My top 21 of ‘21.
Hey friends!
2021 was surely a big year for me as I said bye to school, the country I lived in for 15+ years, settled in Canada, and started my journey at the University of Toronto. One thing I regret not doing is keeping a track of things I truly liked each year, so that is exactly what I am doing in this blog post.
It is a mix of lessons and products that made 2021 certainly a bit less monotonous than I predicted it to be. In no particular order:
Notion (app)
I was never an advocate for structuring my day, mostly because of how excruciating the process looked; however, Notion changed me. Its excellent features and ecosystem makes it so easy to organize every aspect of your life. Here is an awesome tutorial for you to get started: https://youtu.be/m9S5I3pWz94.
2. Open Water (book)
One of my favourite books of the year. It felt like reading an endless poem about two Black artists falling in love and facing the grappling issues faced by their kind in the community. My favourite quote from it was: “It’s one thing to be looked at, and another to be seen.”
3. Muji Black gel pen 0.5
I was going to replace this with my journal; however, the smoothness and simplicity of this pen are what motivate me to journal. This definitely made my 2021 better.
4. Discipline over Motivation
I think the best thing for me would be to link my blog post, but this motto truly changed the way I look at things and helped me procrastinate a lot less.
5. Samsung 27" 1080p HD 60Hz 4ms Curved LED Monitor
This monitor is truly a game-changer. It is the perfect size and its curved edges give such an immersive experience. It is a great complement to my laptop and makes splitting screens so much more user-friendly.
6. Havit Mechanical Keyboard with Red switches
This is probably one of my favourites from this year. I mean come on, look at the colours. It has also increased my typing speed from an okay-ish 65 WPM to a decent 85-90 WPM. Its crunchy typing noise, weirdly enough, makes me feel productive and helps me focus better. My friends hate it, they also say my keyboard and I are in a relationship, but it is the most rewarding relationship I have been in.
7. An Instagram Spam Account
Sometimes I want to post things without a thought and only want some people to see it without worrying about accidentally posting it to the entire world— this is where a spam comes in handy. I use this account to freely critique myself, talk about my favourite songs and dramas, and also just rant when I feel like it. It is kind of fun, you should try it!
8. Review-my-day Journal
I honestly do not know if this type of journaling has a name but it is basically writing a Google review of your day. I write down the good, the bad, and sum it all up in not more than a page. Sometimes I simply write down bullet points of what happened in my day as writing down everything is something I can’t commit myself to. It is extremely fun and helps you reflect on your experiences of the day.
9. The 4-5/1-30 way.
Coined the name right now.
This is a study strategy I use when I have to get hardcore studying done. Essentially, you start your day with a non-stop 4-hour block of studying with a 5 mins break after every hour. This block should be designated for crucial aspects of your schedule. After you are done with this session, you can divide your day into 1 hour of study blocks and a 30 minute break time after every hour (or less). I have gotten done with 8 hours of studying in one day before the clock hits 9 pm. Truly a game-changer.
10. OneNote
Old is Gold. I remember hating this app for the life of me, but the Microsoft ecosystem is truly one of its kind. This app’s features are endless and this year I started taking digital notes with my Apple Pencil 2.0 on it, and it was truly amazing. I love how I can sync my notes on every device of mine and that it is automatically backed up on my OneDrive. It is super convenient to add text/images/files/audio clips wherever. Its simple notebook/class designation is minimalistic and user-friendly.
11. A Million Miles In A Thousand Years
I will link my blog where I list the lessons I learnt from this book. It is what motivated me to start my blog in the first place.
12. InspiringYouth
I became a part of this organization last August and serve the role of Vice President of Content Creation. I chose to include them here because I absolutely adore the work environment at this place! I am a part of multiple clubs and organizations; however, the people here really go out of their way to help you. I am learning so much from those above and under me and I absolutely love the work they are doing. Check them out at https://inspiring-youth.org/.
13. Facetime calls with my sister
Since I am in Canada and my sister is in Saudi Arabia, we have to rely on Facetime for most of our interactions. However, I truly believe we have learnt to respect each other’s presence due to the distance between us. I never realized how much I care about my little sister’s opinion and how she was my accessible stress-buster (sounds like I am objectifying her hehe), but really, our daily calls are the highlight of my day.
14. Art of Planning
It is an art. I am no master at planning, but I take 10 minutes every morning to plan out my day and I think it refreshes me and has a detoxifying effect on my body. Humans have this need to know everything, so naturally, my body functions better when I know what to do and how to go about my day.
15. I am my competition.
Probably the biggest realization I came to in the past year was realizing this very thing. The person I see when I am in front of the mirror is my competition and they are the only person worth comparing myself to. I will link my blog on this for an interesting analogy to make you ponder upon what I said.
16. Value of Money
I am a blessed kid and my parents never really put any particular bans on me. My mom would put the occasional checks; however, I was not so bad myself and never had extravagant wishes. I thought I understood savings and money, but then I shifted to Canada. If you compare life in the Middle East to life in Canada, it is literally worlds apart. I also received my scholarship grant which was a pretty substantial amount of money and urged my dad to keep it with him, but I think my dad did a smart thing by keeping it in my account. I have noticed asking mysef 3 questions before I purchase anything:
Do I require it in my life?
If so, how often will this thing come in handy?
Is there anything present at my home that I could potentially use instead of this item?
I treat my parents' money the same way now. I think it is one of the biggest lessons I learnt in 2021.
17. Bubble Tea
Do not judge me.
I was deprived of this delicacy in Saudi Arabia and I discovered a Chatime right in front of my building when I shifted. I have no logical explanation to why I like it. It might as well be the placebo effect but it truly is an experience.
18. Walks
My mom and I started going on walks when we shifted to Canada. We are at a major intersection so the roads are always bustling with cars and buses and I like that. I like the city noise and I also like how I put it in the background when my mom and I engage in conversation. I think I truly understood what an escape our walks used to be when the Canadian winter hit and we were forced to sit at home. If you get the chance, do exploit the pleasure that comes from a 30-minute walk around the neighbourhood.
19. Impact of great teaching
This semester, I took an introductory programming class for non-computer science students out of pure curiosity. My professor, Brian Harrington, turned out to be one of the funniest and most impactful professors I have met in my life. Although the course structure was all over the place, something about the way he taught kept me engaged throughout the course. I liked how he took the first two weeks to really engage with us and settle us in without any hardcore study material. He cultivated an interest in programming in me and I am currently exploring some online tutorials and projects on the matter. He truly is the kind of professor every kid deserves— makes you want to think.
20. Study desks
Invest in a good desk if you haven’t already. I only started using one in grade 12 because my dad was convinced I would not be able to sit straight and got me a portable desk with wheels that could barely fit two books at a time; however, it changed my life. It made my study experience more tangible for some reason and things just flow better when you have a time and place allocated to it. I got an upgrade in Canada and got a height-adjustable desk— LIFE CHANGING. Really helps me stretch and work at the same time, rejuvenates my body for work, and it is also equipped with a wireless charging device which just makes the whole experience extremely cool.
21. Why-to-do List
As I said, humans are curious beings by nature and want to know the purpose behind every action they take. This list is basically your generic to-do list but with a twist. Check out my blog on the subject to know what exactly I am talking about.
All in all, it was quite a happening year, and I am excited to see what this year entails. Hopefully you and I both have a remarkable list of 22 (or more) things we enjoy!
