My [69420 F] accountability blog [.75 NB] is even more powerful than I imagined

I knew holding myself publicly accountable would really help me stick with this planner-using thing, but I'm still kind of stunned that we're now 2/3 of the way through the year.

I honestly feel I wouldn't have achieved nearly so much if I hadn't been using this planner - and I wouldn't have bounced back and continued using the planner when I had sick/mental health days if I didn't have the innocuous but still-present knowledge that I would have to post my planner photo at the end of the week.

Of course it's only working because I still hold myself to that habit of posting the photo. But I've built a system around my strengths and weaknesses. Tweeting? Oh yeah, I can do that. No one on Twitter is holding me to this schedule, but it's enough.

I'm sure I'm repeating myself constantly in this blog, but that's the great thing about it. It's not made to entertain other people. It's all about reinforcing my good habits and good ideas. And exploring those through every possible permutation I can is really good for solidifying those habits and ideas. Along with clarifying to myself how I feel about them, what works, and what doesn't.

Finally recovering from the flu, although I've torn an intercostal muscle from all my coughing - for most of the week below the muscle just continually hurt, now it only hurts if I engage the muscle by coughing, sneezing, hiccuping, laughing or uh... moving. Hey. It's improvement, and I'm happy with that.

Wore mascara to a client meeting yesterday and within an hour it had started to melt. I don't wear makeup often but this was a pricey one... is there such a thing as a mascara that can survive our spring weather? If it can't handle 25C I shudder to think how it would be when it hits 40C. Anyway, glad it was bright enough I could leave my sunglasses on rather than displaying panda eyes... next time I might just skip the mascara entirely. It's just, I want to appear as professional as possible, but... panda eyes definitely isn't going to do that, so I might be better off wearing foundation and nothing else. Though foundation starts to melt fast too. Sob.

Anyway. I'm back to doing my freelance work now that I'm well enough to handle it. And spring might be bringing makeup-melting powers but it's also bringing welcome sunlight and killing off any remaining things that might want to attack my immune system... so I welcome it with open arms.

☑ weekly planner accountability check-in! I was still sick that week so it was a quiet one, but I'm recovering now! pic.twitter.com/koG6bPIVUK

— sassa @ davesprite literature club (@AWildSassaApprs) September 11, 2019

Am I still sick? You bet!

Another x2 update because: yup, spent the last two weeks sick as well.

I did start to get better from the flu at the end of the second week, but then after a few productive days it was like I got hit with a brand-new strain that I had zero resistance to, and I just went tumbling down again but _worse_. Like, the first two weeks I could have maybe called a head cold - sore throat for a day or two, stuffy head plus headaches, trouble thinking and mild fever for the rest.

Whereas The Flu Round Two was very definitely a nasty flu - have had a sore and swollen throat for the entire duration, a mix of chesty and tickly continual coughing, blocked ears, even _more_ trouble thinking, unable to sleep because of nose blocking up and throat welling up = breathing sucks (plus the coughing waking you up).

Really frustrating part is I (pulled? tore?) a muscle in my chest from coughing so much on Friday, and now every time I cough I get a nice sharp pain in my side along with the normal coughing pain. I'm thinking maybe the muscle really is torn given three days later its still happening...

So, yeah. Hasn't been a great fortnight for productivity. Though I'm proud that I still managed to achieve some things over August despite spending the whole month fighting off various viral things. July had been a fantastic month for getting stuff done, so that softened the blow for August a little at least.

While I'm starting September while still fighting off the flu (though I seem to be on the mend again finally, coughing less every day) I'm pretty hopeful about making progress on my games, freelancing and other projects. I've set my targets for the month lower that I normally would to reflect that I'm starting weakly (and I'm not going to be available to work towards the end of the month for various reasons I'll go into once that time comes, so that cuts into my doing-stuff time too).

I think it's better to set myself less challenging goals for this month, so that I can achieve things and not feel too overwhelmed while I get my momentum built up again. Hopefully by October I can ask as much of myself as I did in July - and achieve it, again.

☑ weekly planner accountability check-in (x2, again, because flu)

This is the least I've used this planner all year, but given this was week 3 and 4 of my flu respectively I dont really feel bad about it! The important thing is to get back to it when I'm well again! pic.twitter.com/3FpwRqtmk0

— sassa @ davesprite literature club (@AWildSassaApprs) September 2, 2019