On documenting the mundane
Before 2024 started I had one resolution.
Or at least, just ONE thing that I MUST do without fail, even when everything else does.
And that was to take little snaps of what I’m doing each day and making a daily reel out of it.
It doesn’t matter if it’s not pretty or edited. It doesn’t matter if it’s not aesthetic, or ideal for the public, or interesting enough. It just has to be done.
I made a separate Tiktok and Instagram account for this personal project. After all, I wouldn't want to be spamming my main account, and it'll help me keep things clean and organized wheenever I feel like reminiscing in the future. Every 9pm or so, I'd start editing all the clips I have. I settled for 20 seconds in length subconsciously. The amount and length of snaps vary each day based on what I’m doing and how I’m feeling. A clip of what I'm working on (currently my coding adventures, and a little bit of art), my food, my drink, anything. There are days where I literally did nothing, so I take a snap of my surroundings, or the ceiling, or the wall. Then I add a little text for context, to let my future self know what's up.
This is a task I must do every single day of the year. It was inspired by the 1 second video for 365 days, but I wanted to have more memories so I made it a full on reel in itself.
It’s March now and so far done I've it every single day without fail. I'm on Page 60 of 366. They say habits form in 21 days or something, maybe it’s already become a habit? Idk. All I know is I got the hang of it, especially when all I need to do is snap and put them together. I stopped editing them, stopped making them look pretty or aesthetic, stopped thinking too much about making it interesting for the viewers. At the end of the day it’s for me, not for an audience.
The goal of this was simple. It was to form a habit. To learn to stick to one thing, and practice consistency and self discipline through it. Along the way I learned other important lessons:
- get shit done even when it's not perfect. Don't overthink about the outcome, or the algorithm. Just do it. It doesn't have to be appealing to those who watch it. I'm slowly learning to let go of my perfectionist ass through this project. Soon I can start new projects without the fear of not being perfect anymore.
- How to be mindful of what you make of your day. I found myself trying to do something productive everyday so I could get a worthy clip. Even if I was feeling sad, I still record my surroundings to tell my future self that I couldn't do anything at the time, and that it's okay.
- Accountability. I'm learning a little bit of self discipline (since I'm currently unemployed so I stay at home all day trying to work on my own projects). I'm learning to follow through my schedule (edit by 9pm) without fail, even if I have to drop everything to accomplish it.
- Reflect on the past. This project is the perfect way to document my progress in real time and see how far I've come. I can't wait to reach a point where I successfully complete something or achieve a goal, and have this project remind me of the struggles and adventures. It'll also be a great reminder to keep going whenever I feel like quitting.
At this point I do think I've made a habit out of it, and I'm very proud of myself for that. It's a small achievement worth celebrating.