Progress Report: October

November 8, 2021 • #

I’m going take a stab at rebooting the monthly progress posts I used to do back when I was diligently tracking several goals through 2019 and 2020. Each month I’d look at how I was tracking against plan for fixed targets like “run 650 miles”.

This time we’re gonna try something different. I’ll include my workout activities, because I still want to note my monthly quantities even if not tracking against a fixed number, books I’m reading, and other media I’ve been consuming, inspired by Julian Lehr’s regular “media consumption” updates.

October was a pretty normal month. The only notable differences from standard pattern of life were my first airline flight since the start of the pandemic (to DC for a company event) and I capped off the month with a visit to the Mayo Clinic for my regular cancer screening scans (MRIs and CTs — all clear!). Ending a month with good news is always energizing for the next one.

Health

Running

Since the summer started I got into a more regular cadence than I had earlier in the year. The move really did a number on my habit patterns, not in a good way for exercise. But now I’m back to it more or less, with better mileage each week.

Activities Miles Time Calories Avg HR Avg Pace
7 28.06 4h 9m 3080 156 8:57/mi

The last week with traveling was a bust, but this is much better than my February/March performance.

Sleep & Screen Time

I’ve been tracking my daily screen time and sleep data all year, which I’ll write up a post on sometime soon. Here were the numbers for October.

Nightly sleep for October Nightly sleep for October

(Guess which week we got the puppy…)

  • Sleep: 6.88 average hours per night
  • Screen Time: 5 hours 6 minutes per day

Media

Books

There is No Antimemetics Division, Sam Hughes
░░░░▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓ 20-100%

Dune, Frank Herbert
░░░░░░░░░░░▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓ 59-100%

Preludes and Nocturnes, The Sandman, Vol. 1, Neil Gaiman
▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓ 0-100%

The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich, William L. Shirer
░░░░░▓░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ 25-31%

The Nature of Technology, W. Brian Arthur
▓▓░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ 0-10%

Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail ‘72, Hunter S. Thompson
░▓▓░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ 5-17%

Systemantics, John Gall
▓▓▓░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ 0-15%

Knowledge and Decisions, Thomas Sowell
░░░░░░░▓▓░░░░░░░░░░░ 38-49%

Podcasts

8 hours of driving to and from Jacksonville jumped this one up.

TV

  • Ted Lasso, 9 episodes
  • Foundation, 4 episodes
  • Succession, 3 episodes

And a healthy amount of playoff baseball.

Films

Topics:   goals   personal   media consumption