03/05/2023: Towers

Hello Internet,

At the beginning of each new season, I choose a number of towers to focus on.  Towers are seasonal goals meant to help create a mental and emotional buffer between myself and the world around me.  This came from my time working at a difficult elementary school where administrative support was minimal and aggressive and violent behavior was high.  I was feeling overwhelmed and, after a near suicide attempt (I called a the helpline instead (800-273-8255)), this was one of my ways of trying to protect myself and shore up my defenses by gamifying my mental health.

At the time, I had not been diagnosed with ADHD.  Gamifying tasks is a great way to maintain interest in them for people with ADHD, though, so my mind was naturally pulling me toward something that felt rewarding to me.  I have limited success with towers; I've never completed a full set.  They do help me to be more mindful of how I use my time, and they also allow me a chance to go back and try something again if I didn't do it right the first time.  They reduce pressure on me to keep track of everything, and they're fun to plan for in the weeks leading up to the next season.

Another way that these towers help me with my ADHD is that they help break down larger, long-term goals into smaller steps.  Sometimes, the scale of a task is the problem.  These can take long-term goals and break them down for me so that I don't feel overwhelmed.

I organize my towers into four groups, and those four groups are further separated into three distinct tasks.  The four towers are Work/Career, Hobbies, Health & Wellness, and Home & Hearth/Family.  Further divided, you have a job goal, a primary writing goal, and a secondary writing goal for Work; books, games, and shows for Hobbies; mental, physical, and social goals for Health & Wellness; and chores, finances, and family for Home & Hearth.

As we get closer to the next season, I will try to remember and post my Towers up on here for anyone who might be interested.  Spoiler: it will involve Camp NaNo because who are you talking about? I mean, come on...

Sincerely,

RWS

P.S.

This might be the best post I've done in a long time.

-Short Rest-

Schedule

1. Fullmetal Alchemist/Free Play/Critical Role: Campaign 3

2. One-Punch Man/Short/Outlaw Star

3. My Hero Academia/DnD5e (Dragon Age: Origins)/The Legend of Vox Machina

4. The Emperor and I/Replay/Seven Deadly Sins Season 1

5. My Hero Academia: Vigilantes/Naruto Shippuden: Ninja Storm 2/X-Men

6. Boruto: The Next Generation/Movie (Fullmetal Alchemist)/Young Justice

7. Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat by Samin Nosrat/Persona 3 Portable/Dimension 20: Tiny Heist

Books

Tower: Samurai 8: The Tale of Hachimaru

0. One Piece 100% New Chapters Every…

1. Sun: Fullmetal Alchemist Vol. 5, Ch. 17: “The Boomtown of the Broken Down”—21 0% (1—5)

2. Mon: One-Punch Man Vol. 16, Punch 82: “Escalation”—84 0% (3—6)

3. Tue: My Hero Academia Vol. 14, No. 12-: “The Three”—128 10% (2—10)

4. Wed: The Emperor and I Vol. 2, Ch. 11.5: “Father and the Secret”—18 19% (4—16)

5. Thu: My Hero Academia: Vigilantes Vol. 8, Ep. 63: “Decisive”—72 0% (1—10)

6. Fri: Boruto: The Next Generation Vol.8, No. 31: “Monsters!!”—31 75% (4—4)

7. Sat: Books

-Fiction: Pyramids by Terry Pratchett

-Library: Trans Medicine: The Emergence and Practice of Treating Gender by Stef M. Shuster

-YA: The Giver by Lois Lowry

-Fan Fiction: Final Fantasy: Fated to Ch. 50 by tinygaia Ch. 50—50, 100% 

-Nonfiction: Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat by Samin Nosrat 12% (54—440)

View from the Cheap Seats by Neil Gaiman 26% (130—502)

-DnD5e: Player’s Handbook by Wizards of the Coast 0% (?—??)

-Reread

Games

Tower: Final Fantasy X-2 HD Remaster

1. Stardew Valley

Persona 5 Royal+

.hack//OUTBREAK 0% ((0/22hrs)56/78hrs)

2. Short/Crisis Core—Final Fantasy VII—Reunion 126% ((24/19hrs)10-11 Chapters 100%)

3. DnD5e/Dragon Age: Origins Kallian Tabris 60% (44/73)

Mass Effect 2 Jean Shepard Replay ??% (?/52hrs)

4. Replay/ Final Fantasy XV: Royal Edition+

5. Long/Persona 3 Portable 27% (22/83hrs)

Shows

Tower: Dimension 20: Unsleeping City

1. Critical Role: Campaign 3 Part I Ep. 2 “Trial by Firelight”—11 (Level Up to 5) 9% (2—11)

2. Anime: Outlaw Star 15% (5—26)

3. Online/Owned: The Legend of Vox Machina Season 1 25% (4—12)

Fulletal Alchemist 8% (3—26)

4. Netflix: Seven Deadly Sins Season 1 79% (20—24)

5. Disney+: Gargoyles Season 1 39% (6—13)

6. HBO: Young Justice Season 1 35% (10—26)

7. Dimension 20: Tiny Heist Ep. 4: “Breaking and Entering”—6 50% (4—6)

8. Movies: Fullmetal Alchemist 4% (3—51)

Firefly 29% Disc 2 (5—14)

MCU Series/Movie: Ms. Marvel 1—6

Disney/Bambi

HBOMax/My Neighbor Totoro

Star Wars/Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back

Owned/Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within

Marvel/X2: X-Men United

Anime/.hack//LIMINALITY: “The Case of Yuki Aihara”

I have not been watching movies. Movies are hard for me. Sad face. : (