2022 was a good year overall. The bad moments were real bad, but there were many good ones. So despite all the sadness and struggles, I would look back at it quite fondly.
Professionally
Back to a normal 9-5 job after almost a decade feels good so far. I built a good routine around my working schedule, and for the most part, I kept everything separated from my personal life.
I was trying to think of an analogy for why I like my current job, and I found myself defaulting to comparing it to board games.
My current job is most similar to a mix of old-school and modern euro, and as it is to manage a brand new program, it is kind of like a board game at the playtesting phase, sandbox-ish, having its own charm, and letting you rewrite the rules once in a while.
- Has clear goals and is structured with interesting decision spaces
- Feels a bit bloated sometimes and needs some trimming, but the decisions are impactful and the feedback loops are addictive
- Has a good rulebook but with some very confusing parts that need a big QnA to go through
- (for better or worse) Has a lot of meaningful interactions, and some less desirable ones
- Good very of complexity, with a tiny bit too much complications
- Strategic, but also heavily tactical
I can feel the short-term impacts, so it is very fulfilling. I can envision the long-term impacts, so there are always constant reasons to push myself every day at work.
Personally
I ended a 5-year relationship this year. It was a mutual amicable breakup, and we wished the best for each other.
I am used to the single life so far, and I started some experiments too. It’s… for lack of a better term, comfortable. There is an inherent coziness in being all by myself. I do feel I am getting old, and it is slightly scary, until I manage to reason with myself that getting scared of being alone in my later years is no excuse to rush into anything.
So here I am, waiting for myself to become ready while not quite sure what I should be ready for.
Hobbies
Being hyper-focused at work enables me to be hyper-focused in my hobby too. I played 700 hours this year and wrote about that journey here. But the most important takeaway is that I have become so comfortable with board gaming as part of my identity.
I have grown as a board gamer.
I also cooked a lot, and walked around a lot more. The only regret is I barely wrote anything this year. I found out in November, hence the reason I decided to start this blog: to push and make sure I will write more.
The routine
My desirable daily routine would be as follows:
- Wake up at 6am and take a morning walk
- Have breakfast and do some grocery shopping for dinner
- Prep dinner and start working
- Go back home, cook, and finish dinner
- Spend the night on board games, writing, meeting friends, or dates
- Take a night walk
- Go to sleep
I managed to maintain this routine for a few weeks, got disrupted, and then got back to it. When it went well for a long period, it was the most amazing feeling.
Looking forward to keeping this up in 2023.
The goals in 2023
- Write more and post 50 – 60 articles on this blog
- Maintain my daily routines 70 – 80% of the time
- Play board games for 700 hours
- Go roller-blading once a week
- Learn programming
The last goal is the hardest, since it would take me the most out of my comfort zone. So let’s see how it goes.
