The Study Game 👾

I feel like I’m in a bit of a rut today with the amount of work that still needs to be done and dead lines fast approaching. I feel like I’ve tried everything from switching rooms, walking, and changing devices. It just looks like my dopamine levels for doing actual productive work has dropped immensely. On the inside, I know that there is an easier way to take on harder tasks but I just can’t get myself to focus long enough for these thoughts to continue. I’m going to settle the rest of the day off by doing the 1% rule from here on out because things just feel so futile right now. Since its summer, finding the motivation to get out of bed and actually start on a big project has been very challenging. I would much rather sit around all day and watch Youtube or cartoons. I found that during the school year I had a stronger motivation to work hard because I was always surrounded by things that pushed me to excel. Majority of my time wasn't spent in my own room, I had a very academi...

Personally, I see myself as someone who takes on a lot more than he can chew. This stemmed from having such an active highscool and college career being involved in multiple organizations and always trying my best in everything at school. All of this seemed to have an effect on me as I grew. The problem was that I could not control where my focus is going. My mind always kept wandering towards novelty to solve its problems or learning a new skill. In quarantine, this has become even more challenging. I realized the news has been nothing but negative these days with talks of riots and COVID-19. It can feel easy to just let our minds wander and get lost in an endless rabbit hole of information. However, I realized that things needed to change. I wanted to narrow my vision so I can focus on one specific task for an extended period of time. This is a skill that is more important now than ever with the increasing number of distractions growing in the world today. So your probably wonderin...

Recently, I created a Youtube channel for Animal Crossing videos called "Energetic Kendrick." The only problem is that I'm not seeing much growth in the channel and I'm considering it as nothing more than a hobby. However, a view that has always reminded me not to give up is the "100 Video Rule." The way it works is to publish at least 100 videos on a specific area and constantly improve with each video in every way. This includes improving editing, animations, audio, and your overall channel and video appearance; basically constantly experimenting with new ways with your Youtube channel. I grew very fearful of this idea because I'm used to seeing some form of growth with each step of my craft. The only problem is that my only validation has been coming from my friends who actually have been enjoying the videos I upload and would let me know. The channel currently only has 3 subscribers but I won't look at this as something negative but instead as an...

As a 90s child, I remember growing up writing with the old fashioned pencil and paper. I used the line paper that we were given at school and became even more excited when I had the chance to try my hand on xerox paper. I used to pretend I was comic book writer and would write dozens of made up comics of the character Sonic. Some comics were colored using red pink while many weren't. Needless to say, I had my fair share of drawing as a kid and even had the privilege of selling one of my drawings of Sonic surprisingly. In 2020, drawing has changed so much from what I remembered. I use an iPad Pro for school to take notes on slides and edit photos but my roommates and a friend I made on Twitter convinced me to try out the app Procreate. Lately, I've been astounded with the art that this app can create and all of the many things children of this time are creating with it. If you use the app, Tiktok you would know just how creative people have become with this app by using their ...

Recently, I spent the whole day literally moving out of my current home and into a new and refurbished one due to the spread of coronavirus. I initially disliked the idea of moving and carrying all of my items to a new place. It literally took up the whole day of packing and moving. I fell off schedule for my plans for the day and even found myself feeling tired and slightly lonely by the end of it because I was packing up by myself. I couldn't see the positive to any of this honestly. However, by the end of the day I had changed my mind. My old home was much bigger and my new one was much smaller and much more simplified. I used to live with roommates before coronavirus happened but ended up having the place to myself. After finally moving, I realized the place I now have is much more suited to myself because I am now essentially starting from scratch and redesigning my home to match my own personal needs. It feels like I'm redecorating a new home in Animal Crossing or when ...

After a long day of sitting down in a car during an extremely long drive, I found myself feeling very unmotivated. I didn't want to read or do anything but talk without much thinking and you know how that usually turns out. Needless to say, I was drained and ended up falling asleep during the drive and it was only the early afternoon. I soon realized that it wasn't just the lack of movement and nervousness during conversations that drained me but it was also the lack of physical movement. I quickly noticed that after the long trip I started finding more energy once again as I focused on walking around for an hour or more. I usually enjoy pacing around but this was definitely giving some sort of energy. I started to come up with creative ideas and was immediately able to act on them. When I feel like I've procrastinated the whole day or had a rough morning, I found that walking helps me get the gears in my head moving again. Staying inside and sitting for hours i...

Have you ever worked very hard on a task and quit easily because you weren't seeing much progress? I know I have and on multiple occasions too. My most recent was starting Twitch streaming. I would stare at my list of followers and viewers and complain why I wasn't as good as other streamers but the reality was that I was in the wrong mindset. The main reason people stream is for fun, not to try and squeeze out as much followers as possible. This is true for all social media platforms too that involve obtaining a following such as Youtube, Instagram, and Twitter. At the end of the day, the number of followers doesn't mean anything unless you fulfill your purpose of using these applications which is ultimately to have fun, learn, and make memories! I believe when you view platforms with that kind of mindset everything becomes less intimidating to use and enjoy. It can be applied to a person who is tired of their job too. Lets examine why a person feels tired of their job. ...

