⛸️ Today all the 7.8 kilometres of the Rideau Canal Skateway opened! The weather was not too cold (1C) and the ice condition was rated “Very Good” which is not something I’ve seen often. It’s been 2 years since I’ve been there. Last year it only opened for 10 days, and I didn’t get a chance to go and the year before it didn’t even open because of weather conditions.

I went there with my partner, and we skated for almost 2 hours for a total of 13 km! The ice was very good indeed, with just a few cracks and bumps. And I was glad I could happily glide along it. It’s the farthest we’ve ever skated. A light snow started to fall halfway through our route, and it started to get wet, with the snow melting on the surface of our clothes. But we made it back where we started! I was exhausted at the end, feeling like I had run a 10k, even though we took breaks along the way. But it was energizing and fun. I did fall once because of a bump on the ice, but it was very slow motion, and I used all the training I had on how to fall safely. I was okay!

I love my recent pair of figure ice skates; they are comfortable and warm. I finally found ice skates that don’t hurt my feet!

We went ice skating on the Canal in the morning, then in the afternoon we had our weekly Ice-Skating class. I definitely had less energy during the class, but I made it all right. I’m still working on my forward crossovers, backwards skating and 1-foot glides.

The weather forecast looks good for the Canal for the next couple of weeks, so I’d like to skate there again before the end of this winter.

Now I need some hot chocolate ☕.

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Post 69/100 of 100DaysToOffload challenge! #100DaysToOffload #100Days

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By Noisy Deadlines Minimalist in progress, nerdy, introvert, skeptic. I don't leave without my e-reader.

Photo by 2H Media on Unsplash

💡 Every year I sit down and reflect on the new year with the following topics:

• IDEAS
• NEW PERSPECTIVES
• What would I like to change about myself?
• What would I like to change about my lifestyle?

I also choose a theme/topic focus for the year. And in 2025 I want to focus on simplicity and having fun. After a year of focusing on my health I feel like I want to enjoy time outdoors and travel a bit.

IDEAS

• Keep it simple!
• I want to have a central paper planner to have a nice overview of my year and weeks. This planner will integrate work and personal projects and my calendar.
• I will also use my paper planner to jot down some gratitude notes every day.
• I want to remember and reinforce concepts of simplicity and minimalism.
• I want to increase my time meditating each day.
• I want to remember to have fun and return to activities that I’ve been avoiding, like playing video games.
• I want to be able to do forward cross overs on both directions and start backward crossovers in ice skating.
• Continue running and hiking. Get more muscle mass going to the gym.
• GTD: stick with what works and keep it simple. Avoid switching apps and overthinking my system. Focus on doing.
• Start some long-term financial goals (thinking about future retirement years).
• Travel more. Travel somewhere in Canada (first idea: road trip to the Maritimes).
• Balance my reading with having fun playing video games.

NEW PERSPECTIVES

• I miss a bit of a tactile experience to plan my life. I will start using a year paper planner to integrate my life vision/plans.
• I want to have simple but effective tools. For example: Journaling in Standard Notes instead of having one more app to manage.
• I want journaling to be even more present in my daily routine.
• I will focus on having in person experiences.

What would I like to change about myself?

• I want to be more relaxed and focus more on having fun and feeling good.
• I will be braver and write more on my blog. I have so many things to say, I have ideas, and I want to put them out there, even if nobody reads it and even if it feels unfinished. I want to become a a regular writer and expose myself more.

What would I like to change about my lifestyle?

• I currently like my lifestyle. I don’t think I want to change it for this year.
• I will still be working my full-time job with clear delineation between work and personal schedules.
• My free time will be for reading, exercising, relaxing, having fun and taking care of myself.

🎮Some Games to Play (that I already own):

• Assassin’s Creed Odyssey (PS4)
• Dorfromantik (Steam)
• Stardew Valley (Steam)
• Pillars of Eternity – Definitive Edition (Steam)
• Pathfinder: Kingmaker (Steam)
• Citizen Sleeper (Steam)
• Trine 4 (Steam)

I will write a separate post on my Reader Goals for 2025!

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By Noisy Deadlines Minimalist in progress, nerdy, introvert, skeptic. I don't leave without my e-reader.

So, 2024 is practically over! 🎉

When I sat down a year ago to think about my goals, I wanted 2024 to be the year of rest and taking care of myself.

And I’m happy to look back and realize I achieved these goals.

