Update 1 Summer Bucket List 2022

Halfway through my bucket list, and redirecting

The OG Bucket List

I'm about halfway through the month of June, and so far my bucket list has been largely going according to plan. When I originally made my bucket list, there were a few items which stood out as essential, and others which seemed like they would also be kinda fun to throw in the mix. More or less halfway through my summer, I have completed the lion's share of those essential items. I'm not quite done, but I can see the light at the end of the tunnel at this point.

From some of these essential items, I have learnt a little more about what makes me tick, and what I would love to do more of. Or at least I have a hypothesis, which I can only test by switching up my priorities for this summer.

The Big Change

For almost a year now, I have been vaguely talking about the idea of learning in public. And I definitely like the vague ideas that I have about it. I have hoped that the more of it that I do, the clearer my idea of what it means to me will become.

One of the biggest steps that I have thus far taken on my learning in public journey has been my attempt at publishing a book on what I have learnt in B school. In fact, it is probably the only really big step that I have taken. And I am still very much working on the book at this point of time. With just a few chapters remaining, I can confidently say that I have on the whole quite enjoyed the process, as challenging as it has been.

Taking a step back, I have always quite enjoyed learning something new, as long as it was largely at my own pace. That's why the idea of learning in public appeals to me. I have also quite liked the idea of not having a customer, boss or investor to cater to. That's why the self paced, self-satisfying nature of my 'learning in public' projects appeals to me. Through writing my B school book, I have been reminded of how much I enjoy learning and teaching.

More specifically, I like taking what I have learnt and analysing it in a newer and different way. I like being able to present it in an insightful, simple and novel way. And I have always passively enjoyed being able to teach others, for both egoistic and altruistic reasons.

To cut to the chase, I have marked out from the very beginning that education would be a long term project that I intend to work on as a part of my learning in public. I'm now thinking that I should stop beating around the bush, and work first and foremost on my education project, and allow the rest of my learning in public to fall in line with it.

My Updated Summer Bucket List for 2022

And so, here are the updates on and updates to my summer bucket list so far.
Without further ado:

1. Summarise my MBA
There have of course been a few delays here and there. I am still in the process of writing the last 2 chapters. And after that remains the proof-reading, citations, getting reviews, design of the cover, publishing and promotion. But, things are still moving forward smoothly, and it has been a good experience.
Timeline : I still believe that I should have the book out by the end of June, or early in July.

2. An Attempt at Fitness
I have already increased my weekly fitness target across all exercise groups. I have also rather consistently been meeting my fitness targets. I'm quite confident that I'm all set to meet my June fitness goal. I'm also inclined to step up my goals one more time for the month of July.
Timeline : I'm on track to meet my June fitness goal (weekly and 4-weekly average). I'm aiming to add another such goal for the month of July.

3. Back to Driving
I have been driving around a fair bit over the last few weeks and am feeling quite confident on the road. I would therefore say that this summer bucket list item can be ticked off.

4. Set up a Home
Not only my room, but also the apartment at large has pretty much been setup. We have been living here quite comfortably, and have even found a third flatmate. This bucket list item has also been happily ticked off.

5. Find a Little Fashion
I have started learning small little bits about fashion. It might not show, and my knowledge might not be impressive. But I am rather pleased with what I have thus far documented under my fashion learnings.
My goals are now a little more modest. I don't expect to learn much more about fashion this summer. I have done one round of shopping for formal clothes and another for more casual and fun ones. I am inclined to put this on pause in favour of my education project.
So, I'm going to mark this bucket list item as partially ticked off.

6. Stabilise My Lifestyle
This is still a key bucket list item for me. This is also a dimension on which progress has been made thus far, but it's always hard to tell whether enough has been done, until I'm put in a tight spot. So, I'd like to say that this is largely on track.
Timeline : Begin focusing on lean scheduling from the month of July onwards. This would carry on through out life. But the month of July is meant to be a mock stress test of sorts.

7. Dabble in Computer Science
This is also a dimension of learning that I was rather looking forward to. However, it will likely fit into my longer-term project on education. So, I'm going to have to dump this bucket list item too, in favour of my education project.

8. Cook
This bucket list item is also going to be dumped in favour of my education project. The reasoning is similar. I have already covered good ground here, last winter. And I shall cover more, as a part of my education project.

9. Read
I'm very close to hitting the 20 book mark already. For all I know, I might hit it within the month of June itself. Furthermore, my education project might in fact drive my books read count up much further.
Timeline : I aim to have completed reading 20 books by the end of July (from January 2022).

10. Look Back at The Marvel Comic Universe
This bucket list item is also going to be dumped in favour of my education project. It doesn't seem quite as important or exciting as my education project at the moment. I will of course touch upon it, in some way or form in the future.

My "Education Project"

Alright, so I have changed up quite a lot, dropping 3.5 bucket list items in favour of my education project. Which begs the question, "what is this project and why am I so excited about it?".

In a nutshell, this is a very long-term (many years) project that I am envisioning. There are a few things that I hope to achieve through it:

1. Research Phase - I hope to read a tremendous amount about the education sector. From books to research papers to first hand experience, I would like to passively keep building up my knowledge about the education sector. In doing so, I want to make sure that I understand what the levers are, and form a well backed up opinion on how education in India should be carried out. Most specifically, I think I am interested in the spaces of curriculum and pedagogy.
2. Revision, Relearning & Reflection Phase - After a couple of years of my research phase, I believe I would be very well equipped to revise the 1st-12th standard India syllabus. In addition to these subjects, I would like to add fields such as art, cooking, sports, computer science & business to the mix. In doing so, I would not only revise the traditional school syllabus, but relearn in a process that I think is more holistic, and coincidentally aligns with my old learning in public goals. Through this process of revision and relearning, I would like to stretch beyond what is in the textbooks, and generously learn from the internet, to answer many how and why questions, which are often beyond the syllabus. I would like to also make thorough notes in the process, to record most everything that I learnt through ny years of education.
3. Creation Phase - I believe that my creation phase should largely happen in parallel with the revision, relearning and reflection. During the creation phase, I hope to use my detailed notes as a base. I hope to create both books and perhaps a video series on youtube. I would like the content that I create to be accessible to as large an audience as possible, without any barriers. The hope is that I will be able to create content which can present everything that I learnt in a manner which is as interesting as I find the subject matter. I hope that I can interestingly bring out insights and the fun of learning, rather than just the plain subject matter. With any luck, I will be able to inspire a few others to get as excited about self-guided learning.

All of the work that I plan on doing as a part of my education project is available on my website, under the education section.