21

Hello comrades and welcome to the first improvement megathread of August! bonfire


Some discussion ideas:

  • How was your week?

  • Do you have some plans for next week?

  • How was your July?

  • Do you have some plans for August?


Image description: "To the Defenders of the Soviet Arctic during the Great Patriotic War", commonly called Alyosha, is a monument in Murmansk, Russia to Soviet soldiers, sailors, and airmen of World War II (called the Great Patriotic War in Russia).

top 19 comments
sorted by: hot top controversial new old
[-] jarntotheelder@hexbear.net 2 points 2 days ago

Continuing running and daily lichess, going to start daily language lessons. The library provides a free subscription to a program called Mango, and it looks sufficient.

A fascist trained today, did you?

[-] moonlake@hexbear.net 2 points 1 day ago

I haven't trained today but I will go running on the following 3 days. What language are you learning?

[-] jarntotheelder@hexbear.net 2 points 1 day ago

Russian. I was using Duolingo before but it got way too gamified.

[-] valium_aggelein@hexbear.net 2 points 2 days ago

Kind of an off week for me so was far less productive than usual. Combination of a frustrating period of work and some hard to pin down stresses. It was a relatively social week however, so gotta take that as a win at least.

I did accomplish some things however:

  • baked bread for the first time
  • 7 months without drinking
  • did some reading on imperialism and feel like I got a better grasp on it now as far as it being the “highest stage of capitalism” instead of just the more popular use definition
  • made some progress on two songs I’m writing for a folkish side project
    • one I’m pretty excited about as it uses Reich’s phasing ideas but it’s the first time I’ve done that with guitar. Results are turning out cooler than what I imagined in my head :]
  • now actually halfway through Infinite Jest (yes, I know har har whatever it’s actually a good book though)

Things I majorly fell off on:

  • exercise went WAY down. I think I only exercised like once this week and zero yoga
  • daily instrument practice skipped three days in a row
    • I’m usually okay with one day skipped now and then but three is a legitimate progress problem
  • only went for a walk a few times this week so did not get outside nearly as much as I want to
    • this prob didn’t help with my lack of motivation
  • had an unexpected high medical expense which SUCKED

For this week:

  • get back into my exercise/yoga schedule
  • planning to read a bit more on China to get just slightly familiar with things like socialism with Chinese characteristics, Chinese Dream, etc… just like a rough overview of the guiding values of the Xi period
  • want to get to at least page 600 of infinite jest as I need to finish it by the end of August so I can move on to other stuff on my backlog
  • want to come up with some more exercises for guitar that can be done away from a guitar (on vacation from home this weekend)
  • want to continue trying out some new stuff for my hair as I’m kinda embracing the curly girl journey lifestyle at the moment (I am a man lol)
[-] moonlake@hexbear.net 1 points 1 day ago

Rev Left Radio has some podcast episodes on China if you're interested in that.

I would also like to practice guitar regularly, what resources are you using? I'm thinking I should try to learn one new chord every day

[-] anarchoilluminati@hexbear.net 5 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago)

I haven't checked in for a while but I'm doing pretty well!

I have almost nearly accomplished my initial exercise goal to the point that it can be considered achieved. I get compliments about it, too, which is nice that people notice the improvement. Now the subsequent, more difficult and longer-term goal is up next soon.

I've kept up my reading and watching films. Probably read so much this year that it either rivals my peak reading in university or surpassed any other single year. I've already watched more films than any other year since I started keeping track. Still always more to read and watch so it never ends, but that's going great.

I'm also getting my finances established pretty well. And a totally unplanned and unexpected, but happy, achievement so far is getting my credit score (CHINA BAD) up too!

Setting up my place, almost done fully fixing it up in this current iteration before I can do a larger project.

Took up learning Chinese via HelloChinese and I'm really enjoying it, I think my brain likes the exercise, even though I'm still way too novice to hold any conversations but I need to practice it more. May take a class soon if possible.

Set up some stuff in my home country in case I need to dip from this tremendous, beautiful imperial core so that makes me feel relieved if (when) it comes to that.

Hanging out with friends here and there when possible, mostly don't because they're busy though.

Work is going well, hectic as always but I haven't gotten fired so that's good at least.

Have a kind of suspenseful and important week for family stuff but hoping for the best.

Haven't found a cute comrade to agitate long-term at home with yet but no real rush for that.

I don't know what else to mention but I'm happy with how I'm improving things so far!

packwatch

That's a great picture, by the way.

[-] moonlake@hexbear.net 2 points 1 day ago

Glad to hear you're doing well! What is your favourite thing that you have read/watched this year?

[-] anarchoilluminati@hexbear.net 2 points 1 day ago

Thank you!

For reading, I'm kinda embarrassed to say I mostly was reading theory I should've read a decade ago. Read Lenin, Stalin, Mao but it was really cool to read State and Revolution, Stalin's Marxism and the National Question, and Mao's On Practice as well as On Contradiction. The pretty new The East is Still Red was cool because it felt kinda bloomer. Currently reading Fanshen based on a recommendation here.

