof on it. From the outside, the hole looked tiny. But, in fact, Chameleon had dug a vast cavern under-ground. Then the Chameleon took some vines and some flies and made a cloak. When the sun hits flies, they shine a variety of colors, but they are still flies.

Chameleon went down the road wearing this cloak of flies and vines when he encountered Anansi.
Anansi's first words to Chameleon were, "Hello, my friend. I hope that there are no hard feelings between us." Anansi saw what appeared to be a beautiful cloak and offered to buy it.

Chameleon pretended to be magnanimous and told Anansi that the cloak would be his, if only Anansi filled Chameleon's "little hole" with food.

Anansi readily agreed, bragging that he would fill it twice over.
Anansi then took the cloak to the chief who had acted as judge in the lawsuit, and gave the cloak to the chief as a gift. The chief admired the cloak and thanked him profusely.

Anansi worked day and night to fill Chameleon's hole with food and still the hole was not full. He worked weeks and still the hole was not full. After a while Anansi realized that Chameleon had tricked him.

In the meantime, the chief was walking down the road wearing the cloak of flies. One day the vines broke and the flies buzzed off in every direction, leaving the chief naked and livid with anger at Anansi.

The chief grew angrier with each step he took, for he began to see the conceit and arrogance of Anansi. When the chief found Anansi, he ordered him not only to return Chameleon's property but to give Chameleon the best of his own fields as well.

As soon as Chameleon took possession of best field of Anansi, it rained on that field for the first time in months, and now Chameleon was the richest in village.

The moral of this story? - Conceit and arrogance, just as humbleness and hard work, has rewards, each in its own way.

See you next post!
Original post by jisvngxstay
I just means your the original poster of the thread

Also, what do you think of my posts?
Original post by OldestKnowsBest
Also, what do you think of my posts?

I like them. It's nice hearing about different experiences
Original post by jisvngxstay
I like them. It's nice hearing about different experiences

Thank you!!!
If it's ok with you and the platform, could you recommend my blog to a few others?
I'd really like to build a audience.
Day 6: My First Goal

Hello TSR!!!

I’ve been typing a lot about goals and the new year and I’ve mentioned sharing my own goals but really been procrastinating on that 😅

Honestly, it’s been hard figuring how exactly I plan to achieve my goals. I know what the basics of my next year will be - German classes, ICT course in a Uni I haven’t picked out yet and a few side hustles to deepen my shallow pockets - but I’m still worried about the unpredictable setups. I know I shouldn’t be. I can’t do anything about them. I’m really just using them as an excuse not to get to this. I know all that which is why I’ve finally forced myself to get on with this post and tell you about my actual plan to figure out my own goals as I think them through. This will basically be a look into my mind. Don’t touch anything!

Ok so…

I’ve already wrote down all my goals. There are 27 in total. I might change them as I plan them out. Might add a few, leave a few. I’m going to start with the most urgent one, my workout planner.

I used to be an intermediate competitive swimmer. I was pretty good; I earned a few medals and all that but eventually had to stop. Then Covid hit and so did the weight 😬 With my dad’s help I started weight lifting. Before I knew it I could lift 70kg!

Then I got sick; then I got exams; then I got lazy.

Now, I think the most I can lift is 40kg (maybe).

I want to get back into the habit but obviously that’s easier said than done. My fitness goals include learning to dance, kickbox and do the splits. That’s all so really hard. Also, you can’t out work a poor diet. I know that. Everybody knows that. But the thing is, I live in an African household. My diet is whatever my parents buy. So I tried fasting.

Hated it. Dropped it.

I’m not one to fast for any reason. So I’ve decided to shift my focus. Instead of working to lose weight, I’ll work to improve my form and technique so that by the time I can afford some pre-made healthy food (cuz I’m too lazy to cook for myself) working out will already be a part of my lifestyle. I think that’s a solid plan 😁

I’ve used notion to create a very impressive workout page so all I need to do is plan when exactly I’ll be doing what. BTW, to all the ladies looking to build those biceps, I recently discovered that because of our continuous monthly cycle our workout habits tend to be inconsistent and we beat ourselves up about being lazy and demotivated. I’ve learn that you can actually work with your cycle: do light stuff during period week, spend the net two weeks on heavy and hard stuff, then go back to light stuff as you get ready for Bloody Mary to visit again!

Of course I’ve already done that. I know when my cycle starts and how it affects me and so I know how to work with it instead of against it.

Back to the fitness planner. Boys, you can come back now.

You know, this wasn’t as complicated as I’d made it seem in my head. All I needed was to type down which days I’d be doing what and my workout planner is complete! lol. #overthinking 😅 🤯

In case you’re wondering, I use a combination of two different workout planners I got off notion’s site for free templates. The first one is by bridoesthings and the second by [trying to remember]…Rosidssoy! Yes! That’s them! I discovered both their templates on YouTube and customized them to suit my needs. You could do the same. It’s really simple once you know what you want.

I wish I was an affiliate marketer because with the way I highly recommend notion I could make some serious bank. Oh well.

Ok. Seeing as I’ve gotten my fitness planner done I can now share with you the plan. I want to lose 40kg and lift 100kg. To do that, I’ll use progressive overload by the week. Since, according to my plan, I only do weights two weeks a month, I’ll have to use progressive overload by increasing the intensity of my Pilates and dance sessions.

You know, just looking at all that I’m typing makes me want to stop all this and go and sleep.

You’re all free to join (if you dare!).

See you next post!
Day 7: Don’t be mean!

Hello TSR!!!

I recently watched a YT vid that called Ali Abdaal the king of toxic productivity and really said a lot of mean things about him.

