The quiet joy of doing the routine badly at first in Manila

I had a disappointing first try, a surprisingly good second try, and then a third attempt that taught me humility. So, naturally, I now have opinions.

I know this is a tiny sample size, but after 10 attempts the pattern is pretty clear. When I keep the setup simple, I actually follow through.

Context: I am not an expert, just someone trying to make World Notes feel less intimidating. I wrote down what worked, what felt awkward, and what I would do differently next time.

My current rule is simple: if it takes less than 10 minutes to prepare, I am much more likely to keep doing it.