Design Sojourn | Strategic Industrial Design Blog

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Wow! That was quick, according to the program, I should be now into my 6th and final week. The last week before the big 100 push-ups attempt!

The reps in week 3 and 4 were getting really tough. I was having a lot of trouble getting through all the sets. My breaks in between sets were longer than the stipulated timing and workout sessions were getting long. However things looked up after my exhaustion test between week 4 and 5. I hit 50 push-ups before I gave up. That was 20 more than my last test of 30. So I was really happy as it meant I was getting stronger. Not only that, I have found my chest feels broader, shoulders more defined and arms firmer, especially in the triceps area. Nice!

Last week, (Week 5) was also tough, especially for Monday where each set were an average of 30 push-ups! Fortunately the sets for Wed and Friday were smaller sets (20 or less reps) with shorter rest periods in between. I found I did better with a sequence of smaller reps and shorter rest periods.

Strange thing, I was finding that I was getting very short of breath. I often had to stop and actually take deep gulps of air. I discovered that I was holding my breath in between sets, crazy I know! This was probably why I do better with smaller reps. I think I need to get my breathing method right if I am going to go the full stretch and try to hit that elusive 100 push ups.

Was it exhale down, or exhale pushing up? Need to figure that out!

On Saturday I woke up with an aching my left and I realized I must have strained it. It feels like Carpel Tunnel Syndrome and I think it was due to my slippery sweaty palms sliding on the floor during my last set on Friday. In the name of recovery, I’ve decided to rest out this week, and perhaps do the next exhaustion test this Wednesday.

Thats it for me, how are you guys doing?

Finally an update!

Well I’m glad that I revisited Week 1 again before going into Week 2. It got my system moving and I was starting to feel comfortable going through the routine 3 times a week. I must admit, getting comfortable with any fitness routine is an important plus to maintaining it.

While I was comfortable in Week 1, I had started to work for it in Week 2. By the time I hit Day 3 of week two, my muscles were really straining, in particular, my triceps felt like bunched beef patties! Looking in the mirror, my arms and shoulders seemed more defined. Dreaming! But internally my larger upper body muscles felt strained.

Strangely after Week 2, the program tells me that I’m required to do another exhaustion test to see if I have become stronger. I was a little worried because my first exhaustion test made me sore for a week! So I decided to rest for a few extra days, and yesterday I went for it.

Interestingly I hit a 30 in my exhaustion test, which was similar as my first test. But this time I think my form was a lot better. Not only that, I felt so good that I decided to do another exhaustion set and this time hit a max of 25. I was also partly disappointed that I could not get past 30 reps, but I knew I was stronger as this morning I was not sore at all.

Now I know why they slotted the 2nd exhaustion test in between Week 2 and 3. I should have continued the program as planned. Not to worry, I’ve decided to do another exhaustion test tomorrow before I start Week 3 next week.

I hope you are also doing well in your program! Please let me know how it goes for you?

Oh man. I was still hurting from the initial test on Monday, 4 days after I took it. I had serious doubts on whether I would be able to continue the program faithfully. Partly chicken and partly due to dinner with friends from out of town, I missed Day 1’s set on Monday.

On hindsight I think that was a good idea as it allowed me to rest fully before I started officially on Day 2. Day 2, Wednesday was really hard to get going. I was tired from work and still stiff.

I almost missed Day 3 Friday! It almost slipped my mind. However I’m glad I did the reps as I could tell that this time the push ups were a lot smoother. After the complete set, all the relevant muscles felt tight instead of pain.

So Week 1 was really tough to get going. I had to really planned it into my busy life if not it was too easy to forget. I’m feeling good about it today, no pain but a little stiffness, however as I got off to a bumpy start, I’ve decided to run week 1’s program again next week.

Stay tuned!

Get this crazy toy from Amazon!

Something off the beaten track today. I usually I don’t talk about non-design issues here on Design Sojourn, but as I made a 2008 New Year resolution to lead a healthier and fitter lifestyle, I like to catalog this challenge here to help keep me motivated. Yes, I know its almost September, but better 8 months late than never!

