Life Challenges #3: Bookworm Challenge | Part 1: Challenge Rules

Works of the written or spoken word are unidirectional time machines, mind readers and windows to imaginary worlds. There are countless ideas we can gain and apply to our daily lives by interacting with the people of the past through words in various mediums. These mediums can be books, newspapers, journals, magazines, documentaries and many more. Going through any of the words left by people who have walked down the paths of their choice can be immensely meaningful. They allow us to understand how we come to be, and where we will be heading.

It is in such a magical world that the third in my series of Life Challenges will be founded on. This challenge is called the Bookworm Challenge, and this post is about its rules.

1. The challenge is to happen over a duration of 4 weeks, from 1 August 2020 to 30 August 2020. If you are wondering why the math involving the 28 days (4 weeks) does not add up, it is because 2 more days are added at the end (29 and 30 August 2020) as a contingency plan against any incomplete tasks.

2. A daily reading routine lasting 15 minutes will be implemented. What is to be done in this duration is up to me.

3. I am to finish reading a book during the challenge duration. For now, I am planning to read a Chinese book. It is a translated version of the biography of Elon Musk, "Silicon Valley Iron Man".

4. I am also to catch up with the news for at least two days per week. The news is an important source of information on current affairs which will be helpful in drafting future Kaleidoscope posts and help me understand more of what I am reading. I have freedom in choosing what kind of news to read and the method of consumption. It can be videos, online articles or infographics. As long as I learn of something, anything is good.

5. Finally, I will submit at least one reading note every fortnight. Submissions will appear on the Vincent Academy website. This component is expected to be the hardest as it requires the most commitment. However, I believe this can be done with consistent effort in trying to read.

I hope to be able to cultivate the good habit of reading widely through this challenge. This can also help me improve on my vocabulary and knowledge which is necessary for writing better blog posts. In addition, the various writing styles I get exposed to through reading can help me to come up with higher quality work for future Story Creation Challenges!