First off, I didn’t really use a planner or journal in the traditional sense. I guess you could say I used the Tasks app on my phone like a planner since it helped me keep an eye on my daily to-do’s (like taking my meds) while also using it as a grocery list because I can have multiple unique task lists going simultaneously by just flipping through them as needed. Sadly, one of the ones I had originally deemed as an important reminder kept being forgotten. Oops.
On the journal side of things, I guess you could say I’ve been treating my blog here as a journal? I’ve been primarily using it as a thought outlet for daily writing prompts, answering all kinds of questions (like this one) and only sort of using it to talk about my creative writing endeavors.
So, looking back through the year, had I not done either of those things, how WOULD my life have been different?
I suppose it’s possible that if the journal/blogging aspect of my time had been missing I may have fallen into a different kind of mental slump. I’d have just filled that time with gaming or staring at my monitor not knowing what to do with myself.
For the planner aspect, I suppose I would have tried to adjust my routine and habits for taking my meds on time, but not by much, and everything else in my daily planner-style to-do lists would have probably gone on sticky notes that would get ignored (because I have a habit of doing that.)
That’s how I see it having gone, at least. I could be wrong.
2025 might be a different year for planning/journaling, though, so we’ll see if I do better or worse.
I’ve stopped buying quite as much Magic: The Gathering cards in the last year or so, so I guess I HAVE made some progress in doing less of something, but all the rest on the list most definitely still apply.
Okay, so maybe I’ve gotten a little better about giving into those feelings of impostor syndrome and self-doubt. Instead, it’s been replaced by allowing myself to be spontaneously distracted. Perhaps I need to speak with my doctor about the change in medication we did a few months ago, because my attention span for things is all over the place. I’m fortunate that I’ve been able to maintain my daily writing habit as much as I have since then.
So, there’s an update to my previous answer. I could do less of being spontaneously distracted.
Last time, I mentioned that I suck at planning for my own future, and this still holds true, but let’s see where I’ve made progress.
Do I own a home yet? Nope, but I still have a couple years to go.
Same goes for publishing a novel. I have a couple projects I’m working on simultaneously (which is kind of bad because then I’m not being consistent enough to knock one out yet) but I have a plan for distributing one of them at least!
The student loans thing? Well, as it turned out there was a major class-action lawsuit taking place over the last several years that finally came to a close which led to the federal government forgiving my student loans (and, to be clear, this is NOT in any way associated to whatever the president had been trying to accomplish).
Romantic relationship news: still nothing, but again, as far as the “three years” thing goes, I still have time.
Visiting friends in other States and countries? Very soon I’m going to a wedding in a different State and meeting some of those very same friends I had planned to meet! Which includes the ones in another country!!
The motorcycle is a low priority, especially if I’m hoping to buy a house, so I honestly forgot I had that listed. At this point, if I can get the house thing sorted out, I’d probably settle on renovations for the home so that I could have a proper hobby space.
A second novel is definitely not happening, at least not in the same vain as the first.
I mentioned in the end of that first post that I didn’t have plans and I still really don’t. I’m just kind of winging it. Again.
A year ago when I answered this prompt I had a very different mindset going into writing out my thoughts. Reddit had changed a bunch of things that really upset the general public, so I no longer actively use it except when it pops up in Google search results. (Maybe I’ll go back to it more frequently someday, I don’t know.) I also brought up different social media sites and how I had been using Instagram more.
This time around I want to share a few quick links to some actual websites instead of talking about social media.
Crunchyroll is where I’ve been getting my fill of anime. I’m a huge sucker for the Isekai trend, even if the anime isn’t really that good or has trashy writing.
I’ve been watching a LOT of stuff on YouTube, particularly on the channels Dropout, Dimension 20, Nerdforge, and Mythical Kitchen (just to name some of the most common ones on my list).
On the more creative side of things, I love Inkarnate for the world building/map making stuff, and then World Anvil for the writing parts. These tools are super handy for visualizing and organizing my thoughts.
I think I’ll stop there, or else I could potentially just go through all my bookmarks and that would just be tedious and overwhelming.
The last time I answered this prompt was almost a year ago and I think I still stand by those three wishes.
However, between then and now I watched a funny video on YouTube about trying to craft the perfect wish with no loopholes. Seriously, you should give it a watch. It might make you rethink how you word your genie wishes, just in case.
I really liked the way they handled the first wish to help determine the ramifications and loopholes that a sneaky genie might manipulate to mess with the person making the wishes.
Personally, having that kind of foreknowledge would be crucial in that exact case, but since we’re still dealing with a fictitious situation I wouldn’t worry about it. I might still go over my original three wishes with a fine tooth comb just in case there are unintended slip ups that aren’t intentional on the genie’s part.
For instance, the first wish, originally worded as such: I wish I could safely hop in and out of the stories I read so I can experience them as if I were really there.
