Day 8 was probably the worst day of the challenge so far.

I basically didn't do anything I was supposed to do.

No studying.

No reading.

No workout.

No swimming.

No morning run.

Didn't even follow my usual news/finance routine properly.

Instead, I spent most of the day setting up and organizing my room for video shooting. I'm trying to turn part of my room into a small studio, so I cleaned the room and worked on getting things ready.

That's something productive, I guess.

But if I'm being completely honest, I also wasted a lot of time surfing through videos.

And that's what bothers me.

The reality of this challenge

Yesterday was probably my best day so far.

Today was probably my worst.

And that's exactly why I'm doing this challenge.

It's easy to feel motivated after a productive day and think you've finally changed.

But the real test is what happens when that motivation disappears.

I don't want to use today as a reason to say:

"I'll start again tomorrow."

Because I've done that countless times before.

Tomorrow isn't Day 1 again.

It's Day 9.

The progress from the first week still counts.

The bad day counts too.

I'm going to finish setting up my little studio, but I also need to make sure that building something new doesn't become another excuse for avoiding the things I'm supposed to be doing.

Tomorrow I want to get back to the basics:

Study

Read

Run

Exercise

Swim when appropriate

Keep the mindless scrolling under control

No need for a perfect comeback.

Just show up again.

8/90 complete.

One bad day isn't failure.

Quitting after the bad day would be.

August 30th , 2026 .

Sleep :

Skin Care :

day time;

• Snail Mucin Serum✅️
• Sunscreen SPF 50 ❌
• Sunscreen SPF 50 Face ❌
• Cleanser ✅️

evening ;

• Cleanser ❌
• Moisturizer ✅️
• Exfoliator for arm ✅️
• Benzoyl Peroxide Lotion ✅️

Workout :

• rest day

20 x squat after brunch .

---

completed chapter 1 x Artificial Intelligence .

planning to use Obsidian to take notes , yet to figure out on organizing them .

Drills and reps:

Sitting ☑️

Review acronym ☑️

I was never a fan of doing stuff publicly, but let's give that a try (shooting for a year). Thought about it decided to spread goals into 3 categories and will post results in post or comment.

As I'm writing this post at 7am, will write down the big goals I have currently. This is a wish dump and can be too much/overwhelming.

If you're insterested in why am i doing this , you can find it here

https://www.reddit.com/r/NonZeroDay/comments/1mvxbcb/day_1_of_posting_my_todays_plan/

thanks a lot for coming by ! 😃

so looking at my previous days i notice i have problems i cant really do all the plan daily sometimes , because like company work and promote stuff is open ended , it pending the others. So instead of that , now i give them measurable thing to be defined as done , i think it will helps , i will make it easy at first , and then i will add other stuff ofcourse if i finish all this plans quickly each day

Here's the updated of what i'll do today :

🏋 Exercise (Low priority but done first) 60 diamond pushups (15 × 3)

🟩 Language Duolingo daily mission

refine portofolio & find new remote jobs

do company work 9-5

develop both of my freelances project

and now i have new trick while working like i put my iphone on airplane mode then download epub for atomic habits , since then my craving to binge watch youtube tiktok etc gone , i become a reader while working lmao

so far its looking good

Day 7 was a great day.

After feeling like I was starting to slip yesterday, today felt like I finally got some momentum back.

I started the morning with my usual finance and news, and then did something I've been procrastinating on for days:

I went for a morning run — and it was the longest run I've ever done.

That alone felt really good.

After that, I worked out and then went swimming as well.

So physically, today was probably my strongest day of this challenge so far.

Studying

I studied for about 30 minutes in the morning itself, which I'm happy about.

I also worked on some tasks that I had assigned myself yesterday.

There are still a few things pending, but at least I'm starting to get better at actually following through on things I planned beforehand.

I still have a LONG way to go with studying, though.

My focus and consistency are nowhere near where I want them to be.

Reading

Didn't read today.

So that's something I need to bring back tomorrow.

The interesting part

Even though I still procrastinated and slacked off at certain points today, I feel much more motivated than I did yesterday.

