#055: A Year End Review (2023)
Sitting down to think about 2023, I'm struck by how it's the small, everyday moments that really make up a year. It's those regular things – like making coffee in the morning, dressing up for work, and the little conversations I run into- that make up the entirety of my year. Sometimes I wake up and wonder where all the time went. That's why I'm doing this review. It's not about listing big events; it's more like me putting up pins on a map to see where I've been and chart out where I’d like to go. The idea here is pretty simple: to get a clear picture of what this past year was like for me. I want to look back on the good stuff and the tough stuff, remember the little wins, and see where I can do better. This whole thing is inspired by another annual review I read, which asks three questions:
- What went well this year?
- What didn’t go so well this year?
- What am I working toward?
Let's dive in.
What Went Well
The DNS-SD RNW Project
This year, I worked on a small side-project with this guy I met online. I made this nifty utility for discovering devices on a local network using DNS-SD. It was pretty interesting to use my home server in ways I hadn’t before.
For a few weeks, I found myself completely absorbed in the work. It's hard to describe that feeling of being in the 'flow state', but that’s something I want more of next year. I was proud of the code I wrote, and it felt even better knowing that the person I was working with appreciated the work.
Weight Lifting
After a two-year gap, I found my way back to the gym, and it's turned out to be an amazing hobby for me. I figured out a little trick that really helped me stick to this habit: choosing a decent gym that's conveniently on my way back from work. That's when I started being more consistent. Make the habit easier to do (find a gym on the way) and make it fun (find a nicer environment).
These past six months have shown some solid progress. I've built up strength to a decent level considering where I started- I'm now benching close to 80kg and deadlifting 135 kg. It feels great to see tangible results from the effort I've been putting in. I'm definitely planning to keep up this momentum into next year.
Advice for 2024 in this area: don't skip leg days, improve core strength and have fun. Running This year, I set a goal that I'll head out for 100 runs. So far, I've done 84 of them. It's been a bit inconsistent and all over the place, so I'm not calling it a huge win, but there have definitely been some good moments. I started strong with a 10K at the Chennai Marathon, hitting my goal to finish under one hour, which was pretty cool. I also had fun running along the beach one night, at the police academy very early in the morning, and once around my workplace’s campus. Running at the Race Course ring was also super relaxing.
Also, I managed to set my best 5K time right at the end of last year. But honestly, my running journey this year has been a bit all over the place. I had a solid start, but then my interest kind of waned as the year went on.
Quitting an Addiction
This year, I tackled something I've struggled with for a long time. I took up a 100-day NF challenge and, somehow, I made it through. Now, I'm mostly repulsed by what used to be an addiction. It's a big change- it's made me feel better about myself, it's given me a lot more freedom, and I'm now trying to find joy in other ways. There's this little book called TEPM that was very useful for me initially. Making this change has helped me believe that I can change my habits- even the more deeply ingrained ones- if I decide I want to.
The Himalayan Adventure
I went on my first Himalayan trek to Brahmatal. The clean air, stunning views, and engaging conversations – it was an experience I'll never forget and I’m glad I did something new for a change. I’d like to go on a more challenging one next year- Hampta Pass, Gaumukh Tapovan, or Kashmir Great Lakes.
Social Skills
2022 was difficult for me socially. I'd felt weird about it more than a few times, and was mostly in denial of my social needs. I just went about pretending I was a reclusive person who liked it that way. This year, I faced that head-on. I've been honest with myself about wanting more social interaction, and I've actually done something about it- be it initiating more conversations IRL, meeting people on Discord or Bumble. Whether it's those late-night talks by the beach with the folks from the Kurzgesagt Discord server (whom I should have spent more time with after that), or those real, heart-to-heart chats with H where we try to figure things out together, I've really put in the effort. Asking H out and spending time with her has been a highlight too.
Little Things
It's the small things that made me smile the most. Spending time with my seven-month-old niece was a highlight – it feels amazing to hold her tiny hands, pacify her, and just carry her around. Luckily, she's easily amused by my efforts at entertainment for now.
The other small thing that stands out is when I'd walked around my society with a date, holding an umbrella, and walked up to a coffee shop with her later. I don't know why this is a nice memory, but it is. A few table tennis matches with A at work and with K at Vadapalani come to mind. And then there were moments of self-validation – like solving problems with the Dnssd util, when I changed habits that bothered me, or when I got to fix things. These small "wins" give me a kick and make for fun side-quests.
