Lecture-free Day!!

It's day 343 of documenting 2025.

22 days to 2026!

Today was a regular day...

Not much drama.

Except for the fact that we had no lectures today! 😁

I was thinking my coursemates will be happy...but some were pissed.

Okay...

Let me start from the beginning.

I called all the lecturers the day before...and they all confirmed that they would be available today.

But then we got to class and as we waited, our HOD instructed us to move down to a hall...that lectures were cancelled.

You should have seen us troop to the hall, like sheep to the slaughter.

Not actually slaughter....

It's just that we didn't know what to expect, from where we were going.

Turns out, it was a lecture.

Another one of those lectures...

The kind that would make my coursemates roll their eyes 🙄

One of them even alleged that we were just called to fill up the chairs.

Anyways, we sat there for almost 4 hours! What they talked about?

"The Importance Of Publishing In High-impact Journals"

One thing that made us stay was the cool air-conditioning, coupled with the very comfortable seats.

So comfortable that I dozed off several times 😴

Well, I got a few things from the lecture tho...

Especially the fact that the writer is to read the requirements for publishing in the journal and to consider the audience to write for.

For the fact that the readers may rely on the writer's information for research.

As per refreshments, it was just a packet of biscuits. Just one!

And for some reason, the lady skipped our row when sharing the bottled water 😒

Good thing I had water with me.

It was during the presentation of certificates that my coursemates and I decided to leave the hall.

We got to our building and met the lecturer who was supposed to take us next...talking with some colleagues.

An hour later or so, he dismissed us...after the assistant course rep convinced him that we were already tired from waiting.

My coursemates were already expecting that the lecture would be cancelled...and they were happy-ish when it was 😏

Anyways, I got to my hostel early...rested up and called my brother to check up on him. He mentioned that he wasn't feeling too well in the morning...but when I called, he said he was okay.

I invited him to my hostel to collect some of the food I had.

(Basically bread, butter and groundnuts)

I slept a little, read a little and washed my shirt.

Yada yada yada....discovered a new spot to pluck a very delicious fruit.

(Details later...)

Yada yada yada....had a prayer meeting and really felt reconnected to God 😌

Basically how my day went.

Wasn't dramatic, neither was it super boring. I actually had a chance to message PK as well, and talk over some "feelings" issues with a fellow coursemate.

I'm grateful for how today went 🥲

Alright...let's jump into highlights for today.

And we do the usual, ending with my take on the topic and concluding thoughts.

365 Days With Self-discipline

📌 On Turning Intentions into Actions

"I always wrote down my goals. It wasn’t sufficient just to tell myself “lose twenty pounds and learn better English and read a little bit more.” 

No. That was only a start. Now I had to make it very specific so that all those fine intentions were not just floating around. 

I would take out index cards and write that I was going to: 

• get twelve more units in college; 

• earn enough money to save

$5,000; 

• work out five hours a day; 

• gain seven pounds of solid muscle weight; and 

• find an apartment building to buy and move into."

Quote by Arnold Schwarzenegger

The more vague your plans are, the more likely they are to remain in the realm of intentions instead of real-world actions. 

You need to make your plans specific, quantifiable, and (ideally) repeatable in some way so that each day brings you closer to accomplishing your goals.

“I’m going to write a book” is a good start, but it isn’t going to lead to any accomplishments unless you make it more specific by listing the specific actions that you’re going to take, such as: 

“Plot my story in 2000 words,” “Write the first chapter,” and later on, as the sole daily action that is required to reach your goal, “Write 1000 words every day.”

With goals that make it difficult to tell whether or when you’ve accomplished them, such as Arnold’s “I’m going to learn better English,” it’s crucial to set specific, quantifiable sub-goals, such as 

“Master 100 common words related to medicine” or  “Read ten history books in English,” so that you can objectively say that because of the effort you’ve exerted, you’ve indeed improved your abilities and have evidence that supports that view.

Note that the real work doesn’t begin until you take the first action designed to get you closer to your goals. 

Even the most specific and well-designed goal is still a dream until you figure out what concrete actions you need to take; and then take them....to convert it into a true goal with chances for success. 

Write down your goals! ✍️

That's a very important tip...if not the most important.

When you break down every action, every step that you need to take in relation to your goals, all that's left is to do it.

That's how it works for me anyway.

It's like when I put down what I want to do on paper, I feel obligated to act accordingly.

It's like a kind of programming.

That's why I prefer writing on paper...because it stays in my head, it will get lost.

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

Thanks for reading 🎀

You can always catch up on former posts by visiting the main website, Documenting 2025. It's less than 25 posts to go!

See you in the next post 💜