Monthly Review: October 2015
13 Nov 2015
At the start of each month I do a review in my journal of my goals, habits, and experiments from the past month. In January 2015 I started publishing my monthly reviews on my blog instead of keeping them private. You can see them all in my monthly reviews category.
What goals did I attempt in October?
- Submit Exist for iOS to the App Store with the dashboard completed: Nope. I did get it almost done, but a small bug tipped it over into November. Besides that, we've decided to make some big changes with Exist which means the big changes I've been working on in the iOS app won't ever hit the App Store after all.
- Write another post in my series about building the Exist for iOS app: Nope. Didn't get around to this, and then Josh and I discussed a new plan for how I spend the little time I have free for writing Exist-related content.
What 1 habit did I focus on for October? (How did that go?)
My morning routine.
I did get a bit slack during October, but somehow I managed to stick to getting up early, doing 5 push-ups, and practising French almost every day. It's nice to know those parts of my routine have become fairly solid habits now. Plus, I look forward to them (unlike other parts of my routine, like flossing), so they're easier to do regularly.
What experiments did I try?
None this month.
My homescreen in October
Most played music in October
- Twin Forks
- The Mowgli's
- Dresses
Time spent coding
25h 56m
24% of my time tracked by RescueTime in October was spent on software development. That's even more than I expected. I did work on my Exist for iOS app a lot, and I'm proud of the work I got done. I'd love to keep this above 20h per month in the future.
Books read
- Hyperbole and a Half, Allie Brosh
- Holy Sh*t: A Brief History of Swearing, Melissa Mohr
Theatre
The Lion King.
I wanted to see some theatre every month and I managed to squeeze in The Lion King just before the end of October. A Disney musical is definitely a good way to get back into the theatre after a long hiatus. This show was really fun.
Money spent
$7,865.09
How is this going up every month?!
Biggest chunks: $1,293 for rent, $1,700 tax repayments, $1,229 for a new iPhone, $1,341 for a gift, and $650 at the dentist.
Goals for November
I want to complete:
- Write a post for the Exist blog (I'm aiming for one per month from now on).
- Complete two new content pieces for Ghost (we're working on a new strategy and I'm aiming to get two pieces published per month).
I want to focus on this 1 habit:
Exercise.
My exercise habits are always one of the first to go when I fall out my normal routines. I obviously need to make them stronger. I'm trying out a new exercise program and aiming to fit in two workouts and one run each week.