This whole process has sort of snuck up on me. Each step seemed small, and I allowed myself to lose track and get lost. To counteract this, I’m going to use a method tried and true for many gamers, especially RPG gamers, especially MMORPG gamers: the quest log.
There’s something that feels so clean and satisfying
about seeing quests. Most games feature
massive goals. Save the crystals. Defeat the Emperor. Whatever.
But you don’t start with that. You
ramp up to it. And even when you start
with it (like the Light Warriors in FFI), you break it into its component parts
and tackle the quest piecemeal. A quest
log can help organize the piecemeal, cut through the mishigas.
I’m not exactly sure how this will work for my goals
within Nerd Fitness Academy. I’ll use
trial-and-error, and when something isn’t helping me, I’ll try something
else. A few kinds of quests jump out at
me from what the Academy has presented me with so far:
-Evolutionary
Stages: These are the first five goals I created. Things like “become a water drinker” or “become
a push-up-doer.” I think of them in
terms of evolution because the scope of the quests themselves evolve from month
to month, and because they’re intended for me to evolve personally over the
long-term in particular ways.
-Habit Builders,
Habit Breakers: I picked three ways to build and break habits. These are things I want to regularly
maintain, but don’t want to check them off every day. These will be weekly goals to knock out early
in the week. Completing them will make
sure I’m in a position to succeed with my evolving quests.
-One-Shot Deals:
NFA is rife with quests that are one-and-done.
For instance, “Bike x miles,” or “In a five day span, do x, y, and z.” These can be milestone or just cool things I
want to do.
Just a start.
----
Daily Food Log, 9/3/14:
9:00am: ½ bottle of orange juice. Bag of Combos.
11:45am: Lean Cuisine “Enchiladas Suizas” (microwave) and
a Cherry Coke Zero.
5:00pm: Hot dog with ketchup, Hershey’s Cookies ‘n’ Cream
bar.
6:00pm: Wheat Thins with block cheddar. Half box, half block.
----
Quest Log:
Evolving Goals
“Becoming a Water Drinker: Phase One, Week One (9/4/14 –
9/10/14)” – I will be someone who usually drinks water. Over the next month (9/4/14 – 10/1/14), I
will keep a bottle or cup of water near me once per day, four days each
week. [ ] - [
] - [ ] - [ ]
“Becoming a Cyclist: Phase One, Week One (9/4/14 – 9/10/14)”
– I will be someone who bikes regularly.
Over the next month (9/4/14 – 10/1/14), I will bike at least ten minutes
each day, two days each week. [ ] - [
]
“Becoming a Cooker: Phase One, Week One (9/4/14 – 9/10/14)”
– I will be someone who eats in regularly.
Over the next month (9/4/14 – 10/1/14), I will cook dinner or lunch at
home two days each week. [ ] – [
]
“Becoming a Pusher: Phase One, Week One (9/4/14 – 9/10/14)”
– I will be someone who does push-ups regularly. Over the next month (9/4/14 – 10/1/14), I
will do two sets of push-ups on two days each week. [
] – [ ]
“Becoming a Fruit-Eater: Phase One, Week One (9/4/14 – 9/10/14)”
– I will be someone who snacks on fruit regularly. Over the next month (9/4/14 – 10/1/14), I
will eat a fruit once per day, two days each week. [ ] - [ ]
---
Batcave (9/4/14 –
9/10/14)
Positive – building
habits
“A Place to Move” – Keep the middle of my living room
swept and free of debris for easier push-ups.
“Fruit Ready” – Keep a fruit bowl in the refrigerator
stocked with ready-to-eat fruit.
“Pumped Up” – Pump my bike up and keep it in my closet
facing the door, ready to go for rides.
-
Negative – breaking
habits
“Short is Good” – Get cash ready for the week, divided
into small amounts to take with me on a given day to avoid relying on a debit
card for mindless binging.
“Water, Water Everywhere” – Make the amount of bottled
water in the fridge significantly higher than the amount of soda in the fridge.
“It’s Looking At Me” – Place my bike helmet and rolled-up
exercise mat on my desk chair so that if I sit down to game, I’ll have to actively
move those things away.
---
General Nutrition
“The Nerd Fitness Diet: Level One, Week One (9/1/14 –
9/10/14)” – For two weeks (9/4/14 – 9/17/14), track my food intake in a daily
log. [ ] - [
] - [ ] - [ ] - [
] - [ ] - [ ]
“That’s What I Call High-Quality H2O” – Drink three
liters of water per day for five days in a seven day stretch. [
] - [ ] - [ ] - [
] - [ ]
“Sugar, Sugar: Level One” – Defeat five sugar cravings
with substitutes. [ ] - [
] - [ ] - [ ] - [
]
“Bzzzzzz: Level One, Week One (9/4/14 – 9/10/14)” – For four
weeks (9/4/14 – 10/1/14), only consume caffeine from tea two days per
week. [ ] - [
]
I’d already made progress on some of these quests, but
hadn’t tracked it well, so whatever. At
least I have a running start.
