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routine itemsupdated: 2025/06/18
when identifying items for a routine; i typically use the following criteria:
the task is well-defined and quantifiable in progress
it is performed for a minimum of 20 minutes (e.g. warmups, stretches) though in most cases it goes beyond this minimum (e.g. reading, coursework)
it helps me continuously improve as a person and understand personal flaws/limitations
  • primary - these are essential items that i aim to do everyday. to schedule exercise, i rotate between strength training and running
    these items are readily accessible which makes it simple to include at any time/place.
  • secondary - these are items that often require a tool or resource to do. a majority of them are related to personal development or production.
    this is the most varied part of the routine and takes up most of my time.
  • other - these items are not high priority though still productivity-related.
primary secondary other
warmups
stretches
strength training
running
walking
meditation
watch (movie) watch (show) read (language) read (technical) read (research) read (sutra) coursework (language) coursework (technical) app (flashcards) aquarium maintenance art (digital) art (analog) music (digital) music (acoustic) swimming day trip chores hobby video game (language) Go (围棋)
training (棒，剑，木剣，双节棍) programming yoyo (1A/4A) bicycling table tennis
notes primary (6) | secondary (20) | other (5)
  • movies, shows, video games - these activities are for both language study and entertainment
  • language - this encompases consuming content like shows, movies, videos games, etc. as well as reading and translating books and taking coursework
  • technical - related to career development but also includes learning specialized fields outside my career or eduational background
  • research - related to articles on research such as biology, chemistry, medicine, materials, etc.
  • flashcards - tools for memorizing language primarily through apps
  • yoyo 1A / 4A - 1A is unresponsive yoyo; 4A is offstring yoyo
  • art digital / analog - digital includes 3d modeling and painting on device such as tablet; analog is when sketching on paper
  • music digital / acoustic - digital is using composing software; acoustic is playing musical instrument
  • sutra - Buddhist texts
routine data points

to track data points, i use a spreadsheet to record what routine items are done each day in each row; from the screenshot below are datapoints from some of the busy days
daily routine items

when doing everyday items, i use cards to keep progress. two card stacks are used: one for routine items completed and one for items not done. at the end of the day i record data points based on the stack of cards which are done and then repeat the process the following day.

the image below are the front and back sides of the cards i currently use. the back side has a label indicating which routine item the card is for.
periodic data records

another spreadsheet i use is for recording progress on kanban items in each ten day period. i first track data points by writing them on a notepad as they they are done throughout the day and then transfer them to a spreadsheet at the end of the day while composing journal entries. with this, am updating the kanban with the total stats from each period. the types of data points recorded are:

(L)ow effort exercise (warmups) | (H)igh effort exercise (strength training) | (R)unning | (E)xtending exercise (stretches) | (M)editation (seated meditation) | (F)lashcard study (language learning)

for the numeric stats of each type of data point, (L),(H),(E),(M) items are minutes spent in activity; (R) is km ran, and (F) is number of flashcard reviews