It’s time for another monthly update from me! (Was it just me or did July just fly by so quickly?) Dive right in if you’re curious about what’s happening in my life and check out my favourite resources for July.

What I’ve Been Up To

Playing The Piano

I’ve learnt another 6 songs this month, which brings my list of songs learnt to a total of 20 since the holidays started in late April. I’ve mostly relied on YouTube tutorials and Synthesia to play them until recently, where I’ve started to learn basic music theory and reading sheet music.

To be honest, it has been a struggle and I’m still getting the hang of it. If you have any piano tips to share, please let me know. (How does one read and play with both hands at the same time??)

Working Out

Another activity I’ve been doing consistently is my arm workouts with weights. It has been quite satisfying because I can now see a slight visual difference in my upper arms and shoulders compared to when I first started 3 months ago. The workouts are also starting to get easier to do as each week goes by. Even though it just takes me 2 textbooks and 10 minutes every day, it adds up and I am proud of myself for following through more often than not.

Decluttering and Learning German

Besides focusing on my internship, I also decided to organise and declutter some more of my things. Lastly, I’ve been practising my German every day, and even have weekly calls with a German native speaker. If you want to learn a new language faster, I highly recommend conversing with someone who is a native speaker for that language. It accelerated my learning as I could quickly identify what I don’t know (especially with regards to commonly spoken phrases and grammar rules).

Books I’ve Read

Before The Coffee Gets Cold

I’ve read 3 books this month, with the first a fiction read. Before The Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi was an unexpectedly emotional story. After hearing it from a friend that she was reading it, I got curious and borrowed the ebook from the library (I didn’t read its synopsis as I dislike spoilers). I devoured it in one sitting – it was that good! Even though it had a ‘slow’ start, it all made sense in the second chapter. It reminded me of another book, Let It Snow by John Green, where their stories are also interconnected with one another. Personally, I’m not a fan of coffee, but this story almost made me wish I was! If you’re in search of a unique and heartwarming story, this book doesn’t disappoint.

Holistic Dental Care

Another interesting read was Holistic Dental Care by Nadine Artemis. I first discovered it through The Melissa Ambrosini Show podcast and wanted to know more about dental health. Although it doesn’t seem feasible for me to implement the tips shared in the book now, I now know more about how my teeth work, and what ingredients to look out for in toothpastes.

Limitless

I’m about halfway through Limitless by Jim Kwik. I’ve always admired his mental strength ever since I heard about his story a few years ago. I was excited to get my hands on his book and was so glad that there were e-copies available from the library.

I actively took notes as I read and implemented its action tips. Although I haven’t completed it yet, I know that I will be able to apply these techniques into my studies and into any skill I want to learn.

This book teaches you how to learn. In my opinion, learning how to learn is the ultimate life skill, hands down.

July Favourite Tool

Toggl

I was finding it hard to be conscious about what I spend my time on. Some days, I struggled to manage my time well and didn’t follow through with my plans. A friend suggested that I track my time so I am aware of what activities I’m doing throughout the day. She recommended me to use Toggl, a free online time tracker.

After using it for 4 weeks, I can tell that it has helped me be more intentional about my time. Not only do I get to review what activities are taking up most of my time, I also use it as a way to remind myself to take breaks (i.e. when the timer hits the 40-minute mark). When I don’t track my time using Toggl, I tend to multitask and end up not being as productive as I hope to be.

Although you may find yourself forgetting to ‘clock in’ your time during the first few days of using, you’ll eventually get the hang of it. No harm giving Toggl a try (at least for one week). Moreover, it has a free basic plan.

What I’m Working On In August 2020

Meditation

I’m revisiting meditation practices again. I hope that I can train my mind to focus on things which count in the moment, instead of not letting it wander and get distracted. Being present is still something I’m working on. Currently, I like listening to meditations that include guided imagery such as ‘The Circle of Breath‘ or ‘Walk Through A Moonlit Forest‘.

Blogging

This month is the most consistent I’ve been so far. I’m also very grateful for all the feedback that I received, especially with regards to my Instagram infographic about money and budgeting. Even though the school term will be starting again, I still want to be able to continue posting content consistently on my blog.

August would also be time for me to review my summer goals so stay tuned for that!

Let me know if you like these monthly personal updates and if they are helpful for you. I’d love to hear what you think so I can tweak my future updates for you. Feel free to share this post with your friends too!