You see, being an office bound designer most of the time has caused me to put on the flab. I have to admit that too many wine and cheese nights, and too little jogging also help! As with most men, the flab has appeared around my chin, torso, stomach, and triceps. Not the dashing designer I strive to be. I supposed you could say that I am trying to re-design my body. Hey it’s related to design after all!

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What a Mess!

About 5 or 6 months ago, I decided that I needed to simplify my life.

Due to a lot of diverse interests and that little bit of an overachiever in me, I have a bad habit of taking on and doing more than I can actually handle. Furthermore, the fact that I tend to lose interests in things very quickly or jump around on different projects does not help me one bit at all. Coupled with the stresses of my job, I was just flat out overloaded!

Mentally I was stretched and constantly tired. This was because I often had anywhere from 15 to 20 projects to attend too at any one time. My fitness went down hill as it became a vicious cycle of my mental tiredness preventing me from getting out of the house for exercise.

As a result I got nothing much done and learnt a painful lesson that I, like many other humans, do not multi-task very well.

I decided at that time, that I needed to simplify my life by closing up as many different projects as possible and, quite literally, focus on a preferred handful. The net result was that, instead of less, I was getting more things done at a reasonably good rate. Why it worked was loose ends and open issues have a tendency to take fuel away from your mental engine, and this means a reduction in the all important focus and concentration in getting things done.

The Creativity Cycle

I have currently juggle about 5 to 6 different projects (both design and non-design related) running, essentially cutting back to about a third of what I used to do. I find I can handle and work with this number of projects and my productivity has sky rocketed. This balance in the current number of projects keeps what I like to call the “Creativity Cycle” turning. This means that I am busy enough to keep my creativity flowing, but it also allows me time to breath or reflect on the creative work, which keeps the “Creativity Cycle” going even more.

Brian Clark, from Copyblogger, wrote about a similar concept in his article called “The Content Crossroads: Supernatural Success at the Intersection of Ideas“. In that article, Brian uses the example of how the Medicis, rich merchant families in Italy in the 17th century, created a creative explosion by allowing the ideas of different people and projects to feed off each other.

By attracting talented souls from so many different fields and cultures, the Medicis caused these varied artists and scientists to come in contact with one another, trade ideas, and discover the intersections that allowed for giant leaps in creativity and innovation.

The trick here is to ensure you are sufficiently loaded for this “Creative Cycle” to happen, but not to be loaded until you are burnt out.

Keep it Simple

I often find to start this “Creativity Cycle” moving, I need to be in a good frame of mind. To do this, each of my 5 projects needs to be distilled down to its bare essence so that I instinctively know what to do at any one time. My rule of thumb to keeping things simple is to describe what you need to do in 1 clear sentence.

Work is Never Ending

We need to understand that the concept of “work” and doing it, basically means that it will never end. There will always be something new that crops up that needs your attention. It is how you manage it that matters.

Really this 5 or 6 projects are the only ones I can efficiently handle at anyone time. Just like you would managing a design project, if your capacity is full, you would either not take on any more work or it will be put it on a waiting list. Why should this not be the same for your personal life? So do ensure that one project is completed or closed before you take one another.

How did I get this magical number 5?

At this time you are probably wondering, how did I get this magical number of juggling 5 projects at any time? It first started out as trial and error, but later I discovered that Giorgio Armani, before me, has also drawn very similar conclusions. Yes that Giorgio Armani.

It was a surprise to find out that Giorgio Armani had built his multi-million dollar fashion empire on this same principal. He believes that he can only work on 5 projects at any time. No more no less. It is also no coincidence that there are 5 working days a week, and that he spends each day just focusing on 1 of his projects, and doing nothing else. As a result of staying focused and keeping his work load simplified, he claims he was able to achieve success without ever having work late or on weekends. Now, you can take that to the bank!

Join the simple life!

I like to close this post with a tip of my hat to Zen Habits and Think Simple Now. My decision to simplify my life was due to in not small part the influence these two blogs had on me. Thanks Leo and Tina, you have been a great inspiration and a big help in making me a much more efficient designer.