I have a better idea of how I could wordsmith this one, especially after also having watched a TTRPG Live Play from Dropout and Dimension 20 called Never Stop Blowing Up which reminded me of the big premises of the anime Sword Art Online. Reworded, my first wish might go something like this: I wish I could safely choose to hop in and out of the stories I read, whenever I want, so I can experience them firsthand, choosing which character perspective I take, and never risking actual death due to the event of a character death because I would be safely ejected from the story so that I can choose to re-enter in the perspective of another character.
I think I’ll the other two wishes from the original post alone. Not because I think they’re perfect and have no loopholes, but because trying to work those ones out could be messy and I don’t want to spend the time trying to “Rules Lawyer” them to death.
When I think of “setbacks” I think of falling behind. Falling behind what or who? I don’t really know. The idea, though, is that there is a preconceived goal that you’re aiming for, even if you don’t consciously recognize what that goal is. Additionally, on a subtle level, there is a kind of time aspect to all of it. Keeping up or keeping pace in some kind of “race” to be good or successful. All of these things are external factors, though.
So, for myself, I stopped looking at these external factors as the hurdles for development. I’ve read it elsewhere in many places, but the thing that helped me break from these external factors is a quote from Matty Mullins that has been taken and reworded or expanded in different ways.
The only person you should try to be better than is the person you were yesterday.
Matty Mullins
Taking those words to heart, and only focusing on how I did things before, makes it easier to look at those challenges and failures as opportunities instead of setbacks. It’s not the external factors that are important measures of progress, they just exist to provide ideas and direction. It’s what I actually try to achieve that matters, and if I fail then I can just step back, dissect and analyze, and try a different way to see if I do better. That’s how I try to frame it in my mind so that I can keep moving forward.
What are some ways I can seek out feedback and constructive criticism to continue growing and improving?
At least when it comes to writing, I’ve done a few things to try and get feedback.
One is this very blog! I know I don’t exactly solicit people to leave comments for feedback and constructive criticism, but I haven’t discouraged it much either.
Another that I’ve done earlier this year was a writing contest that promised two avenues for feedback: peer feedback and judges. The peer feedback was done through a private message board where we could all read each others stories and then respond in their respective threads, while the judges were tasked with providing objective feedback on how our stories were written and the things that we should look at it for future attempts.
Something that I’ve dipped my toe into so far is joining Discord servers that are focused on writing. I haven’t started socializing in them as of yet, but I have access to them so I can start building connections and such. I’ve also started to do some reading/writing group activities for others who are writing so that I can get some experience under my belt as part of a sort “book club” as an alpha reader.
Those are all the things that come to mind at this time that I’ve been doing in this regard, and you can apply similar tactics in other areas of your life depending on what it is you’re seeking feedback on.
Now, for myself, I just need to put more effort into the “social” aspect of a lot of it.
What are some activities or habits that drain my energy or motivation?
Not to be confused with Energy Vampires, those people that suck the energy and motivation out of you, but Energy Suckers are just about everything else. Unfortunately, there can be some overlap depending on how you go about handling different activities and habits.
For example, one of my favorite activities is playing Magic: The Gathering with friends. Usually this is a fun time, but every so often you just get into a bad round where nothing seems to be going right or you’re just not getting the cards you need to actually feel like you’re playing. You’re watching the person across from you draw card after card after card and just popping off on their turns while you’re stuck doing pretty much nothing. That’s one of those times where it just sucks the energy (and fun) out of you and you would rather just start a new hand or call it a night altogether. What can make it worse, in the “overlaps with Energy Vampires” area, is when you’re playing with someone else that happens to in a bad mood because THEY are in that unfortunate situation of not being able to do anything except sit on their hands, or this other person just happens to be a snarky asshole who likes to rub it in. I’ve actually stopped playing with some friends as often because they like to invite specific people that I just don’t vibe with anymore after too many nights of less-than-subtle jabs and taunts.
Similarly, this can happen with online gaming. Playing a specific game with people and when things just aren’t going quite right despite the normal challenges, it wears on you mentally. This is one of those things for why I never really played a lot of online multiplayer games back when I streamed a lot, and also something that baffles me as to why/how some people can slog through 8+ hours of their day playing a game that isn’t going to be fun. (Which is, sadly, what a lot of people do because they think it’s what they need to do if they want make it big in the streaming space.) What makes this more difficult is if you’re playing with random strangers and you again end up with, you guessed it, snarky assholes. (It’s one thing if they’re throwing shade at comedic times and also making themselves out to be the butt of jokes, but when they’re just full on harping on you alone and have absolutely zero positive attitude? That just sucks, period.)
Looking at other activities and habits, you can see the same things happen with them, and I’m sure I could go on and on about them but I won’t, or else I’ll just go on forever and seem stupidly nit picky. In the end, though, suffice to say, when something just isn’t going right and you’re struggling? That just sucks.
When I am faced with challenges or obstacles, what is my usual response?
I have a generally simple process for facing challenges, depending on some circumstances. Am I facing them by myself? Is it in a controlled environment? Things like that get considered, but the short answer for how I respond is to dissect things.
