2024 Review

Reflecting on my achievements, challenges, and plans for the year ahead.

2024 was unlike previous years. My focus shifted towards prioritising quality over quantity in the content I create, which is why my posts have been less frequent. Here’s a look back at the year, highlighting things I’ve stopped doing, things I’ve started doing, and what I hope to achieve in 2025.

Things I No Longer Do

In an effort to optimise my time, I became more critical about how I spend it. This meant letting go of certain activities and focusing on things I had either postponed for years or genuinely wanted to pursue.

One notable decision was to stop publishing newsletters. Initially, I thought my perspective as a young adult navigating the tech world might resonate with an audience. However, despite several issues, sign-ups were non-existent. Writing each newsletter took around 40 minutes, as I strived to simplify topics for broader understanding.

Over time, I realised the format wasn’t my strength, and the lack of engagement made it hard to justify the effort. Rather than produce mediocre work, I decided it was best to let this go.

Gaming

Believe it or not, I used to game a lot—whether it was simulators, Minecraft, or mobile games. If I wasn’t studying, working, or out, I was likely gaming.

That changed when I started college. My routine became packed, leaving little time for games. While I still dabble in gaming occasionally, it’s no longer the focus it once was. Surprisingly, I’ve grown to appreciate this new balance a bit more.

Things I Have Started Doing

Time Blocking

One of the most impactful changes this year has been adopting time blocking. I now allocate specific blocks of time to focus on a single task. While I don’t always stick to the schedule rigidly, I follow it more often than not.

The rule I live by: “If it’s not on the calendar, I’m not doing it.” This approach has simplified decision-making and improved how I manage my day. It’s been transformative, and I genuinely feel better for it.

Full Stack Development

In 2023, I was immersed in hacking, scripting, and Linux. This year, I’ve shifted towards web development, especially full stack. I’ve worked on several projects and found the process incredibly rewarding.

While one of my projects didn’t pan out as expected, the experience was invaluable. You can read more about it here. Looking ahead, I plan to dive deeper into this field and take on more ambitious challenges.

What I Want to Do in 2025

With much of the foundational learning done, I’m ready to build something meaningful—something people genuinely need or something I personally find valuable. As of now, I don’t have a specific idea, but I’m excited to see where the journey takes me. 👀

Tools for 2025

I have used various tools in the past, but I’ve never really explored them in depth. I am excited to learn more about the tools I use alreayd and how I can use them to their full potential. especially things like vim, git, and the terminal.

the list of tools I want to explore more is as follows:

vim
tmux
git cli
hugo

lets see where this goes!

2024 has been a year of recalibration. By focusing on what matters most, I’ve set the stage for a purposeful and productive 2025.