Dailies – World of MOwens

Chess

I have always been terrible at chess. For whatever reason, I have a block against planning out moves and anticipating my opponent’s responses which is needed to achieve success in this grand strategic game. Therefore, I have made it a goal to improve my game. I mostly do puzzles within the Chess app that areContinue reading “Chess”

Coding: A necessary modern skill?

I decided I should start learning to code again towards the end of part one of my sabbatical, skiing in Park City. I had dabbled into coding in high school, which was enough to pique my interest to the point where my initial major at Iowa State University was Computer Engineering. I had some programmingContinue reading “Coding: A necessary modern skill?”

Waking up and Mindfullness

This post is the fitting follow up to one about physical exercise. As stated in one of Sam Harris’s theory lessons within his mindfulness app, Waking Up, meditation and the practice of being mindful is exercise for the brain no different than running is for the body. That is not a direct quote, but theContinue reading “Waking up and Mindfullness”

Healthier Body

One positive of being on a sabbatical is that my primary excuse to not exercise, “lack of time”, was obviously not a challenge anymore. If I removed 50+ hours of activity every week between work and commute, I should have been able to squeeze some exercise in. And as a bonus, I decided to startContinue reading “Healthier Body”

A Second Language

Another goal for my sabbatical was to pick up a second language. Over my life I have learned the rudiments of German through Audio CD’s, basic Portuguese through similar methods before I went to Brazil, and a few words in Mandarin when I spent a couple weeks in Shanghai for work. But for this goal,Continue reading “A Second Language”

The Power of a Journal

I was in a leadership class within my last year at my former employer. The facilitator, a former army officer, recommended journaling to most of us at the top of the organization. He said it was a good way to organize your thoughts and gain perspective. I know that a few of my fellow managersContinue reading “The Power of a Journal”

Altucher’s Idea Muscle

If you have never heard of James Altucher, I encourage you to visit his site. He is a unique individual with interesting views. I would not tell anyone to adopt every one, but he does provide perspectives that you won’t find every day. From him, I borrowed the “idea muscle.” The premise is that generatingContinue reading “Altucher’s Idea Muscle”

The Brain Apps

I had used the brain app Elevate on and off prior to my sabbatical. I vowed to make a habit of doing it every day since I no longer had work to engage the mind,. I also picked up a second app, Lumosity, mentioned by one of my friends. I have done these, almost withoutContinue reading “The Brain Apps”

The “Dailies”

One of my main concerns upon setting out on my sabbatical last November was atrophy. Basically, laziness and lack of purpose would set in and aspects of myself would deteriorate. Therefore, I made goal setting a huge part of the sabbatical. The complete list of items I did at various points of the sabbatical isContinue reading “The “Dailies””