Rating for 9/29: 3.5

It really has taken me the last two days to recover from my five-day, but I've still been doing pretty well. Yesterday I performed at work and rode my bike around town--automatic 3. I didn't work on my projects after work, but I did make dinner, despite lacking ingredients and the desire to do it. Also, I cleaned up, read Plutarch, went skateoarding, and enjoyed the lovely weather last night. For enjoying life, and avoiding unhealthy habits, I gave myself the extra half point. I wanted to give myself a four, but I think that I shouldn't get into the four range without doing serious work on either my book or the program.

After having a 5 point day, I'm doubting the ideal that I understood it to be based on. I was under the impression that a 5-day meant constantly working, wasting no time, eliminating involuntary motions, maintaining sharp consciousness the whole day, and being extremely efficient. Assuming that this is the ideal, I have at least two criticisms of it.
First, as much as my day yesterday was productive on its own, I will probably need two days to recover from it. So in the long run, yesterday may have had a greater cost than benefit. It was like sprinting the whole day. I was totally exhausted by the end of the day, and today, despite my best efforts, has been a solid 3 at best. Actually, yesterday I entertained the thought of striving for double fives, one yesterday and one today, just to blow some minds. I don't think anyone is capable of that. I believe that living excellently requires pacing. Even just writing that, it sounds so obvious, but I know that personally I need to relearn how to pace myself and how important it is.
My second critique of the ideal is perhaps more subjective--if I did what I did yesterday every day, I would become totally nerotic. It felt like I was grinding my gears and tensely clutching onto my focus at every moment. It was miserable in a way. Perhaps there's nothing wrong with idiosynchratic movements, or daydreaming, provided that it doesn't get out of control. Where it gets out of control is tricky, and it's the type of thing where we need to develop a good intuition and faculty of judgment to be able to discern. In other words, it seems to me that living well is an art, partially in the sense that it can not be expressed by a formula. Aristotle argued for that, and he even named a specific faculty which is often translated as "discretion" which is meant to tell us what is appropriate in any given instant, and it's one of the keystones of his moral philosophy. I think that it's good to rest, and screw around now and then, and to take a random detour on your ride home to admire the Chesapeake. I'm not advocating a complete abandonment of structure and planning, or intensity for that matter, but they must be balanced, juggled, and applied at the right moments in an intelligent manner. Even BF's scheme of inculcating virtue sounded like it wasn't the most practical plan. If I remember correctly, he didn't keep it up for very long. It seems like the type of thing that helps us point ourselves in the right direction, and even to keep up for a short time, but not as a final and complete guide to right action.
I hope this doesn't sound like a copout to the other participants. I'm proud of what I did yesterday, and I did get a lot done, within a 24 hour period of time. In the future though, my fives will be awarded based on a more wholistic view of excellence (in fact, what I'm now imagining as a five-day is probably harder to achieve than the old ideal). By the way, are we using half points or not?

Rating for 9/27: 5

Well, I did it. My alarm woke me at 8:00, and I didn't hesitate for a moment as I jumped out of bed and began brushing my teeth. By 8:15 I was running, which lasted until 9. While I was on my run, I picked up garbage that I saw on the ground and threw it away when I passed trash cans. Between 9 and 9:45 I washed a load of laundry, straightened up my room, made a plan for the day, and ate a healthy breakfast. By 10 I had showered, shaved, made a deposit, and dressed. Between 10 and 11:30 I brainstormed for the computer program, made sketches, and tried to organize my inital vision for it. At 11:30 I rode into town and met Eva for coffee. Between 11:45 and 12:30, I chatted with Eva about her classes and asked her what she thought about some of my game ideas. At 12:30 I rode to campus and wrote an e-mail to my landlord about the rent and skimmed the NYtimes. By 12:45 I was in the computer lab writing my game proposal for Dan. I think that I completed and sent that document around 2. After that I rode to a BB&T bank, with whom I have been wanting to set up a checking account, and filled out the paperwork and got set-up. I also spoke with one of their financial conselors about strategies concerning my school loan payements. After I was done at the bank, I rode to the barbershop and got my hair cut. Around 3:30 I returned home, immediately started preparing a light and nutritious lunch while I unloaded and folded the rest of the laundry. I ate quickly, and by 3:45 I was on the phone with my loan lender talking to them about consolidation plans. I figured out what I want to do with my loans as a result of the conversation. Afterwards I spend about half an hour taking care of some mundane business crap, and then I wrote some letters. I wrote one letter to my grandmother and one to my favorite restuarant in Santa Fe, asking them for the recipe for one of their entrees. At this point it was time for dinner (Ben cooked), and I ate dinner with my housemates. Afterwards, I read all of the documents that I was given by my new bank. Then I did my calisthenics workout for exactly half an hour, followed by 15 minutes of Plutarch's Lives, which I want to get in the habit of reading every day (it's like the ancient version of Ben Franklin's Autobiography). After reading, I drew up some sketches for the game to send to Dan, and after that, I worked on my novel until it was time to go to bed. Figuring that I would need to sleep for 8 hours, and that I was getting up at 8 the next morning, I was ready to fall asleep and in bed by 11:30.
As With Honors as this all probably sounds, I had an unexpected reaction to my first five. I'll elaborate in a follow-up post.

Rating for 9/25: 4

For various reasons, yesterday morning at work was extremely stressful. I'm giving myself a four because I made it through the day. I won't get into the details, but it was one of the most stressful days of work I've ever had. Tomorrow, and by tomorrow I mean the 27th, I'm going to earnestly strive for a 5. Oh what the hell, I'll just rate today right now--Rating for 9/26: 3. Unless I work some miracles of productivity, I'm guessing that's what today will end up being, a three. I don't feel very motivated, and I might just go home and relax. But tomorrow I'm giving it all I have.