First Weekend In Hostel!

It's day 312 of documenting 2025.

53 days to 2026!

It's the weekend!

Apparently, today's an election day in my state, so no one is to go out.

But I haven't done anything tangible all morning, except wait for space to charge my phone.

It's annoying! 😒

I don't actually want to use my power bank till Monday, so that's the price I have to pay. Well, it wasn't so boring.

I finally finished the storage bag I started a few days ago.

I can finally use it to store my personal belongings!

Well, that's the main update for today tho...as it's still 2:34pm now.

I'm not sure exactly when I will publish this post, or when you'll eventually read it.

No matter, the streak is still alive 🔥

Let's just get into today's highlights and then I'll probably share some thoughts afterwards.

These days, I ain't picking quotes no more.

I'm just sharing the whole thing.

So, here it goes:

365 Days With Self-discipline

📌 On Learning Without a Desire to Learn

"Just as eating contrary to the inclination is injurious to the health, study without desire spoils the memory, and it retains nothing that it takes in."

Quote by Leonardo da Vinci

You can learn almost anything you want as long as you have a desire to learn. 

Without a good reason why you want to learn something — or worse, being forced to learn it with no interest whatsoever on your part, as is often the case with college students — you’ll retain little of what you learn.

The reason is simple: the human brain needs to be picky about what it remembers and what doesn’t, so if you consider a fly on the wall as more exciting than the subject of your study, you’ll be more likely to remember the fly’s position during the entire hour of the class than the topic of your lesson.

For example, I once took a few Russian classes to prepare myself for a trip to Kyrgyzstan, a rugged mountainous country in Central Asia.

However, unlike with Spanish, a language I speak fluently and am fond of, I couldn’t develop an interest in Russian. 

My classes weren’t particularly effective because, deep down, I had little desire to learn that language; there was no positive emotional connection with it.

That’s why I so strongly emphasize that each endeavor — including the goal of learning a new skill — needs to start with a strong desire. 

If you don’t have that, you’ll be fighting an uphill battle.

If you’re forced to learn something and are struggling, try to find something interesting about the subject. 

For example, you might find that Russian grammar is not particularly interesting, but perhaps trying to improve your accent in it is fun for you.

You can also use educational resources that teach in an entertaining way. YouTube videos can be a good source for that.

When it comes to learning languages, I’m a big fan of watching TV series that are broadcast in that same language.

If you still can’t find anything exciting in learning the topic itself, turn toward the reward it offers you, such as a promotion at work or being able to graduate from your learning program, and use that (the reward) as your sole motivation. 

Be careful, though: extrinsic motivators are weak motivators, and it’s always better to combine them with internal rewards, like the enjoyment you get from learning or from the challenge it poses for you.

Key Takeaway:

Make sure you're fascinated or at least interested in what you want to learn, or you won't be able to retain it.

And the author, Martin Meadows made a very good point in his experience with the Russian language.

Well, let me use my own case.

The course I want to study, Psychology.

I'm actually fascinated with the course and I'm willing to do my best.

You know what?

Most people would say that I'm lucky, in that I was given the course I wanted to study.

And I would just say that it was God's plan.

After scoring 287 in my JAMB, I was a little worried about whether I would be offered the course....because of the subject combination.

But I met with an educational consultant, and as soon as he looked at my score and course, he was like,

"They will give you the course."

Glory be to God, I'm here now.

And I won't waste this opportunity.

Never.

So many people are happy to know that I'm now in a university, acquiring higher education.

Letting them down would be the same as letting God down.

I can't afford to fail 😌

Well, I think that would be all for today's documentation.

I'm still waiting to charge my phone and I'll probably be here till evening.

I was going to take a nap...but that would have to be suspended.

Good news is, I'm done with the crochet project I started.

And I can start another one!

Fun fact, some girls in the hostel have noticed that I do crochet.

If I was a sales strategist, I would say,

"First, attention. Later, monetization"

That's by the way...

Thanks for reading 🎀

You can always check out the former posts. Just visit the main website, Documenting 2025.

312 posts down...just 53 more to go, and I'll bragging of a new achievement!

(Until then...)

See you in the next post 💜