Okay, so I’ve been messing around with this idea of “make perfect,” specifically how it relates to that darn New York Times crossword puzzle. I’ve always been terrible at crosswords, but I’m stubborn, so I decided to get better. No magic tricks, just pure, brute-force practice.
The Grind Begins
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First, I downloaded the NYT Crossword app. I figured if I’m going to do this, I might as well go straight to the source, right? I started with the Monday puzzles, which are supposed to be the easiest. Let me tell you, even those were kicking my butt at first.
- I spent like an hour on the first one. Seriously, an hour! I had to Google so many answers. It was embarrassing.
- But I kept at it. Every day, I did the Monday puzzle. No matter what.
- Slowly, painfully, I started to see some improvement. I wasn’t Googling everything anymore.
Getting (Slightly) Better
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After a few weeks of just Mondays, I felt brave enough to try a Tuesday. Oof. Back to square one, it felt like. But the thing is, I was recognizing some of the patterns. Like, those little three-letter words they always use? I was starting to get those without help.
I still was not “good”, I had more “practice” to do.
I made it a routine. Wake up, coffee, crossword. It became part of my day, like brushing my teeth. And you know what? It was actually kind of…fun? I was learning stuff! Weird words, random facts, all sorts of trivia.
Still Not Perfect, But…
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I’m still nowhere near being able to do a Saturday puzzle without cheating. Not even close. But I can usually finish a Monday and Tuesday now without looking anything up. And sometimes, I even surprise myself with a Wednesday. That feels pretty darn good.
So, “make perfect”? Maybe not. But “make progress”? Definitely. And that’s enough for me, at least for now.