In 2024 I focused on Health:

• It was great to get the monoferrin infusion which raised my energy levels, and I felt much better.
• I continued regular therapy.
• I saw a naturopath to address my digestion issues and started taking probiotics and supplements for my gut health.
• I did an endoscopy and adjusted my acid reflux medication, which mitigated some of the symptoms I was having.
• I adjusted my diet and other medications.
• I kept my morning routine to the point it became automatic. It doesn’t matter if I’m on vacation or not, I will do my morning routine rigorously.
• My wellness is more important than anything else.

I’ve also worked on managing stress and workload thanks to these practices:

• Morning routine with yoga + meditation + journaling
• Time Blocking at work to manage workload
• Work Shutdown routine to manage stress
• Regular exercise

Some other wins or successful outcomes in 2024 🏆

• We installed a ceiling fan for our living room.
• Got a new daily bag for myself.
• Got a new bed mattress for our bedroom.
• Completed this Course: ADHD, Managing Time and Overcoming Distractions by David Greenwood [Udemy].
• Completed the 30-Day Yoga Journey 2024 – Yoga with Adrienne.
• Completed the Down Dog May Yoga Challenge 2024.
• Enrolled in 3 Races for 2024 (10K Races completed).
• Filled in Tax Return Fiscal Year 2023/2024.
• Fixed my ALL time reading log spreadsheet with stats for each year.
• Found a pair of figure ice skates that fits me well.
• I did some experimentation with Rocketbooks, and discovered I enjoy paper sometimes.
• I read 58 books in 2024.
• I went to Scintillation, Montreal, Kingston, a Halloween party, Hiking, ran 3 – 10K races, joined a Dungeons and Dragons campaign.
• I traveled to Brazil for the end of year Holidays! 🎊

📺 Movies/Shows I watched:

1. The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar (2023) Netflix

2. Knights (2015) Curiosity Stream – documentary

3. Story of Europe (2017) Curiosity Stream – documentary

4. The Grand Tour: Sand Job (S05 E03) – Amazon Prime

5. Raccoons: Survival Warriors (2022) – Curiosity Stream

6. Fallout S1 (2024) – Amazon Prime

7. Renfield (2023) – Amazon Prime

8. Oppenheimer (2023) – Amazon Prime

9. The Ascent of Woman (2015) – Curiosity Stream

10. The Grand Tour: One for the Road (S06 E01)

11. Deadpool & Wolverine (2024) – on the plane

12. Beetlejuice Beetlejuice (2024) – on the plane

13. Aquaman and The Lost Kingdom (2023) – on the plane

14. Barbie (2024) – on the plane

🎮 Video Games I started or played:

1. Banished

2. Dorfromantik

3. Stardew Valley

4. Islanders

5. Pillars of Eternity

6. Trine 4

Conclusion

So, I’ve achieved the focus of taking care of my health. All the health-related changes were life changing to me. And in the last quarter I started to have more mindspace to think about having fun and relaxing more.

As I step into 2025, I’m carrying forward the lessons I’ve learned and the joy I’ve cultivated, ready to build on this foundation of care, resilience, and fun. Here’s to what’s next! 🌟

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Post 64/100 of 100DaysToOffload challenge (Round 2)!

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By Noisy Deadlines Minimalist in progress, nerdy, introvert, skeptic. I don't leave without my e-reader.

🐉 I was recently invited to join an in-person Dungeons & Dragons campaign—using real paper character sheets and dice! We've just had our Session Zero and started creating our characters, and I am absolutely thrilled.

What’s funny is that even as an adult, this is my first time playing D&D in person, rolling actual dice. While I’m familiar with some of the D&D lore—I’ve read books and understand the basics like creating characters, the six core abilities (Strength, Dexterity, Constitution, Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma), proficiency points, modifiers, armor classes, skill checks, and saving throws—I’ve never had the opportunity to experience the game “old school” with pen, paper, and dice.

When I was a teenager, I thought D&D was the coolest thing ever. I desperately wanted to play, but I grew up with a very sheltered upbringing. My parents wouldn’t allow me to go to friends’ houses, let alone join a group to play. Sleepovers? Never.

And back in the '90s, especially in Brazil, D&D groups were pretty much a boys’ club. That made it even harder for me to join any in-person games. My parents definitely wouldn’t have approved of me playing with a group of boys.

But thankfully, there was the Internet! I discovered MUDs (Multi-User Dungeons), text-based online games powered by imagination and simple commands. Many of them were inspired by D&D and were the precursors to today’s MMORPGs.

