Format:

  1. Start of a New Decade
  2. SkillUp#2022
  3. Goals and Spheres
  4. Systems
  5. Trackers
  6. End Note

Start of a New Decade

Last Year I had 2 Big Goals:

1. Make a job switch to a sphere where I want to build my career capital in.
2. Prepare well for Telangana State Cycling Road Championships.

And how did they go?

  1. Job switch went great. I moved from an MNC to a young tech startup in the health/fitness space – a combination I want to continue on. It was very discomforting in the initial months and only now am I finding some foothold.
  2. I lagged on this one. Classical mistake of one goal clashing with the other. There was always hesitation in going for long rides vs spending that time prepping up for interviews.
    Also, I had to make my presence at the Bangalore office the weekend of State Championships. That makes it two misses of the State Champs in a row. Nevertheless, I was fitter than before 🙂

As I was reflecting in December upon the goals and systems to be set forth for 2022, the thought of having a theme around this sounded great. And came up with the very unintelligent hashtag ..

SkillUp#2022

Two books that have had the biggest influence on me in the last two years have been

  1. So Good They Can’t Ignore You by Cal Newport
  2. How to Fail At Almost Everything but Still Win Big by Scott Adams

The book by Cal has the tag of ‘Why Skills Trump Passion in the Quest for Work You Love‘. In short, you need to skill up and first provide value to the world. Also, watch this short reel by Furqan which beautifully captures the book’s core idea.

And Scott, in his book mentions (good + good > excellent). Some recommend going deeper in one subject and doubling down on it and being a craftsman like Book 1 says. But currently, Book 2’s idea appeals more to me 😀

The whole intention is to select skills I want to get good at, commit to learning, show up every day and track the progress. We can think of this as a 2 year Masters’s course not in an MBA or an MS, but in #SkillUp.

Also, writing these down helps me with 3 things:
1. Track my progress, ups, and downs, learning from them and, overall, capture the journey.
2. Get help from people, get connected to people who might know fast-lanes on achieving goals.
**Third and most importantly**
3. Clarity on the next steps. There are far too many things to do and I end up doing nothing. Writing these down makes me filter through the noise and focus. Having action steps not more than 3-5. 3 being the magic number.

So what are the ones in focus for this year?

Goals and Systems

In List:

  1. ReactJS/Golang
  2. Programming Principles
  3. SoftSkills/Language
  4. Instrument/Game
  5. Books/Resources
  6. Grooming
  1. React JS/Golang
    => I’ve been a data/backend engineer primarily working on Python till last June. And I’ve started working on end-end modules in ReactJS and Golang/NodeJs on our product and I’m loving it. Will double down on this
  2. Programming Principles
    => I’ve finished my graduation with a degree in Computer Science but I must admit, I haven’t done full justice to my degree 🙂
    => Goal here is to internalize the good programming practices, concepts and behaviors. Ex: Clean Code, Clean Coder.

    *For (1) and (2)*
    => Goals: Certifications? Interviews? Still defining an end goal.
    => Systems: 100Days of Code. 3 Times this year.
  3. SoftSkills/Language
    => Focus here would be on modules like small talk, maintaining energy and confidence, proper voice technique, etc.
    => also learn Kannada 🙂
    => Goals: Give a speech in Kannada TM? Open mic in Kannada?
    => Systems: Talk only in Kannada? Talk with one stranger everyday? Track those and next steps?
  4. Instrument/Game
    => This has been on the wish list for so long. The goal is to be able to have a jamming session with my dear friend Swathi Peddi whom we’ve had on our blog before.
    => Choice of the game would be between Chess and Rubik’s cube. Since we have 3-4 Rubik’s at the office, let me put this up the list for a couple of months 🙂
    => Goals: Jamming session with a friend. Redbull speedcubing competition.
    => Systems: Still defining this
  5. Books/Resources
    => Three prong goal here
    [ Internalize old classics, More science fiction, and continue reading 🙂 ]
    => Goals: 12 classics, 12 sci-fi, 12 new books. Document podcasts, blogs, videos I’ve consumed.
    => Systems: Reading Sci-fi 15 minutes before sleeping.
  6. Grooming
    => The goal is to grow some muscle and cut down fat. Yep. The same old boring goals. But commit to a 5-year journey of strength training 3-4 times a week along with solidifying healthy food habits.
    => Couple this along with the usual grooming stuff 🙂
    => Goals: Abs by Dec 16
    => Systems: Still defining these. Workout sessions every day.

In Spheres:

The above 9 can be split into 3 spheres and more unintelligent hashtags:

A] #KoffeeNKode
i.e. Level up as a full-stack developer. Top 25% | (1, 2)

B] #ProduceNotConsume
i.e. Hit Content Creation Goals (3, 4, 5)

C] #GetShredded
i.e. Abs by Dec 16 maybe 🙂 ? (6)

Trackers

  1. #KoffeeNKode
  2. #ProduceNotConsume
  3. #GetShredded

“The goal is not to read a book, the goal is to become a reader. The goal is not to run a marathon, the goal is to become a runner. The goal is not to learn an instrument, the goal is to become a musician.

This year, focus on the identity you want to build.”

James clear in Atomic habits

Tracking would be through using Notion, Google Docs/Sheets along with #SkillUp2022 section in weekly newsletter.

I will also keep tracking the numbers of sessions done per day and transition into #DeepWork hours soon.

End Note

I have had the usual cliched goals since ever. 90% in I.C.S.E boards, crack BITSAT exam, grab a high-paying job in FAANG. But I have to admit, I did not have the work ethic to back it up. One for sure has to work now or later and the earlier he does, the better the compounding. “Jhak aaj maaro ya kal, maarni toh padegi hi.”

Let 2022 be know for the hours put in, work ethic with deep work and stacking these skills up!