…and Here. We. Go.

That’s it. March is over. The last 30 days was about learning as much as I possibly could to implement into some serious life levelling up over the next few months, and I thought this was a good opportunity to share what I learned.

Despite my horribly lacking abilities to sleep, I’ve honestly never felt so organised and prepared in my entire dang life. As you know this month has been all about the preparation for our next 100 days and for the past 30 I’ve been figuring out exactly what management and logging systems work best for me, and what keeps me productive and motivated to even do the tasks I don’t really want to do.

Here are my Rules and Guidelines to follow through the 100 Days (I should probably print these out and stick them on my wall):

MINIMUM TIME – 30 minutes minimum of work every single day, 100 consecutive days. The current goal is 100/100 days. If you skip a day then the new goal will be 99/100 days, 98/100, etc.

FOCUS TO ACHIEVE – Make a daily schedule, and stick to it. Do not stray from the main goals you have set for yourself.

STRAIGHT PRIORITIES – 1. Make more portfolio work. 2. Make painting process recordings, edit & upload to YouTube, Instagram, Facebook & ArtStation. 3. Write cohesive, meaningful & helpful scripts & record as narration for videos.

TRACKING – Keep track of the hours you spend working on the challenge. Track daily progress in 100 Days Logbook. 

FITNESS GOALS – Gym 4x a week & 30 min yoga routine 3x per week. IF everyday, except on special events or schedule dinners. 24 hour fasts once per weekend. Cut out excess sugar.

Here’s an update of my Prep Task Timeline checklist:

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Over the last 30 days I’ve also listened to 4 audiobooks in preparation on productivity and habit building for the challenge too:

The War of Art by Steven Pressfield

This book. Goodness me. It was essentially a much needed slap in the face. It gave me a whole new way of thinking about what procrastination is and how to recognise it when it hits, and shut it up when it does. It doesn’t even try to convince you that you can overcome procrastination forever, because that’s bullshit. It’s always going to be something we have to deal with, especially as creatives. It basically goes into detail about this idea that procrastination is actually RESISTANCE, FEAR. I seriously highly recommend this one!

“What is your unlived life? Most of us have two lives. The life we live, and the unlived life within us. Between the two, is resistance.” – Steven Pressfield

Getting Things Done by David Allen

The book was a little outdated in terms of the systems David Allen was explaining how to use for time and task management, but the principles definitely still apply and they helped me to keep learning how to clear my mind of all the overwhelming crap that goes through it on a daily basis.

Atomic Habits by James Clear

This book was incredible. It’s short and to the point. Isn’t over-bloated with success examples. James Clear basically states exactly how much power can be manifested by building habits that benefit your life. It isn’t exactly new information but he puts it into clear, concise steps to follow to help you build that discipline and stick to the habits that are actually going to help you reach your goals.

Deep Work by Cal Newport

A very simple breakdown of the important of short bursts of intense focus on one specific tasks and how to identify these types of tasks that need your full attention, vs tasks that are considered “shallow work” and do not require un-interrupted attention.

“If you don’t produce, you won’t thrive—no matter how skilled or talented you are.” – Cal Newport

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To start the challenge I’ll be listening to The History of Ancient Egypt by Bob Bier (as a form of escape as Ancient Egypt has literally nothing to do with my life whatsoever yet I’m so in love with learning about it), and 12 Rules for Life by Dr Jordan B Peterson. I’ve listened to a million of his lectures and talks but have yet to listen to his book, so I’m super excited for that. 

Also other life stuff like keeping up with healthy eating, intermittent fasting and regular training sessions, keeping my spaces clean and organised, maintaining digital minimalism, is becoming increasingly easier as I build these habits. A lot of this is due to Marie Kondo’s book The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up, which I listened to in early February. Getting rid of a lot of my possessions earlier in the year has pretty much changed my whole life and the way I appreciate and care for what I chose to keep.

Time to make the next 100 days the best they can possibly be!

x  A