Checking up on 2015

Now that January is coming to a close I thought it would be interesting to see if a new year has led to any changes as such in my routine. Think of this post more as a way for me to evaluate myself than for any public consumption.

I have managed to finally drag myself out of the slump I’d fallen into with regards to my Japanese studies and it feels fantastic to be able to sit down on a daily basis and just work through some grammar points or exercises. I’ve also started using Flashcards Deluxe to work through vocabulary and kanji with surprisingly good results so far. One tiny little victory for me has been that I’ve finally gotten around to learning the Japanese terms for the day of the month. It was really a bit of an embarrassing thing for me seeing as I’ve been in Japan for more than 3 years now!

My daily exercise routine has not gotten to become as much of a habit as I would have liked. As much as I would like to blame the terrible winter weather I can’t. I’ve just been way too lazy of late and need to make it a habit to get in 30 minutes on my stationary bike or to go for a 30 minute walk if the weather isn’t too bad. Hopefully the arrival or spring will get me up and moving more often!

My resolution to write more often has been going pretty well so far with my Hobonichi Techo getting daily use. I’ve also started keeping a rudimentary Bullet Journal that’s helped me keep on top of my lesson planning and any other miscellaneous tasks that I need to remember for the near future. It’s actually been really rewarding to move back to doing my notes and scribblings with a pen and paper rather than on a phone or computer screen. If I ever get the time I’d love to be able to try my hand at doing some long form writing with a fountain pen and some good paper.

Other than that I’ve managed to pretty much not veer too far from any of my plans for the year. Sure, it’s only been one month so far but I’m pleased with how I’ve managed to not stray too far from my goals for the year.

The rest of 2015 is definitely going to be interesting and filled with a lot of changes and adventures so I’m hoping that this is a sign of good things to come!