New plan
It's been a while since I came up with a Radical New Plan to Improve My Life; I'm about due for another spate of self-hacking :) Yes, it is again very organized and detailed, probably overly so, but this is how I get myself excited about making plans. "Is it a sign of immaturity that I'm really excited about implementing this system as a Python script?"
Part the First: keep my daily to-do list in the little notebook that I always carry around with me and never use.
This is deliberately oversimplified, unlike the last Radical New Plan. The point of to-do lists is to improve my productivity, and I'm not being productive if I'm wasting time implementing an overly featureful system (or, more likely, ignoring it altogether out of laziness).
Part the Second: frequently take data on my mood and things I think are correlated with it, such as what I'm currently stressing about and how long since I ate.
Short version: rate mood 1-5, optional rant/rave
(so that I don't have an excuse not to do it if I feel lazy)
Long version: (all parts optional)
Time since food
Time since Alex
Sleepiness 1-5
Primary stress source (test, homework, etc)
Location
Current activity (working, socializing, wasting time on the internet, etc)
Inbox (# unread emails ~= # un-taken-care-of emails)
Alone?
Excitement 1-5
Self-hatred 1-5
Contentment 1-5
Volatility 1-5
Overall mood rating 1-5
Rant/Rave
The intent here is to have actual data, not just suppositions, on which to base my attempts at self-hacking and mood improvement. I don't expect this system to be perfect, or to magically improve my time management and free me from depression without me actually having to put in effort.
A corollary goal is to stop screaming and angsting on my Zephyr class, where people will feel bad and either be alienated immediately or try to help and then be alienated when I push them away. Instead of this, I want to get in the habit of monitoring my state, and dumping my useless angsting to someplace where people won't see it and try to help (but I still get the cathartic benefit of writing it in the first place). Etc. We'll see how it works out.
Part the First: keep my daily to-do list in the little notebook that I always carry around with me and never use.
This is deliberately oversimplified, unlike the last Radical New Plan. The point of to-do lists is to improve my productivity, and I'm not being productive if I'm wasting time implementing an overly featureful system (or, more likely, ignoring it altogether out of laziness).
Part the Second: frequently take data on my mood and things I think are correlated with it, such as what I'm currently stressing about and how long since I ate.
Short version: rate mood 1-5, optional rant/rave
(so that I don't have an excuse not to do it if I feel lazy)
Long version: (all parts optional)
Time since food
Time since Alex
Sleepiness 1-5
Primary stress source (test, homework, etc)
Location
Current activity (working, socializing, wasting time on the internet, etc)
Inbox (# unread emails ~= # un-taken-care-of emails)
Alone?
Excitement 1-5
Self-hatred 1-5
Contentment 1-5
Volatility 1-5
Overall mood rating 1-5
Rant/Rave
The intent here is to have actual data, not just suppositions, on which to base my attempts at self-hacking and mood improvement. I don't expect this system to be perfect, or to magically improve my time management and free me from depression without me actually having to put in effort.
A corollary goal is to stop screaming and angsting on my Zephyr class, where people will feel bad and either be alienated immediately or try to help and then be alienated when I push them away. Instead of this, I want to get in the habit of monitoring my state, and dumping my useless angsting to someplace where people won't see it and try to help (but I still get the cathartic benefit of writing it in the first place). Etc. We'll see how it works out.