That’s how I started playing a MUD called Realms of Despair (which is still active to this day!!). I played for years and loved it! I made online friends, and we joined forces to go on quests and adventures. The community back then was incredibly supportive and respectful. It was entirely anonymous, which made me feel safe, and I had so much fun developing my characters. It was also one of the ways I kept practicing English in Brazil (reading and writing a lot!).

Later, I dove into D&D-inspired video game series like:

• Neverwinter Nights
• Baldur’s Gate
• Temple of Elemental Evil
• Dragon Age

I’ve replayed these games countless times, creating new characters with different classes and species each time.

Interestingly, my partner—the love of my life—is also a D&D fan! We met at university, and he was the first person I could openly nerd out about D&D with. We exchanged gamebooks like The Shamutanti Hills by Steve Jackson, which are single-player role-playing adventures where you make choices that affect the story’s outcome. They’re super fun!

Ironically, though, I’ve never played D&D with my partner. He had his own group of childhood friends, and their sessions were always full. Then, adult life made it even harder to find time or a group to play with. So, I stuck to my video games, D&D novels, and sharing my love for the game with him.

And now, after all these years, I’m finally playing D&D for real!

Our group has seven members: me, my partner, three friends from work (one of whom is the Dungeon Master), and two new friends who know the DM.

That’s it—just a little tale about my long journey with Dungeons & Dragons. 😊

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Post 56/100 of 100DaysToOffload challenge (Round 2)!

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By Noisy Deadlines Minimalist in progress, nerdy, introvert, skeptic. I don't leave without my e-reader.

It’s so good to be pain free!

I’ve had a couple of weeks with pain on my left hip that was impacting my running, my walking, my yoga. I did a few hot baths to relax my muscles, some stretching and rest from running and yoga. I kept some walks at the end of day because it’s always relaxing to me.

But what I’ve been doing consistently for the past 3 weeks is replacing my yoga routine in the morning with just 15 minutes of some core stabilizing exercises. So, I’ve been a series of simple exercises with 20 seconds pause between each repetition:

• 4 planks (holding for 40 seconds each)
• Bird-dogs (3 on each side)
• Crunches (normal crunch, bicycle crunch, oblique crunch) => I vary them each day.

I could do these exercises even when I was through my hip pain because these weren’t impacting the affected area. After these series then I stretch for a bit and do a 10-minute meditation.

And the pain is gone! I already went for 2 runs this week and I was fine after it. No pain at all ! I’ve been feeling great!

And this recovery process was just in time for the 10K run I enrolled for this weekend! Yay! I will be able to run! 🤗

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Post 43/100 of 100DaysToOffload challenge (Round 2)!

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By Noisy Deadlines Minimalist in progress, nerdy, introvert, skeptic. I don't leave without my e-reader.

I’ve lived with chronic pain my whole adult life. And it’s complicated.

It has always been related to my low back and sciatica. I’m my 20s I had several flare ups where I couldn’t walk, and I had to be carried to the emergency room to get a painkiller shot and I was prescribed pills for pain and muscle relaxation. I would wake up at night crying with pain (sometimes painkillers didn’t work). I took hours of physiotherapy. I still have memorized series of physiotherapy stretching exercises I used to do.

When I was 28 years old I moved to another city and started seeing a different orthopedist doctor. It was the first a doctor asked for an MRI to investigate my problem. It turned out that, yes, I was born with a slightly different configuration on my lumbar vertebra that was being overloaded with impact. This doctor told me to start swimming. And so, I did. Three times a week, I would wake up at 5:30am to be in the water by 6:30am. I did it for 9 years.

After one year of swimming, the doctor recommended me to start some strength training. So I did that as well. I started going to the gym every morning, to either swim or train. I did my stretching exercises every day, in the morning and before bed.

For the first 3 years after I started swimming, I still had flare-ups and sometimes I couldn't finish a class. But I could notice that my body was slowly getting stronger, and I started having less and less pain.

To the point where I started running! It was a huge achievement for me! I'm not talking about training for marathons or whatever, just running for 10 minutes, then 15 min, then 20 min... Every little step counted. Until I could run 5Km and 10 Km and also do Yoga! And also bike!

So why am telling this story?

It's just because I've been hearing colleagues, friends and bloggers mentioning chronic pain lately and wondering what to do. And my answer is: “I’m sorry, it's complicated”. But also, exercise is super important. And stretching is important. And strengthening the core is even more important. Mental health and managing stress are also important. My answer will never provide quick fixes because it was not easy for me. It took me years to recover and be active again. It was a combination of discipline, physical strengthening, diet adjustments and mental health care.

