2017 52 challenges in 52 weeks

I am on holidays with next to no cash and so I am getting pretty bored. In my boredom I read Mark Zuckerberg’s most recent post on Building Jarvis. In this he details how his personal challenge for 2016 was to build a simple AI to run his home and tells of how much he has learnt and grown along the way. I was inspired, and it is what finally got me started on this WordPress blog.

You see I find holidays boring because I struggle without purpose. During medicine we get pushed pretty hard, there are numerous deadlines and always ways to better ourselves. There is something to strive for, I have drive. I use that drive to push me to exercise, be productive and it is integral to my happiness. When we start holidays it is great, initially, but after a while the drive is gone. This is good, because without the drive I can finally relax – after all that is what holidays a for right? Yet I get conflicted because without the drive I do nothing, I lose purpose, lose happiness and fall into all too familiar patterns of depression. Anyway, this got me thinking of ways to ensure that I always have some sort of purpose to ensure I can keep a healthy amount of relaxation with happiness intact. This got me thinking about challenges.

In thinking of challenges I came across a number of helpful articles on challenges and I stumbled across this LifeHack article on Seven 52 Week Challenges for an Incredibly Productive Year, which lead me to Kincavel Korner‘s blog post on 52 things in 52 weeks. In this blog series she has posted 52 achievable challenges each year for the last FIVE YEARS! This was exactly the kind of inspiration I was looking for and so I have decided to do my own.

52 challenges in 52 weeks

Challenges complete (18/52)  Challenges in-progress (4/52)  Challenges abandoned/failed (30/52)

Fitness goals:
1. Sign up for a triathlon for the end of the year
2. Weights 2x/week e.g. weights 104x in the year (0/104)
3. Increase upper body strength and appearance – monthly portraits (0/12)
4. Weekly weigh ins – aim for body fat %12 currently 18% (wrong way!?)
5. Start on creatine
6. Start yoga –doyouyoga? Stretch, roll and core daily (4/365)
7. Start myfitnesspal
Swimming:
8. Swim 1 km without stopping
9. Swim 1.5 km without stopping
10. Swim 2 km without stopping
11. Work on a pace of 2:00/100m (best pace for the year: 1:46/100m)
12. Swim a total of 150 km in the year (23/150km) unrealistic goal
Running:
13. Run 5km without stopping
14. Run 10km without stopping
15. Run 15 km without stopping
16. Run another half marathon too soon and injured self 2:11
17. Run a total of 500 km in the year (203/500km) – too many injuries
Cycling:
18. Ride 10km without stopping
19. Ride 20km without stopping
20. Ride 30km without stopping
21. Ride 40km without stopping
22. Ride a total of 500km in the year (372/500km)

Health goals:
Mental health:
23. Continue mindfulness meditation everyday (4/365)
24. Keep a journal/continue the BestSelf diary (4/365)
25. Make sure to invite a friend up to Barossa or visit Adelaide at least once a month
Food and drink:
26. Limit junk food to once a month (0/12)
27. Protein smoothies everyday (4/365)
28. Cook something new once a week (0/52)
29. Use a new vegetable once a month (0/12)
30. Take a cooking class

Medicine goals:
31. Learn something new every week
32. Complete the Doctors in Training program
33. Aim to get higher than 50% of cohort in progress tests
34. Refresh 2^nd year subjects weekly e.g. cardio/resp/renal/GIT/MSK/neuro
35. Attend the medicine events, e.g. pub crawls, dinners
36. Look into 4th year overseas elective options

Financial goals:
37. Keep to a budget and aim so save at least $5000 – saved $4000 so close

Entertainment:
38. Watch IMDB’s top rated movie list (83/250)
39. Watch the 2017 Golden Globe movies (3/20)
40.See the 2017 Marvel movies (3/3)
41. Read 12 novels (3/12)
42. Complete an escape room

Hobby goals:
43. Draw something once a week (0/52)
44. Start a blog and post weekly updates in a blog (0/52)
45. Learn French by completing Beginner A1 in busuu (18/100)
46. Try the 0 trash in 30 days challenge
47. Start a compost heap
48. Start a vegie garden
49. Take a daily photo and post to Instagram (3/365)
50. Make cups out of beer bottles
51. Keep succulents/cacti
52. Make a new 52 week challenge for 2018