Status and Activity

Learning WordPress and WP Themes

If you’re looking at this blog prior to launch (i.e. my “Today”) it looks pretty ugly. I’m using the WordPress Twenty-Twenty-One theme, which is described as “clean.” It’s also the the theme being used in the course that I’m taking.

The reason that’s important is because with how dynamic the WordPress environment is, and how much themes change how WordPress actually behaves, it’s important to make sure that any class you take, or teachs locks down the theme being used, unless it’s a course on WordPress themes.

Today’s todo list

• 4 Things to do today
  • 2 hours of A+ study
    • Like yesterday, I’ll be happy with 30 minutes
  • Move forward with my blog
    • Write at least one post that I’m happy with
    • Andrew’s course – Can I get it completed today?
      (1:17:00 Remaining)
      • Complete Section 7 (0:15:00 Length)
      • Complete Section 8 (0:19:00 Length)
      • Complete Section 9 (0:43:00 Length
  • Learn something new with WordPress
    • Ctrl+Alt+Shift+M toggles between gutenberg and html.

Journaling, bullet journaling and other practices

Today is day 2 of my new journaling practice. Journaling is part mindfulness and part mental hygiene. It’s also a place where I can get an idea of what I want to put here in “behind the scenes.”

I’m coming up on the first of September, which means it’s time to start prepping for my September monthly pages in my bullet journal. (I’ve been bullet journaling for almost 3 years now since the beginning of 2019)

This years bullet journal is a bit of a dog’s-breakfast. I tried some experiments and it just did not work out. What I noticed is that in the past, I’d try to figure out how many pages I needed in the front of my bullet journal, and how many pages I needed for my daily pages. The experiment I’ve tried this year have been interesting.

For my bullet journal, I am really liking the Leuchtturm1917. I used a green one last year, and this year it’s orange.

This form factor is great for capturing tasks, activities, and accomplishments.

But I figure out this month, that I can’t use the Leuchtturm1917 as a “journal.”

From 1982 – 2002, I used spiral bound notebooks. I’ve tried different things for the last 20 years, some of them analog, some of them electronic, and most recently, I’ve tried working my “journaling” into my bullet journal. Nope, that did not work. About a week ago, I realized that I needed (yep, “needed” to start journaling again and that I require a specific form factor for “My Journal” (yes, capital letters.)

My journal needs to be 8×11, wide ruled, and about 60 – 80 sheets.

Yesterday I couldn’t take it anymore, I had to write, and I needed some place to put that writing.

So off to Walmart I went, because, it’s late August and school supplies are REALLY cheap right now. I was able to pick up this notebook for $0.98 + tax. It’s 80 sheets, and I write every other line. At 160 pages, 2 pages a day, I’ll go through 2 or 3 a year. In reality, I would journal in fits and spurts. We’ll see how this goes. Right now my intent is to write daily.

Writing and cogency

First off, I didn’t know that “cogency” was a word. According to Oxford “Cogency” (/ˈkōjənsē/) means “the quality of being clear, logical, and convincing;” 

I am reminded that part of blogging is building your basic foundations and then linking the heck out of them.

Friday, I tried writing a post and found myself in the weeds thrashing around with generalities about what I wanted to say.

What this did was to force me to examine my content creation pipeline.

It also forced me to examine how I think, and to question how cogently I can frame my personal “first principles.”