Override

Habits cannot simply be ceased; they must be overridden with new habits.

• When you wake up, go for a run instead of checking your email.
• When you get back, make lunch instead of checking your email (again).
• When you ride the train, study Chinese instead of listening to audiobooks and podcasts.
• When you get to work early, write for an hour instead of checking Facebook and the reading the news.
• When you get home, read instead of watching television.

That would be a start.

Start.

普通话

I have begun my study of Chinese and would like to get to Hànyǔ Shuǐpíng Kǎoshì (HSK) intermediate proficiency in speaking before going to China during this summer vacation. This means that I should be able to understand ~1200 words. Here is my method.

• Pimsleur Speak and Understand Essential Chinese I ~ III (45 hours)
• MIT OCW Chinese I (as necessary, when time is available)
• Sticky Study Hanzi (on the iPhone, whenever time allows)
• Speaking (weekly with native or near-native speakers)

I may take the HSK intermediate test before I leave, if possible. We shall see.

Resolve

Note: Skip to the very end of this post if you would like to see only the resolutions.

I am a failure.

First Quarter Resolutions (1 January ~ 31 March)

• Send a thoughtful message to at least three Facebook friends daily.
• Work towards the completion of academic articles and a textbook mornly.
• Write at least one blog on any of my blogs post each weekdaily.
• Study Japanese for at least one hour daily; focus on medical vocabulary.
• Follow a training schedule; finish the Tokyo Marathon in under four hours.
• Do not buy any books or video games until those I own have been cleared.
• Save money in order to move at the end of March.
• Smile more.

I sent messages for less than a week. I wrote no academic articles and stopped working on the iTextbook. I made a handful of blog posts over three months. I switched to studying Chinese and did that only until I learned that I would not be going to China this spring. I did not run at all and skipped the Tokyo Marathon, despite having paid for it. I bought (and sold) a number of video games. I am fairly certain that my smiling has been consistent with the past.

The one area in which I succeeded is moving by the end of March. In that area, I flourished. On March 31st, I will be moving to the exact neighbourhood and flat of which I dreamt. I cannot wait. My diet was also successful for six weeks, before it was abandoned.

Very much, I would like for this quarter to be different. They will be more about forming habits than achieving goals. Each of them will have a motivation and further details on the method I shall use to be resolute. They shall be categorised into mind, body, and spirit.

Mind. The first of these comes down to language learning. My trip to China has been postponed and will likely be in August. The motivation to learn Japanese simply is not in me at the moment, so I intend to study Mandarin. One hour per day for ninety days is not a lot of practise, but I will make the most of it. Half of that time will be spent working with ninety audiolingual lessons; the rest will be studying vocabulary and other grammar during my commute. I will also speak with a native speaker for an hour at least twice weekly, in addition to the other studies. That seems like plenty to study, so writing shall be my other resolution. It simply cannot be done at home, so I must go to work early and write as prolifically as possible before my schedule working hours. This can be professional blog posts, academic articles, textbooks, or novels. I very much want to publish.

Body. One of the saddest parts of living so far from work is that the commute required that I cut running and exercise from my daily schedule. Time to cook is also fairly minimal. This is one of the primary reasons I am looking forward to being back in Tokyo. My goal is to get back to running 10k every fair-weathered morning. I shall start a week early and run 3k mornly. This will increase by 1k each week. With discipline, I will run 10k on each fine day in June. I will also work my way towards 100 push-ups and 200 sit-ups per day using the appropriate apps. Diet is also important and I plan on return to my previous diet. The motivation behind these are being healthy and having a body of which I can be proud.

Spirit. As an atheist, I take this category to encompass personal happiness and peace. One ritual to which I would like to return is to making and drinking hot tea. This would be good to do after my exercise each morning. I would also like to cease living my life between home and work. I need a third place. Perhaps a wine bar or martini bar in my new area, where I can go to meet new people, would be suitable. I shall make it a goal to go to a third place each day, even if only for thirty minutes. I will also include the usual final resolution.

Second Quarter Resolutions (1 April ~ 31 June)

• Study Chinese in preparation of a trip to China.
• Go to work early and be prolific.
• Stretch. Run. Do push-ups and sit-ups.
• Follow a diet low in carbohydrates and high in protein.
• Prepare and indulge in proper tea.
• Make an appearance at a third place.
• Smile more.