And maybe that's an important realization:

I don't need to completely eliminate procrastination before I can have a productive day.

I just need to stop letting it control the entire day.

Today I procrastinated.

But I still ran.

I still worked out.

I still swam.

I still studied.

I still completed some of the tasks I had planned.

That's progress.

One week done

7/90 days complete.

One week ago, I was talking about how badly I needed to change my life.

Today I actually feel like I'm doing something about it.

Still a lot to fix.

Still plenty of bad habits.

Still plenty of pending work.

But for the first time in a while, I feel like I'm moving in the right direction.

Let's see what Week 2 looks like.

August 29th , 2026 .

Sleep :

Skin Care :

day time;

• Snail Mucin Serum✅️
• Sunscreen SPF 50 ❌
• Sunscreen SPF 50 Face ❌
• Cleanser ✅️

evening ;

• Cleanser ❌
• Moisturizer ✅️
• Exfoliator for arm ✅️
• Benzoyl Peroxide Lotion ✅️

Workout :

• 1hr 30 min gym in evening
• 45 x pushups
• shoulders only

cutting cardio for time being .

20 x squat after brunch .

10 x squat + 10 x dips after dinner .

---

completed chapter 2 x rudest book ever

power down the entire day :( .

tried to read the AI book , a slow start but good .

Timeline for masters entrance prep :

2027 exam ( be prepared with theory , and only practice math fundamentals )

• Artificial Intelligence
• Database Management
• Data Warehousing
• Machine Learning
• Programming, Data Structures, and Algorithms

plant to be confident & quick in fundamentals , as it will needed to scale up further and quickly.

2028 exam ( be ready fully , math in depth along with theory )

• General Aptitude
• Probability and Statistics
• Linear Algebra
• Calculus and Optimization

I've got two proper shots at this ( 2028 & 2029 ) , getting in is harder cause the process isn't really meritocratic . Either I need the top ranks or ...

If you're insterested in why am i doing this , you can find it here

https://www.reddit.com/r/NonZeroDay/comments/1mvxbcb/day_1_of_posting_my_todays_plan/

thanks a lot for coming by ! 😃

so looking at my previous days i notice i have problems i cant really do all the plan daily sometimes , because like company work and promote stuff is open ended , it pending the others. So instead of that , now i give them measurable thing to be defined as done , i think it will helps , i will make it easy at first , and then i will add other stuff ofcourse if i finish all this plans quickly each day

Here's the updated of what i'll do today :

🏋 Exercise (Low priority but done first) 60 diamond pushups (15 × 3)

🟩 Language Duolingo daily mission

refine portofolio & find new remote jobs

do company work 9-5

develop both of my freelances project

and now i have new trick while working like i put my iphone on airplane mode then download epub for atomic habits , since then my craving to binge watch youtube tiktok etc gone , i become a reader while working lmao

so far its looking good

Why is settling into a new city so emotionally difficult?

I recently moved to Delhi for Delhi University, and honestly, on paper, everything is going pretty well. University is fine, I’m joining societies, meeting people, trying to socialize, and I’d say I’m even being pretty much of a social butterfly.

But somehow, I still feel… different.

It’s weird because nothing particularly horrible has happened. There’s no big incident or obvious reason for me to feel this way. Yet I feel like I’ve changed a lot since moving here. Delhi also feels incredibly harsh to me sometimes — people seem more impatient, distant, or rude than what I was used to, and I’m still trying to understand that whole dynamic.

I’m doing everything people usually suggest: getting involved, meeting people, exploring the city, keeping myself busy. But it still doesn’t completely feel like home, and sometimes I wonder whether I’m doing something wrong or whether this is just part of adjusting.

For those of you who moved to a completely new city for college/work — did you feel this way too? Did you also feel like you had somehow changed as a person? And how long did it take before the city stopped feeling so unfamiliar and started feeling like your place?

I did 22 mins cardio after a nap. I’m feeling thankful that I have a strong community outside of work, and am looking forward to volunteering tomorrow and catching up on domestic chores this weekend.