I noticed during these crazy times it can feel difficult to find the energy to stay positive due to being stuck at home and overall fear of this whole pandemic. I realized something I haven't been doing lately is smiling. This includes smiling for the family and friends I know are still safe or even for the hardest reason: learning to smile for all the difficult aspects of life currently. Below are some tips I plan to incorporate into my life to smile more and I hope they help you too. Start every time you look at the mirror I realized it can be a great feeling to wake up in the morning and face myself in the mirror with a quick smile no matter how you look from getting out of bed. Staring at that other person with a smile is a sign of acceptance and satisfaction with the person you are and starts your day on a positive note. I noticed, if I walk by my mirror multiple times in the day, flashing a smile helps me practice building this habit too. You don't need to use tee...

The Kids Next Door (KND) is an early 2000s Cartoon Network TV show that was based on the idea of kids with their endless creativity teaming up with their friends to fight off their enemies who were regularly adults. I know this concept seems a bit convoluted but it actually is a lot more understandable than it sounds. KND only fights evil adults that treat others badly because not all adults are bad and not all teenagers are bad either; it is the acts of unfair treatment or cheating that causes this team of operatives to spring into action and save others, specifically kids. They are similar to the Men In Black or the James Bond for children giving them a voice when no one could at their age. When I was a kid, this show had an amazing impact on me! I couldn't believe how awesome kids were creating amazing tree houses full of all kinds of amazing technology. In modern times, things have only gotten better as kids are becoming even more creative through social platforms such as Tik...

It is currently Finals week which is definitely a first for me now that all of my final exams are taken online. I'm sure it is probably not only myself who is experiencing this. I found this experience surprisingly manageable. It kind of speaks volumes about how stressful in person exams truly are too. We come to class to take paper exams with the pressure of our classmates and teachers. Humans truly are resilient beings and it makes me very reminiscent of the past. I learned that it is a more important time than ever to master the art of digital communication. Family and friends are miles away so finding small ways to keep in touch is essential for maintaining those relationships. Less drama and discontentment. I noticed when school life was normal I found myself engaging in or falling into some form of drama at my school whether it be through friendships or my clubs leadership councils. I found that I'm less jealous of other people and learned to be more satisfied with th...

As a college student, I personally am hesitant about selling items online on websites such as eBay or other used item marketplaces mainly because I don't want to worry about shipping or contracts. I have recently found some form of luck selling on local sites specifically on my college website or app. If your college or school has a website or app that allows you to sell items, it is definitely a good market to look into. I was able to meet a good number of people who live in my town willing to purchase used items I had around. My roommates flew off to different states and passed on a lot of their items to me so I had a lot of opportunity to sell around. Besides earning money, I found myself building relationships with people and certain people realized that when I sell I mean business. Of course, every buyer is different and respond to purchases very differently. Some enjoy coasting before scheduling an item pickup while others are set and ready to meet you. Remember this is c...

Going to our daily routines can feel very enjoyable in the beginning. The thrill of trying something new or even learning a new skill. However, what about those moments that we just don't feel like it? You know, those days when it feels just plain more enjoyable to lay down on the couch and do nothing. If you're someone like myself, you really don't like the idea of doing nothing and absolutely enjoy the feeling of knowing that you're actually making progress on something. I noticed that when I at least show up to my online lecture via Zoom. I feel like I'm making some sort of progress. It shows discipline and I can still be chilling on the couch during this time as well. Showing up to things that add value to us may seem difficult at first but once you begin there is no stopping you from considering to continue on. A lot of people call that the flow state. If you want to achieve progress in any sort of context, it begins by first deciding that you will show up....

I used to have it right, I used to have it all But now everything is slipping and I feel like I just hit a wall. Where do I go from here, is there anyone out there? Is there anyone to help me breathe, when I'm just feeling scared. I reach out to you, you reach back out to me. You hear me calling but respond with just disbelief. Is there an end to this, will things get better soon, When will the time come back to when I used to see more of you. All these things keep coming back, Is it too late to, just turn the time right back. Back to when we were less stuck, back to when I could see you more. Back to all the times I wasn't afraid to go out my door. I'll find a way from here, I'll find my way someday, get ready to smile when I come and see your face. (Beep, boop, boop, dubstep music) Now, here I am walking on a string. Blazing back and forth so distantly, I hear you close, I hear you far. There is no distance between these hearts. Can we just go bac...

We all remember those fun things we used to enjoy as a kid. Whether it be watching our favorite TV shows, playing an awesome video game, or simply going outside to play in the backyard with family and friends. As I grew older, I noticed I spend time doing less of most of these things as I learned that adults only did specific things which mainly involved working at a job, doing chores, and raising kids. However, I realized that subtracting a lot of my childhood joys has caused me to lose a lot of happiness and satisfaction with the life I currently live. I wanted to make a change and I noticed a lot of people want to also. Recognition A lot of my childhood was spent playing video games, playing with toys specifically Legos, filming random videos for Youtube, and just plain going outside to play fantasy games with people such as tag or fake shooters. I would also occasionally play Basketball. I want to do more of these activities even though I'm older. If a younger version of mys...