Interlude: Top Media Picks
TV shows and Movies: "Person of Interest", "Black Clover", "Chef", "Her", "Good Night (குட் நைட்)", "Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One", and "As Good As It Gets."
Books: "A Thousand Splendid Suns," "Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine," and "Flowers for Algernon."
What Didn't Go Well
Professionally, I feel like I plateaued. My work lacks the seriousness it deserves, affecting my career progression. This year, I worked on a few refactoring efforts, fixed a few bugs and learnt a bit about project architectures in the process. I don't regret not putting in insane hours- I had tons of fun outside of work this year, in contrast to last year.
But I could have tried and gotten the most out of reasonable work hours. I could have learnt more about design patterns, architectures, and about the language I work with. I have so much to improve when it comes to my programming skills and productivity.
Financially, while I'm doing okay, I've spent money wastefully many times. The best things I spent money are- travel, gym membership, a vape, fuel for drives and a few Uber rides to the city to meet people . It would be nice if next year, I stayed away from expenses that aren't useful and don't make me happy. I've got this habit of paying for everything when I'm out, and that's a tendency to be aware of.
I didn't practice much DSA or React. I tried to study every now and then, but I haven't been too consistent about it. What's the resistance here? Are we confused about having to choose one over the other? How do we make this habit easier for us to do? How do we make it fun?
I think we should start eating a little healthier. We should avoid eating out so much and cook at least a a few times a week. When it comes to side-projects, I don't think I found enough of them. What do we need to succeed here?
Interlude: The Year In Photos
What am I working towards?
I want to build software businesses. I'm really keen on building bootstrapped Micro SaaS businesses that can bring in about INR 2,00,000 profit each month. Some simple pointers- keep a list of problems/ideas, read and watch relevant media, and ship out a product every quarter. That's 4 products next year. As for AL, I've got to figure out the right niche to get into and market things the right way. It might just be about building up a solid portfolio and applying consistently.
I took a different route: I built 10 different projects, most of which either failed outright, or never made any significant revenue. Two projects ended up gaining traction: One was Kittysplit.com, but it was made by a team and I have since sold my stake. The other was Keepthescore.com.
Keepthescore.com was a toy project I used to teach myself web-development. I had the idea after walking past a whiteboard that had some names and scores scribbled on it. What amazed me was that it grew by itself from the start. After I added payment it began making money too: 500 USD per month. This was the final signal I needed: the idea was validated and I could quit my job and take a bet on it. So I ended up in the domain of score-keeping mostly by accident, not by design. It took me 10 years to find a validated idea, I suggest you find a quicker route.
https://www.reddit.com/r/SaaS/comments/18243vr/lessons\_from\_bootstrapping\_my\_sideproject\_to/
I want to be more skilled at programming SaaS applications. In the short term- I'm talking about the next 6 months- I want to learn the programming side of things properly (building good UIs for web and mobile, decently performant APIs for a small-sized business and hosting them). I want to study React, JavaScript/TypeScript properly. I'd like to have a higher impact at work, wherever it is. We have to think better about exactly what habits will help us get there, but this is an important goal for 2024, and we should work on habits that will help with this. I want to interview more. Aim to solve 100 and then 200 problems on LeetCode. Apply for work regularly. Treat interviews as practice opportunities.
I want to get stronger and have better cardiovascular health. Next year, I'd like to make steady improvements to my bench press, squat and deadlift PRs. It would be ideal if I could get to a sub 20 body fat percent. I want to meet more people and make more friends. In contrast to what we concluded last year, we actually are a somewhat social person, and it's important for us to make time for this. We made steady progress with our social skills this year, but I think it still needs more work. Especially when it comes to getting back to people on time, planning when we'll hangout, inviting people to things and being a good host. In general, try to say yes to things you're invited to more frequently.
Outro
One big thing I've figured out is that I can get better at stuff, but it's gotta be step by step, taking it slow and over a few months. As I step into 2024, I do so with the lessons and memories of the past year. We've changed in many ways this year, and did a pretty good job when it comes to building new habits. Whenever possible, try to keep your mind active.
Next year, it's going to be about carrying forward the good habits we've built, and going after the micro SaaS goal with gradual improvements. If we're lucky, we'll discover interesting hobbies, things to do, people to meet and places to visit. Let's see what's in store ⚡️