I want to finish a textbook!

Counting carbs/calories is a drag. Obsessive scale stepping is a recipe for despair. If you want to count something, "days on habit" is a much better metric. Checking off days on a calendar would do just fine, but if you do it here you get accountability and support. Here's how. Start a new topic in this forum called (say) "Your Name Daily Check In." Then every N day post a "reply" to that topic as to whether you stayed on habit. A simple "<font color="green">SUCCESS</font>" or "<font color="red">FAILURE</font>" (or your preferred euphemism if that's too harsh) is sufficient, but obviously you're welcome to write more if you want. On S-days just register that you're taking an S-day. You don't have to do this forever, just until you're confident you've built the habit. Feel free to check in weekly or monthly or sporadically instead of daily. Feel free also to track other habits besides No-s (I'm keeping this forum under No-s because that's what the vast majority are using it for). See also my <a href="/habitcal/">HabitCal</a> tool for another more formal (and perhaps complementary) way to track habits.

Moderators: Soprano, automatedeating

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rose
Posts: 332
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I want to finish a textbook!

Post by rose » Sat Jul 05, 2014 5:44 pm

As the title says.
I have many interests and way too many books and textbooks.
Unfortunately in the past I have seldom been persistent enough to finish any of them on my own, and recent experience has shown I tend to stop going to non-mandatory classes after a while.

So I want to finish, well, quite a lot of them, but for starters I'll focus on my "KP" textbook. Note: for privacy I won't detail exactly what it is about.

"KP" textbook: 198 pages + 24 pages of vocabulary index, 30 chapters.
I've more or less studied the first 4 chapters already, in fits and starts over the past 2 years.
Well now I just have to finish it :P
I'm not giving myself a deadline but if I was done by the end of September it would be nice, because I would then join a class on a slightly different topic.

Feel free to join in with your own textbook(s), and/or share your experience with self-study.

rose
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Post by rose » Sat Jul 05, 2014 6:45 pm

well, for today I reviewed the introduction on pages 2 and 3 and read the first page of chapter 5.

rose
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Post by rose » Sun Jul 06, 2014 3:59 pm

Spent about 1h memorizing the definitions in chapters 4 and 5.

automatedeating
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Post by automatedeating » Sun Jul 06, 2014 4:11 pm

Rose, you are trying to finish a textbook? Ugh, I would think that time would be far more enjoyable reading a real book! If your textbook is science, find a popular science book. If your textbook is Spanish, read a book in Spanish. You know what I mean? Textbooks are dry! Books are Alive!
Month/Year-BMI
8/13-26.3
8/14-24.5
5/15-26.2
1/16-26.9; 9/16-25.6
8/17-25.8; 11/17-26.9
3/18-25.6; 8/18-24.5; 10/18-23.8;
3/19-22.1; 10/19-21.8
6/20-22.5; 7/20-23.0; 9/20-23.6
4/21 - 25.2

rose
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Post by rose » Sun Jul 06, 2014 6:11 pm

hmm yes I know what you mean.
But I don't just want to understand the topic, I want to memorize and be able to use it. This textbook contains exercises which will help me do that (hopefully).
And yes it's more difficult but also more rewarding imho. Anyway the difficulty is why I intend to post daily here for motivation. I wouldn't need to do that if it was easy...
That said, perhaps I should also make time to read easier books on the same topic as you suggested... but reading such books alone I would forget the details immediately. I need some difficulty and hands-on practice to memorize things.
Thank you for the suggestion.

rose
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Joined: Thu Mar 22, 2007 6:06 pm

Post by rose » Mon Jul 07, 2014 7:48 pm

Not exactly a good day at work.
I had planned to do the exercises from the first part of chapter 5 today but I felt tired and skipped to read the start of the 2nd part which is more interesting than the first part.
17' - nothing exceptional but I'll count it as a success habit-wise.
Tomorrow I have a day off work and 3 appointments. Now I make a 4th appointment with the chapter 5 exercises :wink:

rose
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Post by rose » Tue Jul 08, 2014 1:19 pm

About 1h doing the exercices of the 2nd part of chapter 5 and reading on wikipedia.
I will need to do exercise 3 again and do the exercises in chapter 5 part 1 that I skipped.

rose
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Post by rose » Wed Jul 09, 2014 7:19 pm

17' spent mainly on exercice 6 of chapter 5.

rose
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Post by rose » Thu Jul 10, 2014 7:03 pm

27' spent on chapter5 part 1 exercises 1 and 2.2, plus review of chapter 5 part 2 exercice 3.
I will need to review exercices 1 and 2.2.

rose
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Post by rose » Fri Jul 11, 2014 8:03 pm

33' - quickly reviewed chapter 5 part 1 exercise 2.2, then spent more time on exercise 3.

rose
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Post by rose » Mon Jul 14, 2014 4:44 pm

Well, it looks like this 3-day weekend was either S or failed :oops:

rose
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Post by rose » Tue Jul 15, 2014 6:32 pm

18' review of chapter 5 part 1 exercise 3.

rose
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Post by rose » Wed Jul 16, 2014 8:17 pm

20' chapter 5 self evaluation exercise 1 (not finished)

eschano
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Post by eschano » Thu Jul 17, 2014 9:45 am

Good going Rose!
eschano - Vanilla rocks!

July 2012- January 2016
Started again January 2021

rose
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Post by rose » Thu Jul 17, 2014 7:47 pm

thanks eschano :)
today 19' spent on chapter 5 self evaluation exercise 2 and a little bit of exercise 1.

rose
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Post by rose » Fri Jul 18, 2014 8:10 pm

21' spent on reading the first page of chapter 6 and reviewing chapter 5 part 2.

