Theme for 2024

More less; less more.

That is my theme for 2024. For the past few years in my life, I have been focusing on more of everything. More learning; more reading; more coding; more working; more consuming; more creating; more knowledge gathering.

This is in large part due to my current position in life. I recently switched careers to be a software engineer, and while I love it, I also realised how far behind I was compared to my peers, especially those who have been developing software since they were young. So in an attempt to catch up and close the gap, I focused on doing more and more everyday.

But in general, I also have an immense desire to learn as much as I can about the many things that intrigue me. While it’s been very fun to explore broadly, I’m coming to realise that it is not sustainable for me as I move forward in life. In a sense, I am suffering from the shiny object syndrome, where I keep chasing what is new and exciting for me.

Instead, I am learning that it is probably better for me professionally in the long run to limit the breadth of my explorations, and apply my curiosity to go deeper into a smaller set of topics. I have already identified a few technologies that I’m keen to dive deeper into, such as Rust, so this year I will be focused on diving deeper into those select few technologies.

A third point is about how I have managed the increase in my responsibilities as I have grown older. Generally, I find myself clinging to priorities from my younger years, even as newer and more important priorities started appearing in my life. A simple example would be the management of finances. I am only just starting to see the importance of investing (kind of late, but the second best time to start is now) and would like to invest way more time and effort into securing a future for myself and my family. However, the necessary time isn’t going to magically out of thin air, I have to put aside other priorities to make time for learning about investing.

A combination of the above and a growing acceptance that the time I have with this miraculous thing called life is limited has resulted in my theme for the year. More focus; less exploration. More creating; less consuming. More depth; less breadth.

More less; less more.