September FIRE Lifestyle Metrics That Matter: Part 1 - One Hit Wonders & Health Metrics
This month, I am revising how I have been providing a monthly update on the previous month’s experiences and results.
My goals for the new format are:
updates on how I did on my One Hit Wonders.
Updates on how I am doing living in alignment with the five core values I want to focus on this “school” year (September 2026 to August 2027).
Continue to give brief updates on financial, health, and stuff metrics.
Today, in Part 1, I will cover One Hit Wonders updates and some health metrics.
One Hit Wonder Results
1. Zeroscape Tracking
Much better than August: I was “bowling” a 177-point game each day, versus 145-point games per day in August.
However, I found myself putting off entering data a couple of times, missing 3–4 days in a row of entering data versus doing it every day.
It works better when I update every day (or at least every other day).
Some goals I am measuring are still somewhat vague, unless they are One Hit Wonders or very measurable results I am tracking. I want to tighten that up in October.
Heard a speech by Joseph Campbell, and he said that during the Great Depression he split his day into four blocks of time of three hours each.
He was able to spend three of those blocks on nothing but reading.
I am assuming he meant that he “worked” a twelve-hour day, but I am not sure.
Nevertheless, I think it is worth using his method for tracking what I did in four blocks of three hours each per day.
I started last week, and it seemed to help.
2. Daily Blog Posts
Another month of daily posts accomplished.
I also passed the six-month mark on September 16, and that felt good.
Additionally, I have been experimenting with batch processing.
What I have learned is that I can get seven or eight blog posts drafted in two days if I focus, focus, focus.
On those days I do only three things:
1) self-care tasks
2) get my steps in for the day
3) write the drafts.
If so inclined, I may also do some song rehearsals.
and I might do some pull-ups as a way to get them in and add to my step count for the day.
However, I only hold myself accountable for writing the drafts and getting in steps.
Keep it simple, silly.
It’s good to listen to my own advice.
3. 15,000 Steps/Day Average
Another success.
It will likely go up, but right now I am sitting at 15,631 steps per day since I began this Year long goal in late April.
That means I have about seven full days of 15,000 steps “banked.”
One of the benefits of blog post draft batching is that I regularly take breaks and go get steps. I do it either outside or inside, depending on the weather, time of day, or how I feel.
But I get up and walk. that’s what I do as a break.
It’s not uncommon to get 20,000 steps or more on those days.
That relieves a little pressure later in the week.
It helped a lot this month, given four days of low step counts because I was driving across the country.
Also, I was inspired by the book summary I read about a couple that moved into a small apartment in Manhattan.
He would work two days, and the other five he’d go “enjoy” the city, the day, and himself.
He would do this by sauntering through the city and just being observant.
A Great way to get in steps.
To do this in my PNW home would require me to drive somewhere walkable with shops, restaurants, and other sights to see.
Therefore, as of the day I am drafting this article, I haven’t done it yet.
But I think I want to build in a day or two of sauntering in each week.
4. Maintain Target Weight
I barely made this goal in September.
Yikes.
I am in code red status going into the month.
Literally at the very top of my acceptable range.
Things must and will change in October.
However, on the positive side …
September was another month of avoiding alcoholic beverages.
I am not sure how long I will do this.
If I go to Oktoberfest later this month, as planned, then for sure I will relinquish this for that event.
being on the wagon is not a goal of mine, per se. It’s just something I decided to do.
and now I have done it for two full months.
That felt good. Glad I did.
What I want to continue doing is being selective about when I do have an adult beverage and how many I have in a day.
I like a two-maximum rule except for the most special of occasions.
That said, I Really like the idea of just skipping it altogether most days.
I will spend some time contemplating this and see if I can come up with some other “rules” I can live by to help guide my behavior and reduce decision fatigue.
Now the flip side of this change has not been so great.
Since I am not drinking alcoholic beverages, my psyche decided it has a license to enjoy more sweets.
I did this in August, too.
At first in September, I was being pretty good about curbing the behavior..
about a week into the month, I went to the grocery store, bought sweets, and said F’it.
I never recovered and continued to have sweets most days after that.
Lesson learned?
I like Big Donuts, I cannot Lie.
Seriously, though, can I change this behavior?
I have before, but dang.
Maybe … We will see.
Health Metrics
Therefore, I spent a good part of the month right at the top of my acceptable weight range.
Yikes!
Weight was right at the top of my acceptable average.
It really needs to come down a bit in October to meet this goal for the year.
Body fat was also up.
Muscle mass was down.
Calories were up over the daily maximum target by 120 per day.
Protein grams were much lower, down 11 grams per day from the low end of the target.
This is what eating a diet that has lots of “junk” in it does.
Calories go up, protein grams go down, and weight starts creeping up, too. Not good.
Alcoholic drinks: 0, and that was a great highlight.
Days with desserts: 19. That is exactly what I did in August.
This will need to stop in October!
5. Escape The Algorithm
Oh man, this is a hard thing to do. I want something in my ears almost constantly.
Only when I intentionally want to concentrate, like drafting these posts, rehearsing songs, reading, or “forcing” silence, do I not have something going through my ears.
Why?
Because I purposefully brought back podcasts in August and September.
It is a better curated set now, which is good. I eliminated several I was following but didn’t really enjoy.
However, I will be darned if I haven’t fallen back into the same old traps.
I am listening to too much crap again.
Partly, I think it’s the J in my INFJ.
I am very methodical.
Therefore, I get into this automaton mode of Wanting to listen to every podcast episode for each show that I have deemed acceptable, typically in order, oldest to newest.
WTH, dude?
Flexible Much?
What I have begun doing is just fast-forwarding through boring episodes.
Uh, yeah, probably better to just get rid of some of the ones I have still.
I will address this further in October.
On the positive side, I am achieving the core of what I wanted for this goal:
Zero YouTube watching (unless directed to a particular video for a good reason).
Zero TV or streaming-service watching.
Zero “I want to watch this movie,” either.
YouTube was the real issue for me. Glad I have eliminated it for the most part.
to clarify, Watching curated movies would be okay.
but the Goal Intent is to “force boredom” and get my eyes the heck off screens!
Okay, that’s Part 1 of the monthly assessment.
In Part 2, I will cover new values and thoughts about how to better live them, plus financials and “stuff” metrics.