I got really excited about the challenge, thinking it would help me complete the last few chapters of the book I'm co-authoring with businessman Raymond Lambert on his legendary Chicago comedy club All Jokes Aside (You can read my most recent update about the book at this link: http://chrisbournea.blogspot.com/2014/09/all-jokes-journal-avoiding-predictable.html)
I'm still working on the book and the "90 Minutes for 90 Days" challenge really didn't do a whole lot to help me with the project. Here's why:
Like many people in modern life, I'm juggling countless work responsibilities with trying to have a personal life. I'm single, have no kids and I don't date very often, but I have a large social network of family and friends. So my perpetual struggle is how to make adequate time to pursue all my writing and other creative pursuits while balancing a full-time job and a couple of freelancing gigs with staying in touch with everyone. It ain't easy.
I found that the "90 Minutes for 90 Days" challenge just gave me something else to feel guilty about: I haven't talked to my mom in over a week and I didn't get up early enough to get my 90 minutes in before reporting to my day job.
I think the "90 Minutes for 90 Days" challenge is more suited to people who have the time but are lacking the motivation to start some big project like writing a novel or movie script, composing songs for an album, or starting a scrapbook. And I think the challenge would work best if at least two people take it on together so they can check in with each other every day to make sure they logged in their 90 minutes.
I started the challenge on Sept. 15 and was supposed to continue through Nov. 1, but pretty much abandoned it by the middle of October.
Here are a couple of my journal entry from the beginning of the 90-day challenge:
Monday, Sept. 15, 2014
Came home from day job and fell straight asleep, woke up around 10:30 [p.m.] and managed to get in my 90 minutes, working until shortly after midnight on the All Jokes book and updating my blog.
Tuesday, Sept. 16, 2014
Got in my 90 minutes, but spread [them] throughout 10 minutes of my lunch hour... and working throughout the evening, laying down and resting a lot in between working on the All Jokes book and blogging. A late-night trip to the corner Speedway store to buy Hot Tamales candy got me through.
Here's an entry from the middle of the challenge, when I was starting to lose steam:
On Friday, Sept. 26, I didn't get in my 90 minutes. But I worked pretty much all day on the All Jokes book on Saturday, Sept. 27, and Sunday, Sept. 28, so do those countless hours I spent working on these days [make up for] the days that I didn't get to the 90 minutes?
On Monday, Sept. 30, I came home and was so tired from deadline pressures [from my day job and freelancing gigs] that I fell asleep before 8 [p.m.]. This was pretty much the pattern all week, through Friday, Oct 3.
On Saturday, Oct. 4, I got all of 15 minutes in on the All Jokes book, although I have been blogging each day, so does that count? I caught up with my mom, niece and nephews, went to a movie [The Equalizer with Denzel Washington] and out to eat at Chipotle.
Sunday, Oct. 5
For the past week, I basically have been off track with my 90-day challenge. ... [But] I feel like I'm getting back on track with my 90 minutes, although I had to skip church again and it's been about two months since I've been and I don't like feeling like I'm neglecting the spiritual part of my life. Maybe I'll start going to Wednesday Bible study when time allows.
What the "90 Minutes for 90 Days" challenge did do for me is got me in the habit of waking up earlier, between 4 and 5 a.m., to start working on my various projects. And that has been a tremendous help, so I did get something out of the challenge, after all.
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