In terms of watching, Wong Kar Wai's trilogy of Days of Being Wild, In the Mood for Love, and 2046 were amazing. In the Mood for Love, in particular, lived up to the hype for me. But Soundtrack to a Coup d'Etat is probably my "favorite" considering I've already watched it like maybe 15 times. It just has everything for me to often passively watch or have in the background as I rest or do things, beyond having something like The Simpsons. Honorable mentions: Happy Together, The Cranes are Flying, Saving Face, Sisters of the Gion.

Anything you would recommend on those fronts?

[-] valium_aggelein@hexbear.net 3 points 2 days ago

Congrats on the initial exercise goal! What is the long term one??

[-] anarchoilluminati@hexbear.net 1 points 1 day ago

Thank you! Without going into specific numbers, I am finishing up a very successful fat cutting phase but I wouldn't call it totally over just yet. Soon it'll be a MUCH FUNNER muscle gaining phase and then need to work on remaining in a sustainable, healthy maintain-state.

Since the second part of this current part is kind of a lifelong goal is why I'm saying it's long-term. But I'm also happy with where I am now so can't complain too much. I got a genuine "nice body" compliment on Sunday, what more could I want?

[-] moonlake@hexbear.net 7 points 3 days ago
[-] SorosFootSoldier@hexbear.net 4 points 3 days ago

Stickied good luck

[-] Rojo27@hexbear.net 4 points 3 days ago

How was your week?

Not too bad. Worked out for 4 days. Weather wasn't really cooperating for cycling though so most of my commutes were meh.

Do you have some plans for next week?

Nothing terribly different. Try and hit the gym as much as possible. Hang out with friends on a couple days, hopefully.

How was your July?

Just ok. Stayed in shape, commuted by bike as much as I could. Took a week+ off and didn't really get to relax much so still feeling a bit burned out. Reconnected with a couple of old friends, but also feeling other friendships/relationships slip up. Work has been soulcrushing like always.

Do you have plans for August?

More of the same really. Hoping to hang out few more times with some friends before the summer is out. Also taking a few days off using my PTO so that I can have shorter work weeks. Might just renew my apartment search.

[-] Maeve@kbin.earth 5 points 3 days ago

The community project grows wearisome, but is wrapping up. It may take a change of direction at the end of the week. I'm eager to wrap it up, because I need to get home things caught up.

[-] moonlake@hexbear.net 5 points 3 days ago
  • Last week was decent, I went running on 4 days in a row.

  • Next week I want to go running on 3 days, continue meditating and reading before bed.

  • This July was solid, I went running on 11 days and practiced meditation regularly. I started a new habit of reading before bed in order to fall asleep more easily.

  • I'm going on vacation in mid-August so self-improvement is not gonna be a top priority this month pirate-jammin

[-] valium_aggelein@hexbear.net 2 points 2 days ago

Reading before bed is key. Dual benefit of getting more reading done and makes you sleepy in a way staring at your phone just doesn’t

[-] moonlake@hexbear.net 1 points 1 day ago

It's always great when you can get additional benefits, reading is great on its own but reading before bed is even better. I'm trying to make this a regular habit because it's so much better to read before bed than look at screens (which is what I usually do)

[-] anarchoilluminati@hexbear.net 2 points 3 days ago

Hell yeah, enjoy the vacation!

Can you share where you're headed? No worries if you're concerned about doxxing though.

[-] moonlake@hexbear.net 1 points 1 day ago

I'm gonna spend one week back in my hometown and then one week visiting my sister who lives on the seaside. I love swimming in the sea so I'm looking forward to that bunny-vibe

this post was submitted on 03 Aug 2025
21 points (100.0% liked)

Self Improvement

333 readers
1 users here now

A community which focusses on improving yourself. This can be in many different ways - from improving physical health or appearance, to improving mental health, creating better habits, overcoming addictions, etc.

While material circumstances beyond our control do govern much of our daily lives, people do have agency and choices to make, whether that is as "simple" as disciplining yourself to not doomscroll, to as complex as recreating yourself to have many different hobbies and habits.

This is not a place where all we do is talk about improving "productivity" (in a workplace context) and similar terms and harmful lifestyles like "grindset". Self-improvement here is intended to make you a generally better and happier person, as well as a better communist, and any other roles you may have in your life.

Rules and guidelines:

  1. Posts should be about self-improvement. This is obviously a wide category, and can range from advice, to finding resources, to self-posts about needing to improve in a certain area, or how you have improved, and many other things.

  1. Use content warnings when discussing difficult subjects.

  1. Do not make medical decisions solely because of a discussion you have had with any person here (e.g. whether to take or not take medications; diagnoses; etc.) as we do not vet people. All medical problems should be discussed with a real-life medical professional.

  1. Do not post harmful advice here. If this is seen, then please report it and we shall remove it. If you are unsure about whether it's precisely harmful advice or not but feel uneasy about it, please report it anyway.

  1. Do not insult other users and their lifestyles or their habits (unless they ask, I suppose). This is a place for self-improvement. Critique and discussion about a course of action is encouraged over shit-flinging. Don't talk down to people.

founded 2 years ago
MODERATORS