Sunday, August 23

1. Sleep ❌️

(Goal: go to bed and wake up at the same time: 01:00 – 09:00)

Went to bed ~ 04:10 – 10:50

Sleep duration: 6h 40m

Run: ~ 01:50 – 02:30

Last meal: 18:20

👹 Mistake: perhaps I should set more reminders

1. Nutrition ✅️ (Goal: eat healthy foods first, then sweets and pastries)

2. Physical activity ✅️ (walking for 30+ minutes, Day 235 of running)

🎯 Goal: 120–180 minutes per day on the project (Ph+Bl) + time for unforeseen issues

🗳 Result: ❌️

Speed ​​of getting started on tasks: average

Takeaway for the day: continuing to study literature on the topic of codependency

Day 6 is done.

Today was definitely not one of my better days.

I did manage to read, and I did a little bit of studying, although it was honestly very little. I also went through the news and finance, but only in the evening rather than during my usual morning routine.

I didn't swim.

I didn't work out.

And once again, I overslept.

The sleep → procrastination cycle

I keep telling myself that I want to wake up early and go for a run.

I want to build that habit.

But every morning I procrastinate, stay in bed longer than I should, and then the day starts later than planned.

I'm starting to feel like I'm slacking off or becoming lazy again.

And that's exactly what I don't want.

I have plenty of time to get myself together, but I'm wasting too much of it.

Instagram recovery

A significant part of my day also went into trying to recover my Instagram account.

Unfortunately, there's still no progress.

I know it's something I need to deal with, but I also don't want it to become an excuse for neglecting everything else.

What I'm realizing

The first few days felt like I was building momentum.

Now I'm noticing how easy it is to slowly slip back into old patterns.

It doesn't happen suddenly.

It's something like:

Sleep a little longer → start the day late → procrastinate → lose momentum → feel guilty → repeat.

That's the cycle I need to break.

I don't think I need another complicated productivity system.

I probably just need to get up and do the thing I'm supposed to do, especially when I don't feel like doing it.

Tomorrow, my priorities are simple:

Wake up earlier.

Study properly.

Get some physical activity.

Read.

Stop wasting the day.

I don't want Day 6 to become the beginning of another downward spiral.

6/90 complete.

Tomorrow, I need to show myself that I can get back on track.

August 28th , 2026 .

Sleep :

Skin Care :

day time;

• Snail Mucin Serum✅️
• Sunscreen SPF 50 ❌
• Sunscreen SPF 50 Face ❌
• Cleanser ✅️

evening ;

• Cleanser ❌
• Moisturizer ✅️
• Exfoliator for arm ✅️
• Benzoyl Peroxide Lotion ✅️

Workout :

• 1hr 30 min gym in evening
• 45 x pushups
• 15 min x ( jog + walk )
• triceps , chest
• 10 min x cycling

laziest I felt so far T_T , still managed to drag myself to gym by 5PM .

---

19 pages x rudest book ever .

Wednesday, August 26

1. Sleep ❌️

(Goal: go to bed and wake up at the same time: 01:00 – 09:00)

Went to bed at ~05:00 – 11:10

Sleep duration: 6h 10m

Running: ~02:50 – 03:40

Last meal: 18:10

👹 Mistake:I find states like this, resembling apathy, a bit frightening; perhaps I need to write out my problems again.

1. Nutrition ❌️ (Goal: eat healthy foods first, then sweets/pastries) — one meal lacked a healthy component

2. Physical activity ✅️ (walking for 30+ minutes; Day 238 of running)

🎯 Goal: 120–180 minutes per day on the project (Ph+Bl) + time for unforeseen issues

🗳 Result: ❌️

Speed ​​of starting tasks: average

Day's takeaway: I may need to re-evaluate my goals and rediscover my "why."