I don’t swim anymore. But when I tell people about my routine nowadays (which includes yoga, running, hiking, stretching, weight training, meditation, journaling) they ask me how I keep motivated. And my answer is always: “I don't want to feel that pain again”.

I still have some pain, if I pick up something the wrong way or overstretch or stay seated for too long. But I always go back to the basics. If I'm having a tough week, and I have some pain, I stop running and do more core exercises (like Dr. Stuart McGill’s “Big Three” Low Back Exercises). And when the pain is gone, I am grateful for being pain free, even if it’s only for a day.

Everyone will have a different experience. This is mine.

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By Noisy Deadlines Minimalist in progress, nerdy, introvert, skeptic. I don't leave without my e-reader.

The “Now” page is an idea from Derek Sivers that started a movement around 2015. I thought it was cool, but in reality, I was never good at keeping it up to date. I mean, sometimes I'd rather just write a post about what is going on in my life. Also, the “now” aspect of it reminds me of social media. It gives an urgency to communicate what is going on “right now” and I prefer sharing things more intentionally. And to be honest, that's probably not the sense that Derek Sivers originally had for the “Now” page, but I just perceive it that way unconsciously.

On the other hand, I really enjoy writing the “Week Notes”! I first saw this idea on a few blogs that were participating in the 100 Days To Offload last year (2023).

Sometimes I totally forget that I have a “Now” page, so it's not updated as frequently. The “Week Notes” are a better way of registering what I'm up to. It's a nice chunk of time to look back to and reflect upon and I like the regularity of it. When I'm doing my end of the month review it's amazing to look at my Week Notes and see a summary of what happened in my life, the good things, and the bad things.

So, I'm deleting my “Now” page today. I think I will move some of the info that is there to my “About” page: things like my routines and podcasts I'm listening to because those are pretty consistent.

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Post 31/100 of 100DaysToOffload challenge (Round 2)! and Blaugust2024!

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By Noisy Deadlines Minimalist in progress, nerdy, introvert, skeptic. I don't leave without my e-reader.

I’m going to Montreal today for a small literary conference called “Scintillation”. I took a Lyft to go the train station and the Lyft driver was super friendly, we started chatting, and I mentioned I liked sci-fi and fantasy. I talked about my favorite books of all time, classics like “Lord of the Rings” and “Foundation”, and then he mentioned the Apple WWDC 2024. As I haven’t watched it, he said it was amazing, and that everything will change in 10 years. Our phones will be unrecognizable in 10 years because of Artificial Intelligence. We will all live in a different world.

I made some comments about how scary that future looks, with constant surveillance and being always online. But he was super excited about it, he was not scared at all. I then made a comment about Microsoft’s Copilot, which will be included in all their applications, and that my workplace is testing it out. And then I asked him if he remembered Microsoft’s failed office assistant called “Clippy”, and he didn’t have a clue!

He didn’t know that Word and Excel existed (I was shocked😱) and then I realized how old I am! I mean, “Clippy” was discontinued in the early 2000’s but this guy started using computers in 2009 or so. Oh, I felt like a dinosaur! 🦕

He also didn't know that “Dune” was a series of books written in the 60’s by Frank Herbert. He loved the new movies, which I agree. I still want to watch the last one, though.

Anyway, it was a fun conversation, continuing my trip now.

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By Noisy Deadlines Minimalist in progress, nerdy, introvert, skeptic. I don't leave without my e-reader.

Journaling is a habit I started in 2013. I talk more about my initial experience here.

For some time, I was doing shorter entries, like “The 5 Minute Journal” style, where I would have a template to write daily on Evernote. That was 2017.

It was also the year I moved to Canada and lots of things changed in my life. I stopped using Evernote and moved to other tools. And when I moved away from that initial template, I wanted to write more freely. So, I started writing longer entries, “Morning Pages” style.

Since then, journaling is a part of my daily routine. During the worst of the COVID pandemic I struggled to keep it regular, but I did my best. I tried some journaling services like Journey and 750 Words. I tried using a private blog in Write.as to journal. Now I journal using Standard Notes, which I love!

I never liked the idea of using a public blog to journal private thoughts, but that's just me. My inner critic is still strong, and I must constantly tell him (yeah, I don't know why, my inner critic is a guy) to go away and just let it be. When I'm journaling, I want to be as free as possible, that's why I journal privately. I really like how the website 750 Words describes journaling:

I don't need to title my entries, or tag them, or enable comments, or any of that other stuff. This is writing, and it's online, but it's not blogging, or Twittering, or Facebook status updating. This is between you and you. — 750 Words

It's been a couple of years since I've been focusing on consolidating journaling as a daily activity for me.

