abrocks

Actually, we have started seeing it already. In my company, we have been getting lots of spam attacks(Microsoft Outlook) whose content is looks genuinely written by human being. If it not were for the email domain, we would not have been able to guess the spam.

I will try the idea of reading a chapter before using social media. I guess I can use it as kind of token money(read a chapter) to be earned to play my favourite game(social media).

Getting a part time job in retirement or moving to a lower cost area is definitely on my list. However, I do want to retire early.

Yes, there is the classic dilemma - I know what I know - I know what I don't know - I don't know what I don't know

I am worried about the third right now.

- Replace your smartphone: I can't completely abandon my smartphone but yes I have uninstalled lots of attention seeking apps from my phone. I use social media via web browser which is less addictive as compared to smartphone. I keep all notifications off.

- News: Yes, I have stopped reading online news.

- Free: I totally agree with this advice. I have stopped looking for freebies. I only use paid products as much as possible(even for gmail, youtube etc.). Only freebies are taken in when I am trying something new.

- Books: I have an affinity towards self help books which I am planning to cut down. I have to start looking for the solution inward as compared to outward.

- Technology: Yes and No - my job involves catching up to latest technology and implementing technology which came into market 10 years ago. I guess 10 years could be a good batch size.

- Text based browser: My niece of 5 year old is more knowledgable as compared to me when I was 5 years old. It is not that he is genetically smart or better than me. The mediums via which he is learning video, audio, pictures etc. as compared to text make him understand things faster and better. Now, whenever I have to understand a new concept I always go through video tutorial, podcast or a blog with flowcharts and diagrams. I am able to connect the dots faster.

- Stocks and house prices: This is one part where I still don't have a clarity on. I feel manipulated by the bigger forces of the market.

- Academia: I have often pondered over that thought and I find it a space for myself in the long term. But not going into academia but working as consultant with Academia while working my day job(a low paying which would give me freedom of time to pursue these threads). Not only academia is relatively slow paced so lesser work pressure but rewarding in terms of growth.

- Military: Many people in my neighbourhood have taken the same route and are enjoying their life. However, their savings were not enough to let them enjoy life in a city. They can only live their life in a small town.

- JavaScript developer: This is a very tempting thread which I am willing to pursue on. My founder with 40 years of experience said similar things. People will complain about java script but Javascript is not going to die. New flavours may keep coming in but it will not go away.

New year resolutions 2022

For me personality matters a lot. I initially tried to adjust to multiple tools now I am adjusting tools to my personality.

*Mental shift*:

1. I shifted from deterministic to probabilistic. Being deterministic meant I had to do these tasks. If I didn't, I felt bad about it. Being probabilistic meant that there is a high chance that I would do these tasks but if I didn't that's okay. Probability doesn't account for outliers.

2. I started using my tool as more of a *reminder* as compared to a *guide*. My world is too chaotic sometimes, as I have to attend online zoom meetings, solve bugs and guide junior developers etc. My priorities would change from morning till evening. So, I decided not let a rigid framework control me but let the tool remind me that hey there is a task you jotted down to work on - do you have time to work on it?. I also realized that some tasks dry up or become irrelevant with time as universe take care of themselves.

3. I started planning my weeks before my days. I realized that at a macro level, I can't control my day but I can control my week. So, I make a priority list of what to be achieved at end of this week(abstract goals). Each week is a different page or note in my tool. I do reflective thinking after week end as on what I was able to achieve, what new things came on my plate, what came in between etc. This helped me in marking down my accomplishments.

4. I plan on day level as well but I don't keep admiring my tracker. I realized that after thinking through what tasks need to be done in the morning after looking at my tool planner, I can continue working on them. I mark ticks at the end of day.

5. I jot down bugs solved or programming or business wisdom achieved in the entire day in my notes as well. This helps me to recall easily in case someone asked me - what did you do on that day or week.

*Framework*:

1. After a lot of trial and error, I ended up with a modified version of Eisenhower matrix. It generally consists of four quadrants:

    - Urgent and Important
    - Urgent but not Important
    - Not Urgent but Important
    - Not Urgent Not Important

    - Urgent and Impactful
      - Simple
      - Medium
      - Hard

*Choice of tool*:

1. I used google calendar, keep, one note etc. Now, I have finally settled on Evernote. Sometimes, I get urges to switch to Notion or Trello as well but Evernote is working for me now.

PS: I derive a lot of inspiration from *My Effectiveness* app. You can have a look at it as well: <https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.andtek.sev...>

Here is the friend link version of medium blog : https://medium.com/@abhishek.shakya88/what-have-i-learned-in...

People talk according to their profile status; CEOs talk about money and moving forward while technical teams talk about code and metrics.