I really like Ali Abdaal and his videos but I also think it’s good that I watched a video with different views from me about him because I know too much positivity is just as bad as too much negativity and its good to know what other people think about things I’m interested in.

It had some valid points, I won’t lie, but it was really mean for the most part. It criticized a lot of Ali’s methods. It sounded as if people were expected to follow every single one of Ali’s methods to the letter which isn’t the point Ali makes in his videos. Ali provides a large bucket of choices to lie a better life and shares his own choices for us to decide which ones to pick up and which ones to drop. But that isn’t the mean part. I believe in the saying to each their own, so if they were just picking on Ali that would have been alright. I felt like the video started to get out of had when other YT-ers who had taken Ali’s courses started receiving the heat. That wasn’t cool! These were people who had dedicated time and money to something they believed in and so long as it wasn’t hurting anyone why should they have to get hate just because one person doesn’t like the owner of the courses those people took? It’s really sad and pathetic and awful.

As for Ali, yes I’ll admit I feel a little bad when he shows off how much money he has and I don’t like how most of his content isn’t useful to people with much crazier life circumstances but how is that his problem? He has his audience and they appreciate his content because it works for them. People who it doesn’t work for should either find a way around that or move on.

There are billions of YT-ers around the platform! And for those like me who don’t like seeing him flash his cash or feel bad when he ‘brags’ about his success and stuff, we should just BE SILENT AND MOVE ON!!!! Regardless of how he may seem on camera, we don’t know him or what he’s been through. We don’t know his struggles or sacrifices. Feeling jealous about his success is our problem to deal with it’s also really petty. We should become successful ourselves if we think it will make us feel better and lift up those who’ve already reached their not project our insecurities on to them and make them feel bad. It doesn’t matter how they got there cuz they’re there and we’re here and if we want to get there then we’d better find a way to leave here!!!!!!

I’m ashamed to say I’m one of those people who doesn’t like watching success stories because of the sour grapes that grow in my throat. I hate the feeling because I know that it’s sad, pathetic and just horrible manners. So I’m working on it. I watch a lot more stories of people on YT who started from the bottom and got to the top, child-geniuses and all the like. My attitude towards them has improved a lot.

To be honest, my insecurities about watching others’ success stories stems from the fear that I’ll never get to reach so high or how far behind them in life I am. It makes me feel ashamed and small. Then I remember I’m literally just 18. I’m in my glory years!! I may not be a child-genius or a nepo-baby but neither is majority of the population and anyway, it doesn’t matter what I am or what I’m not. All that matters is what I do with what I’ve got. In the word of Mr. Abdaal, I need to find my own unfair-advantage.

See you next post!!
Day 8: I dunno what to talk about today!

Hello TSR!

I finally started working out again today. I went for an hour long walk with my parents at 5.30 this morning. It really made me see just how unfit I am. I want to learn boxing at some point this year so I really pushed through the walk even though it wasn't easy.

I'm glad I took that walk. When I came home after it and showered, I felt so good and confident about my body. It was great!

That's all I've got for today. I promised myself that I'd write 366 posts this year and I don't intend to break that promise!!!

See you next post.
Morning TSR!!
I've been a little lazy in the last two days and forgot to write my daily posts but I made a promise to myself that I would type the three I owe you today. So here they are. Please enjoy!
Day 9: I change my mind!!

Hello TSR!!!

As you may not recall, my first post mentioned that my previous blog Weekly Wins and Woes discussed teen mental health. I did mention that right? I’m too lazy to check 😅

Anyway, I don’t feel like a blog that focuses on just me is going to work out. Mostly because i live a really boring life and I’m too lazy and uncreative to think of ways to turn my mundane existence into actually entertaining entertainment for you guys so I can get more viewers to validate me 😪😅

So I’ve decided to go back to writing about mental health because it’s a topic I really do enjoy. And to add some flavor, every now and again I’ll post some of the writing exercises I do so that I can improve my writing.
So, for our first topic on mental health, I think it would be best to focus on my own issues first! Oh my! Where to begin.

rolls out really long scroll and clears throat 📜 😩

I’m a maladaptive daydreamer!!!

And yes, it is a real illness.

I wouldn’t say I suffer from it though, it’s more like I’m inconvenienced by it.
But I’m getting ahead of myself.

Maladaptive daydreaming is a mental health issue where a person daydreams excessively, sometimes for hours at a time.

“Maladaptive” means this type of daydreaming is an unhealthy or negative attempt to cope with or adapt to a problem.

According to Very Well health, though maladaptive daydreaming is not currently recognized in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) as an official psychiatric disorder, research suggests that dissociative and obsessive-compulsive factors are at play, indicating a more serious clinical diagnosis.

You’d think that simple daydreaming is harmless but it gets complicated when the daydreams are so enticing a person would rather stay in them than deal with real life. Interviewees on Anthony Padilla’s YouTube channel have confessed that their obsessive daydream has interfered with their lives so much so that they feel like they’ve lost time.

Maladaptive daydreaming starts at a young vulnerable age to help cope with whatever you’re going through. For me it was being bullied by a teacher I thought cared about me and family stress. The depression I got a little later only made me want to sink deeper into my daydreams to the point where my mind could multi-task between reading books, even fictions, or watching movies and daydreaming at the same time.

I’d get irritable when my daydreams are interrupted, I started acting out my daydreams in form of lip syncs and hand movements (I’ve done that so much now that even my family is used to seeing me moving about and talking to myself every now and again) and sometimes just plain staring into space. These are all very common symptoms of maladaptive daydreaming.

I don’t like long posts so I’ll share my worst maladaptive daydreaming experience in my next one.

See you next post!!

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