I'm off to a good start in 2024 🤘:

My process:

• I protect time in the morning, before I leave to work (it could be anytime, but that's what works for me). I plan my morning routine so that I will have 10 to 30 minutes to write. Sometimes less, sometimes more. All that matters is having this pocket of time protected.
• I do it always at the same place: on my laptop at my home office, using the app Standard Notes. I use the Standard Notes “Daily Notebook” feature with a customized note title format. It's easy to open my notebook and go right to the note of the day.
• I set up a timer to start writing and stop when it's over. Simple as that.

Since I started writing daily, I feel lighter. I feel like I'm living more intentionally. Days are not passing by so quickly.

Because writing is an exercise in being grateful. In remembering the good things. In learning with my errors. In forgiving myself. Daily journaling has helped me go through grief and process my emotions. It's a good mini therapy session!

Sometimes I will journal when I'm feeling overwhelmed and stressed at work. Sometimes I just need to do a quick mind sweep in the middle of the day to regroup and move on. So, I open the note I started in the morning and just write some more (I can access Standard Notes via web at work).

And the space I have for journaling is all private. It's a space where I can write whatever, it's not to be censored or edited. It's an exercise to clear my mind, a true brain dump. I usually get ideas to write on my blog from these journaling sessions. Sometimes I start a draft in my journal, which will then be transformed into a blog entry.

My plan is to journal every day, a little or a lot, it doesn't matter. I don't force myself for it to be 750 words or 3 pages long or whatever. I just write how much I feel like that day. Sometimes it's a note saying how I'm feeling now. And that's enough.

I think journaling has now become more than a habit, it's a daily practice to nurture my mental health and creativity.

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By Noisy Deadlines Minimalist in progress, nerdy, introvert, skeptic. I don't leave without my e-reader.

I've had a morning routine for years now. This routine hasn't changed much over time, and I consider it to be key to my mental health and wellbeing.

This year, I focused on continuing to do the work to become more centered and grounded. I started regular therapy sessions, and they helped me a lot! This journey made me understand which habits were essential to me. I knew they were important because I've been practising it for years, but what changed this year was my mindset towards them.

My morning routine habit started when I read this book “The Miracle Morning” by Hal Elrod in 2016. It was life changing at the time, I followed all the exercises, and it stuck with me. The principle is to wake up early and focus on activities like: mindfulness, exercise, reading, journaling. I remember it was flexible, I could choose which activities best fit my needs. After years of trial and error, I ended up with my current morning routine, which includes:

• Yoga
• Meditation
• Journaling
• Reading

These became my “keystone habits” as Cal Newport would call them, and this year I realized that if I skip them for a day or two, I suffer the consequences. They have become part of my wellness maintenance routine.

With the help of therapy this year, I understood how important they are, but I also changed my mindset. I used to think that if I didn't do at least 30min of yoga that would be a useless session, so why bother? I held unrealistic expectations, thinking that if I couldn't dedicate a substantial amount of time to each activity, it was futile. It was a complicated relationship: I felt good when I completed some of my habits, but I was constantly frustrated because “I should have done more”.

So what changed?

After some trial and error and I ended up with my “sweet spot” routine: a minimum yet impactful sequence that aligns with my schedule. I can extend the durations over the weekend or on a day off work, but I always start with:

• Wake up, use the bathroom, drink water, get to my yoga mat
• Yoga: 15 min yoga + 3 min savasana (the yoga resting pose). I use the DownDog app.
• Meditation: 10 min (I use the Daily Calm meditations on the Calm app
• Have breakfast with my partner. Read a little bit while having breakfast.
• Take a shower, brush teeth, get dressed for work.
• Journaling: Sit down with my laptop and do a 10 to 30 min writing session.
• Maybe read some more before leaving if I have time.

To be able to do that, I wake up at 5am, and I'm usually leaving for work at around 7:40am. It's been working great for me! I feel I have more energy, I am less anxious, and I start the day with a sense of accomplishment.

There are days when I only complete one or two of those activities because of an early appointment, or none at all because I'm sick or something, and that's okay! I know I will get back to them next time. I try not to skip more than twice in a row.

My yoga/meditation/exercise corner

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By Noisy Deadlines Minimalist in progress, nerdy, introvert, skeptic. I don't leave without my e-reader.