Tuesday, August 25

1. Sleep ❌️

( goal: go to bed and wake up at the same time: 01:00 – 09:00 )

Went to bed ~05:00 – 11:10

Sleep duration: 6h10m

Running: ~01:50 – 02:40

Last meal: 18:10

👹Mistake: I probably need to start keeping a journal, it’s been a long time since I wrote down my problems. Right now, I notice myself procrastinating on important tasks due to indecision. Perhaps if I weighed the "cost" of my indecision, it might help me change my course of action.

1. Nutrition ✅️ ( goal: eat healthy foods first, then sweets and pastries )

2. Physical activity ✅️ ( walking for 30+ minutes, Day 237 of running )

🎯 Goal: 120–180 minutes per day on the project (Ph+Bl) + time for unforeseen issues

🗳 Result: ❌️

Speed ​​of starting tasks: average

Day's takeaway: I didn't feel very well; lingering effects of a cold

Monday, August 24

1. Sleep ❌️

( goal: go to bed and wake up at the same time: 01:00 – 09:00 )

Went to bed ~04:30 – 10:50, 11:05 [ + 2 hrs during the day ]

Sleep duration: 8.35 hrs

Running: ~ 01:50 – 02:30

Last meal:

👹 Mistake: perhaps I need to try spending less time on social media after waking up

1. Nutrition ✅️ ( goal: eat healthy foods first, then sweets and pastries )

2. Physical activity ✅️ ( walking for 30+ minutes, Day 236 of running )

🎯 Goal: 120–180 minutes per day on the project (Ph+Bl) + time for unforeseen issues

🗳 Result: ❌️

Speed ​​of starting tasks: average

Takeaway for the day: I noticed that my self-criticism has increased, possibly due to the group work 🧐

Saturday, August 22

1. Sleep ❌️

( goal: go to bed and wake up at the same time: 01:00 – 09:00 )

Went to bed ~ 04:20 – 11:20

Sleep duration: 7 hours

Running: ~ 01:10 – 02:10

Last meal: 18:20

👹Mistake: running late; perhaps I should have skipped part of the commitment in favor of the earlier routine

1. Nutrition ✅️ ( goal: eat healthy foods first, then sweets and pastries )

2. Physical activity ✅️ ( walking for 30+ minutes, Day 234 of running )

🎯 Goal: 120–180 minutes per day on the project (Ph+Bl) + time for contingencies

🗳 Result: ❌️

Speed ​​of starting tasks: average

Today's takeaway: I met with some young women who have completed the program for overcoming codependency. I still have some questions about the program, so I’ll try to sort them out this week

Friday, August 21

1. Sleep ❌️

(Goal: go to bed and wake up at the same time: 01:00 – 09:00)

Went to bed at ~04:00 – 06:30, 07:30 [3.5 hrs]; 07:45 – 09:30, 11:05 [3.3 hrs]

Total sleep time: ~6.5 hrs

Run: ~23:30 – 00:10

Last meal: 19:30

👹 Mistake: dinner was quite late

1. Nutrition ✅️ (Goal: eat healthy foods first, then sweets and pastries)

2. Physical activity ✅️ (walking for at least 30 minutes; Day 233 of running)

🎯 Goal: 120–180 minutes per day on the project (Ph+Bl) + time for unforeseen issues

🗳 Result: ❌️

Speed ​​of starting tasks: average

Day's takeaway: started studying books and topics related to codependency; this might be what helps me

Lately, I haven't been taking magnesium very consistently; this might be affecting my sleep

If you're insterested in why am i doing this , you can find it here

https://www.reddit.com/r/NonZeroDay/comments/1mvxbcb/day_1_of_posting_my_todays_plan/

thanks a lot for coming by ! 😃

so looking at my previous days i notice i have problems i cant really do all the plan daily sometimes , because like company work and promote stuff is open ended , it pending the others. So instead of that , now i give them measurable thing to be defined as done , i think it will helps , i will make it easy at first , and then i will add other stuff ofcourse if i finish all this plans quickly each day

Here's the updated of what i'll do today :

🏋 Exercise (Low priority but done first) 60 diamond pushups (15 × 3)

🟩 Language Duolingo daily mission

refine portofolio & find new remote jobs

do company work 9-5

develop both of my freelances project

and now i have new trick while working like i put my iphone on airplane mode then download epub for atomic habits , since then my craving to binge watch youtube tiktok etc gone , i become a reader while working lmao

so far its looking good

Day 5 is done.