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Over43
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Post by Over43 » Fri Jul 18, 2014 8:40 pm

Sometimes though, textbooks are required. I recall a philosophy text from college, oy vey!
Bacon is the gateway meat. - Anthony Bourdain
You pale in comparison to Fox Mulder. - The Smoking Man

I made myself be hungry, then I would get hungrier. - Frank Zane Mr. Olympia '77, '78, '79

rose
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Post by rose » Sat Jul 19, 2014 6:52 pm

17' reading on the internet about chapter 5 topics.

rose
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Post by rose » Sun Jul 20, 2014 8:59 pm

19' reading chapter 6

rose
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Post by rose » Mon Jul 21, 2014 8:06 pm

38' preparing review sheet for definitions of chapter 6 (unfinished)

rose
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Post by rose » Tue Jul 22, 2014 9:11 pm

18' reading chapter 6 + exercise 3.

rose
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Post by rose » Wed Jul 23, 2014 7:02 pm

33' chapter 6 main exercise

rose
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Post by rose » Thu Jul 24, 2014 8:25 pm

28' reading on the internet to help understand/memorize the definitions of chapter 6 part 2.

rose
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Post by rose » Fri Jul 25, 2014 7:47 pm

38' reading on the internet + note taking to help understand/memorize the definitions of chapter 6 part 2.

rose
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Post by rose » Sat Jul 26, 2014 8:09 pm

30‘ chapter 6 part 1 exercises 3,6,7

rose
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Post by rose » Sun Jul 27, 2014 8:15 pm

29' chapter 6 self evaluation, chapter 6 part 2 exercises 1,2

rose
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Post by rose » Mon Jul 28, 2014 8:45 pm

18' trying to get chap 6 part 2 to stick.

rose
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Post by rose » Tue Jul 29, 2014 8:43 pm

40' chapter 6 part 2 exercises 1,2,3.

gingerpie
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Post by gingerpie » Tue Jul 29, 2014 9:08 pm

It looks like you are doing great. I love learning new things. Do you have plans to use your new found knowledge?

rose
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Post by rose » Wed Jul 30, 2014 7:43 pm

hi gingerpie, it won't be useful right away but I am interested in the topic and who knows, it could be useful some day...

today 24' spent on chapter 6 part 2 exercises 1-4.

rose
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Post by rose » Thu Jul 31, 2014 8:48 pm

26' chapter 6 part 2 exercise 4. Still a little bit that I don't get.

rose
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Post by rose » Mon Aug 04, 2014 6:36 pm

hmm 3 failed days :?
Today 15' spent on chapter 7.

rose
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Post by rose » Tue Aug 05, 2014 7:45 pm

17' mostly spent on chapter 7

rose
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Post by rose » Wed Aug 06, 2014 6:53 pm

26' chapter 7 exercises 1.2, 1.3

rose
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Post by rose » Thu Aug 07, 2014 9:13 pm

16' reviewing chapter 6.

rose
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Post by rose » Fri Aug 08, 2014 7:50 pm

20' reading chapter 7 and some review of chapter 6.

rose
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Post by rose » Sat Aug 09, 2014 7:36 pm

29' review cards for chapter 6

osoniye
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Post by osoniye » Sun Aug 10, 2014 5:13 am

Hi Rose-
You're doing great! That's soo good to be using the NoS principles to get through something worthwhile like continuing learning. I'm currently taking a distance course, so I have the enforced discipline of weekly check-ins with an instructor and assignments, but I'd love to adopt your method for keeping up with things when the course is over. (It's language, so if I don't keep it up, I will probably lose whatever gains I will have made.)
-Sonya
No Sweets, No Snacks and No Seconds, Except (Sometimes) on days that start with "S".

rose
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Post by rose » Sun Aug 10, 2014 8:01 pm

18' definitions of chapter 7.

rose
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Post by rose » Mon Aug 11, 2014 6:17 pm

Hi Osoniye, thank you for the encouragements and good luck with your studies :D

rose
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Post by rose » Mon Aug 11, 2014 8:40 pm

20' spent on definitions of chapter 7.
I'm switching to negative tracking for a while, see what happens...

rose
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Post by rose » Fri Aug 15, 2014 8:38 pm

failure today :oops:

rose
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Post by rose » Sun Sep 14, 2014 8:27 pm

time to 'fess up: I had several weeks of failures due to vacations and having difficulties getting back to it afterwards. Restarted a few days ago and had again a failure yesterday.
Today was a success though. I'm still on lesson 7.

eschano
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Post by eschano » Mon Sep 15, 2014 9:16 am

I guess no matter the system there is always that bit where it's suddenly hard. But you were doing so well so there's no doubt in my mind that you get back into it soon.
eschano - Vanilla rocks!

July 2012- January 2016
Started again January 2021

rose
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Post by rose » Mon Sep 22, 2014 8:36 pm

Thanks eschano.
Well I seem to be back on track but at the rate of 15' per day I'll be stuck on this textbook for quite a while :P

rose
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Post by rose » Tue Sep 30, 2014 6:48 pm

failure yesterday :oops:
success today.

aspencer27
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Post by aspencer27 » Wed Oct 01, 2014 12:16 pm

Good job getting back to it today. I'm trying to do this with re-learning Spanish, but it seems to be falling by the wayside the last month. I have been tracking it with lots of red... Keep up the good work.

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