If I’m encountering the issue on my own, I try to understand the immediate or near term impacts to determine if I need to deal with the thing right away. From there I can plan an appropriate response. A similar thought process is involved if I happen to be working as part of a group/team when the challenge is encountered. The only difference I include is evaluating whether I’m in a position to “call the shots” and deal with things without the permission/involvement of the group. If I need to rely on others to face the challenge I don’t mind reaching out for help, but if I’m already part of a group then making sure that everyone is part of any and all decisions is important for facing what is front of us.
So, once I’ve determined impact and whether or not to deal with whatever the obstacle is right away (if by myself) then I look at how difficult it will be to overcome. I’ll break it down into more manageable pieces and tackle things systematically until it’s over. This will happen in a similar fashion if I’m part of a group, but I’ll make sure I’m listening to everyone else to make sure we don’t miss something and that we divvy out tasks appropriately. Once that’s all taken care of it’s just a matter of laying down a timeline for completion (if necessary, if not, I just try to knock it out right away and be done with it.)
Going back to my comment about “a controlled environment” I was thinking about whether or not there are restraints on how the obstacle must be overcome. My mind immediately goes to video games for an example of this because oftentimes what happens is there are set requirements for completion but you may not have all the information. In those cases I just look at the “confines” of the situation to see if I can understand where the boundaries are so that I’m not wasting time trying things that will have zero impact on solving the issue. In normal everyday life this might look like working within the confines of coding parameters, construction requirements, electrical and plumbing specifications, and things of that nature. What is the issue and how are we restricted in our ability to solve it?
Dissecting the challenge/obstacle/issue is the easiest way to approach them, and usually makes it easier to handle them mentally, especially when they might seem insurmountable at first glance.
Are you actively trying to learn to use AI to complement your work? Or are you trying to learn more unique skills that cannot be easily replicated by AI?
The regular daily prompt was something about a big risk that I haven’t taken yet, but since I answered that one a while back, I decided to fill in with my own. It did pop up in the back of my mind again, though, when I stumbled upon the one I added above while scouting for a new idea.
First, I’d like to mention that I have already dabbled with AI a bit for different reasons, but I haven’t made the leap to trying to use it for my own benefit. I’ve learned a smidge about how they work, and how they’re being used in different industries, but shelved the idea of leaning on them when what I saw was giving me an icky feeling (at the time).
One of the things I did was mess around with ChatGPT a little to try and see what kinds of information it had access to from Dungeons and Dragons so that I could try to possibly use it as a little Assistant DM (should I ever actually get a group together and play). This was early on in my research for trying to understand the hype, learning a bit about Large Language Models, and I kind of liked how things were turning out. It could pull up all kinds of information on short notice and offer explanations (to the best of its ability) on how certain things worked or where the information was sourced so that I might look into it myself to confirm.
After tinkering with it for a bit I got the idea to see what kinds of ideas it could string together to help me from a creative writing aspect. Then I got cold feet. I put that idea aside for a bit, and went on my way. Not long thereafter was when I stumbled upon an issue that was springing up in the indie-publishing world for fiction authors. Apparently, the market, especially on Kindle, had been getting flooded with stories. What tipped me off were comments and posts on different social media sites and on reddit that all mentioned how they felt similar, and were poorly constructed and almost rushed. People started putting two and two together, and realized that it had to be AI-related. This gave me some serious pause. Several months went by and I saw someone comment about how people were being caught and screened for trying to submit AI built manuscripts to traditional publishers, which caused these reviewers and some editors to start including phrasing concerning these kinds of manuscripts. So, while I didn’t get my hopes up to begin with, it did severely stifle the idea of using AI for creative writing purposes.
At least, until someone pointed out (it was probably Brandon Sanderson, since I listen to a lot of his podcasts and such) that it’s still up to the writer (me) to actually sift through the AI responses and craft things. I don’t HAVE to use exactly what is generated. Which just took me back to my original idea for the D&D stuff. I can use it for ideas, maybe throw in a more developed prompt to see what gets churned out, and then further customize everything (or even throw things out entirely!) So, I may circle back around to trialing it at a later date if I feel like I’m getting stuck. For now, though, I’m still running on my own brain.
One other area I dabbled with AI, actually very recently, was with coding/scripting for work. I didn’t actually use my work device or any sort of sensitive data, so as to avoid risks, but I was stuck trying to figure out a way to make something work in Microsoft Power BI for some reporting I work on. I wanted to try converting DAX scripting into M code to see if it might help improve processing data from a massively customized date table I had constructed. So, I plugged in the idea to a different AI service via my phone, and tried to work with what was given back. Sadly, I couldn’t make it do what I wanted, so it was a bust. I’ve not looked toward AI for work purposes since then, and doubtful I will again since I really should be developing that knowledge and skill set on my own and not relying on AI to do it for me (or else why bother having me do the work at all?)
At this point, all things considered, I still haven’t messed with AI as much as some people, and I don’t know how soon I’ll get back to dabbling with it for creative writing purposes or as a sort of Assistant DM, but I know I’m definitely not intending to use it for work again any time soon.
The Dragon's Grove 