Life is a STAGE!

Key quotes that I need to remind myself and imbibe in my day to day:

1.  What is it I believe it?  What is my belief system?  Because my beliefs dictate my action.  If I beleive anything can be achieved my actions will show that.  And as Marie Forleo says it, clarity comes from ACTION not thoughts.

Take one step at a time.

I have been finding it difficult to start my lab work, so I broke it down.  I asked what are the actions I need and all the things laid out clearly will get me into action mode.

Do I have the buffers and solutions?  Or do I need to make fresh ones?

Have I made the booking?

Did I check the standards I have?

How much stock do I need?

I ralised there were too many (cockroachs) running in too many different directions.  I need to target one cockroach at a time.  

With that I am publishing this!

Been a while

 It has been a while since I wrote a blog.  I am using this as a reflection to process and improve on my development.

 

I sat down to do data analysis and none of it is making sense, any sense.

 

I had a nice long brisk walk with my supervisor, and I made a pact ... that I will read 10 abstracts a day.  First thing in the morning and I shall monitor my progress.

First of all, I need to monitor how long does this take and then read and write.  I am thinking it will take me max 30 minutes.  Prior to that I need to have the ten articles ready.  So that would take me another 10 minutes - key words, data base - Scopus, Web of science, EBSCO, and Google Scholar - separate them into reviews and relevance.  All up max an hour.  may be ten minutes to write up a summary.  I know if I monitor this weekly, I will get somewhere - this would have covered 70 articles in seven days.  Yes, I don’t' plan to have any days OFF especially for readying.  

I also need to work out backwards fromt eh date of thesis submission to now.  

I want to accomplish one journal article by the end of this year and two next year.

I want to present at a conference.

Finish my experiments too.

I feel all energised and when I actually get to work, feels overwhelming and I SHRINK.  I need to apply all the tools and hacks of motivating myself - incluing actions builds motivations and that builds confidence and not in the opposite way of confidence to motivation to action.

 

Comma by Tara Brabazon and Discipline by Dr Sid Warrier

So I finished another audiobook ... Comma - How to restart, reclaim and reboot your PhD by Tara Brabazon.

I was cringing a bit as I was listening, it is not a pep talk book, there were some dark shades of the academic world.  Though I am new here, I wondered, do I want to dive in or was it just that the author did not have a good experience?  

The chapter that hit home and I really wanted to take key lessons and drilled well into me was taking responsibility for my PhD and the other one was on problem solving.  The six steps:

1. Write down the problem

2. Write down all the solutions, even the crazy ones

3. Think about the solution and how to action

4. Pick the most practical solution

5. Plan how are you going to enact the solution

6. Just do it!

And now I am listening to Dr Sid Warrier about discipline, etc.  

Link - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=42DcY3ce2ck&t=319s

Decision = Outcome divided by effort.  

Motivation hook

Time, person and will power - algorithm of discipline.

Reverse engineer:

1. Have a clear outcome - measurable outcome

2. clear rewards and punishments - train the emotional part of the brain

3. Create a system - use time, person (for accountability - power (authority)

4. taking care of your body - body and mind energised not fatigued!

Productivity and dopamine

REcently I finished Ali Abdaal's 'Feel Good Productivity'.  I did not want to finish the book.  I really enjoyed it - the science, the experiments and the little nudges.  My key take away came in Chapter 9 - identifyign actions that brings meaning and joy.  VAlues at daily choices.  What are the challenges, sucess for the short term.  Short term versus long term.  What effect do the actions have on my mood, my energy and my productivity.  The overall theme was productivity is more abotu joy than discipline.

So where do I want to be in one years time?  What are the three actions I can take per day.

This made me think of my non-negotiable - I can not be without meditation, food, sleep, some sort of exercise.  

I liekd the story of taking time to sharpen the knife during the break.

What does looking confident look liek or asking how would I handle this if I was an expert in this?

Overall, the whole thing is abotu pause, reflect, take actions with joy.  Even if it is 5, 10 percent rather than taking it as a drag.  The important thing is to be aligned.

I also watched Huberman's interview on diary of a ceo.  ALl things dopamine.  

I realise I have all the tools, gadgets, technology, knowlgede and it is about implementing that works for me.  what woudl work for me?  I ask a lot of questions, that keeps my brain active.

THere is no use feelign guilty.  A bit is ok like salt, too much makes the dish yuck, unedible.

I have had back muscle pain, it is funny it was severe on Friday and a bit on Saturday where I did not do anything or much ... was scared to do the stretches too.  I felt more alive, I reflected on my PhD too the pain was an abstract where as the pain int he body was for REAL.

It has been a while since I wrote here.  

Trusting in myself and keep going alogn int he journey is something.

Highs and lows of dopamine hit ...

THis is so interesting.  I went for a competition last minute.  I just did it.  It gave me such a high, I feel so alive!  I can feel the dopamine rush, the happy hormones and what not!

I am glad I did it.  I am also glad I did not win it.  

I realised so much abotu myself, why scripts do not work for me, the kind of thinker and speaker I am!  My thoughts run at 1009 miles per second and since I don't want ot miss anythign, I sepak fast and my thinking only gets faster.

I realised my writing blocks and what has helped me is asking questions and answering the questions to the best I can and if I dont' know I go look them up.

Online community work

 After many days of isolation into PhD work, I realised I rejuvenate and recharge by connecting with people.  THere is no use doigin my PhD when in stress.  My amygdala is on high alert rather than the prefrontal cortex and its creativity.  No good comes out when I am stressed, otehr than body freezing and the mind racing 1999 miles a second.  And this freeze (of the body) and flight (of the mind) is of no use or purpose.  

One of the things that energises me and feeds my sould is community work.  Having done rubbish collection, tree plantation, cooking in community house, an idea pling linged and I thought how abotu some online community work.  The idea ,..... I created an even in Event brite -  https://www.eventbrite.com.au/x/how-do-i-cook-authentic-indian-tickets-1376941953449.  The idea is to turn up even if it is for one or more people and I interact with the people.  THis is a free event and my way to contribute to the community.  I think I will do this on a regular basis - one hour, where people from anywhere can come and ask me recipes or discuss what to do with the ingredients they have.  Yes, this is also my speciality!

It is 6:54pm and there is noone in the event.  It was too much of a short notice.

The next event is on 29th June - link here - https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/jai-creations-authentic-food-creations-with-jai-tickets-1378432461599?aff=oddtdtcreator

ChatGPT and palmistry

This one has given me good belly laughs!

I asked chatGPT to analyse my palm and boy I was so surprised, pleasantly.  It is interesting and I shall paste them here later, for you too to join me in a good belly laughter.

For now, I will focus on my writing.

Cheerio until then!