Clock and Other Things (Clock is Back)

Today was a long and exhausting 15 hour day at Mid-Atlantic Champs. I broke a few PR's (SQ-1 single, 4x4 single, 6x6 (first official solve), 7x7 single and mean, and clock single). I got a 4.50 official clock single which was really awesome! Not top 100 in the world surprisingly--coming for that next. My averages were both pretty bad, but I was exhausted by the end and had to safety it. l also watched Tommy Cherry break the clock single WR.
 
Clock_Enthusiast said:
Today was a long and exhausting 15 hour day at Mid-Atlantic Champs. I broke a few PR's (SQ-1 single, 4x4 single, 6x6 (first official solve), 7x7 single and mean, and clock single). I got a 4.50 official clock single which was really awesome! Not top 100 in the world surprisingly--coming for that next. My averages were both pretty bad, but I was exhausted by the end and had to safety it. l also watched Tommy Cherry break the clock single WR.
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This guy judged me :o
 
Clock_Enthusiast said:
Today was a long and exhausting 15 hour day at Mid-Atlantic Champs. I broke a few PR's (SQ-1 single, 4x4 single, 6x6 (first official solve), 7x7 single and mean, and clock single). I got a 4.50 official clock single which was really awesome! Not top 100 in the world surprisingly--coming for that next. My averages were both pretty bad, but I was exhausted by the end and had to safety it. l also watched Tommy Cherry break the clock single WR.
Click to expand...
15? It started at 8am, so it ended at 11?? That is very late for a comp.
 
Day two of the comp didn’t go quite as well as yesterday. I still got 3 PRs though (2x2 average, and 5x5 single and average). Pyraminx and Skewb were a disaster, and I didn’t even qualify for the semi-finals. I would have qualified in Pyraminx if I didn’t DNF a 3.14. My goals for tomorrow are to possibly make 2x2 semi-finals after round 2, get a good 3x3 average in round 2, then of course do well in the final two clock rounds.
 
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Well, clock did not go as planned. No PR average in 4 rounds even though it should be extremely easy at this point. Not many things at this comp went well even though I did around 20 rounds. I might need a break from comps for a long time. I'm very tired of the stress and pressure--they honestly aren't fun for me. Might try working on more advanced stuff to improve, though my free time is becoming more limited.
 
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I’ve made the executive decision to go even deeper into the world of clock. I’ve been focusing on all events aside from BLD and OH, but I’m going to put a lot of time back into clock specifically. To get my rankings higher, I 100% need to develop better technique with pin order and corner skips. By implementing new things, my averages have gone up by over a second. However, I’m hoping that their use will help me achieve consistent sub-5 averages, particularly in comp. Mid-Atlantics did not go as well as I’d hoped. At my next comp, I will be significantly faster.
 
My times with a new and more efficient pin order have been quickly improving. I started by averaging around 7 seconds a couple days ago, but now I'm down to low-6/high-5 with several 4s sprinkled in. Hoping that my times will get to where I normally average, then below that. Next is to work on corner skips. I have a basic idea of how they work, but I rarely utilize them when speedsolving.
 
Clock_Enthusiast said:
Nah, I don't qualify for too many events currently, and I can only take one long weekend this summer due to my research. I much preferred Mid Atlantics and the opportunity to attempt 19 rounds.
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Yo this is pretty off topic but im curious cuz im gonna start college in a couple of months. How do you manage time b/w cubing, socializing and studying?
 
SpiFunTastic said:
Yo this is pretty off topic but im curious cuz im gonna start college in a couple of months. How do you manage time b/w cubing, socializing and studying?
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Finding a balance is key, and I'll admit that I've definitely struggled with it. It depends greatly on what you study, what you're involved in on campus, what your schedule looks like, etc. I'm a double major and a research fellow this summer (and working on other projects), so my ability to practice is limited. Cubing isn't something I can focus on for large periods of time, but it's still possible to make progress. It's significantly easier when you're a kid and often have less responsibilities outside of school. That being said, cubing in college can act as a very mindful activity--a break from studying where you can be enthralled in something and block out stress. I've personally found that focusing on a few events at a time is easier, since you can grind out solves when you can and make reasonable progress on specific puzzles. I do practice most events, but I'll typically stick to one puzzle at a time to make noticeable progress and learn new things. For example, I may spend most of my time for a week practicing clock, then another could be 3x3.

Balancing hobbies once you enter college or the workforce becomes certainly becomes more difficult, but it's a smart idea to remain engaged in them. Finding this balance makes you a well-rounded person, and additionally provides you a space to take breaks (in appropriate amounts), which are necessary for staying productive.
 
Clock_Enthusiast said:
Finding a balance is key, and I'll admit that I've definitely struggled with it. It depends greatly on what you study, what you're involved in on campus, what your schedule looks like, etc. I'm a double major and a research fellow this summer (and working on other projects), so my ability to practice is limited. Cubing isn't something I can focus on for large periods of time, but it's still possible to make progress. It's significantly easier when you're a kid and often have less responsibilities outside of school. That being said, cubing in college can act as a very mindful activity--a break from studying where you can be enthralled in something and block out stress. I've personally found that focusing on a few events at a time is easier, since you can grind out solves when you can and make reasonable progress on specific puzzles. I do practice most events, but I'll typically stick to one puzzle at a time to make noticeable progress and learn new things. For example, I may spend most of my time for a week practicing clock, then another could be 3x3.

Balancing hobbies once you enter college or the workforce becomes certainly becomes more difficult, but it's a smart idea to remain engaged in them. Finding this balance makes you a well-rounded person, and additionally provides you a space to take breaks (in appropriate amounts), which are necessary for staying productive.
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Thanks a lot dude, this helps. Im gonna keep this in mind. With your workflow, are you still able to practice a bit everyday or only on the weekends?
 
SpiFunTastic said:
Thanks a lot dude, this helps. Im gonna keep this in mind. With your workflow, are you still able to practice a bit everyday or only on the weekends?
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Yes, I'm certainly able to! A lot of days lately have been absolutely exhausting, so I may not do many solves. Like I said, it's good to take small breaks throughout the day. It can even act as a reward system of sorts. For example, you could do an hour of studying, then give yourself time to do some solves prior to continuing work. I even got here a bit early today, so I'm going to work on some other stuff and do some practice before my professor arrives!
 
Clock_Enthusiast said:
Yes, I'm certainly able to! A lot of days lately have been absolutely exhausting, so I may not do many solves. Like I said, it's good to take small breaks throughout the day. It can even act as a reward system of sorts. For example, you could do an hour of studying, then give yourself time to do some solves prior to continuing work. I even got here a bit early today, so I'm going to work on some other stuff and do some practice before my professor arrives!
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Sounds epic. I used to do a method called animedoro where i do 60 minutes of studying and 20 minutes of watching anime (1 episode). I might try 60 minutes of studying and 15 minutes of cubing or something. Thanks a lot for your advice, I'm gonna try to apply these tips once my freshman year starts!
Edit - Do you have any other advice for balancing cubing and college, I feel like cubing might be a distraction :(
 
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