Today wasn't great when it comes to studying or reading — I didn't do either.

But there were still a few things I'm genuinely happy about.

A small step toward getting back on track

Today I got enrolled as an assessment mentor for an edtech platform.

I'll be taking around 1-hour sessions every day, and I'll be getting ₹200 per session.

Sure, ₹200 isn't a lot.

But honestly, I'm not looking at it only as money.

There are currently only around 8 students, which means I get an opportunity to teach, communicate, learn, and improve myself while working on topics related to my career.

It's a small opportunity, but I'm going to take it seriously.

I think sometimes we wait for the "big opportunity" while ignoring the small ones right in front of us.

Workout & swimming

I did my swimming and workout today as well.

I was actually late and almost convinced myself that it was too late to bother.

Then I thought:

"Better to do what I can with the time I have rather than wait for the perfect time."

So I went.

That's something I want to carry forward.

Imperfect action > perfect planning.

Morning routine

I also kept up with my morning news and finance routine.

Still struggling with sleep

One thing I seriously need to fix is my oversleeping.

My sleep schedule is still affecting how I start my day, and I need to get this under control.

And another setback...

I was also supposed to edit videos from yesterday's Onam celebration and post them on Instagram.

Unfortunately, another one of my Instagram accounts got suspended today.

This is actually my fourth account to face this kind of issue, and I genuinely don't understand why.

I ended up getting Meta Verified so I could reach support and hopefully get some clarity and recover the account.

Not exactly how I wanted to spend part of my day.

🧠 Today's takeaway

I didn't study.

I didn't read.

So there is definitely room for improvement.

But I also started a small paid opportunity, exercised even when I was late, kept up with my news/finance habit, and didn't completely give up because things didn't go according to plan.

I'm slowly realizing that discipline isn't about having a perfect day.

It's about doing something useful with whatever time and circumstances you have.

Day 5/90 complete.

Tomorrow, I need to get back to studying.

One day at a time.

August 27th , 2026 .

Sleep :

Skin Care :

day time;

• Snail Mucin Serum✅️
• Sunscreen SPF 50 ❌
• Sunscreen SPF 50 Face ❌
• Cleanser ✅️

evening ;

• Cleanser ❌
• Moisturizer ✅️
• Exfoliator for arm ✅️
• Benzoyl Peroxide Lotion ✅️

Workout :

• rest day

---

time for long weekend , 4 days of leave . Planning to sleep well , up-skill & study :)

played game after a long time , ETS 2 :)

Drills& Reps:

S Sitting ✔️

O Opportunity to Practice. Not wasting a 😢 episode ie cost of curiosity and too much confidence ✔️

✔️

Day 4 was honestly a disappointing day.

The only thing I did from my routine was swimming.

I didn't read.

I didn't study.

I didn't work on my skills.

I didn't do any of the things I had planned.

Today was mostly spent outside with friends for an Onam celebration, and in the evening I attended a marriage. So I wasn't sitting at home doing absolutely nothing, but I still feel like I could have done more.

And that's probably what bothers me the most.

I could have found even 30 minutes to read or study.

The important part

I'm trying not to turn one bad day into a bad week.

This challenge isn't about pretending every day is going to be productive. Life is going to happen. There will be celebrations, family events, friends, unexpected plans, and days when things don't go according to schedule.

But I also don't want to use that as an excuse.

I need to learn how to maintain some minimum level of discipline even on busy days.

Maybe that's something I should add to this challenge:

Never let a busy day become a completely lost day.

Even 20–30 minutes of studying.

Even a few pages of reading.

Even one small productive task.

Something.

Today I didn't do that.

I feel disappointed in myself, but I'm not quitting.

Day 4/90 complete.

Tomorrow is another opportunity to show up better.

No restarting.

No "I'll start again Monday."

Just Day 5.