So far, the year is off to a great start. New Year’s resolutions aren’t my thing, but this time I’ve made an exception. Not so much with specific objectives but rather broad goals. The biggest one is to be more mindful. I want to observe more, reflect, and act:
- Sport does me so much good, but in 2024, planning it was a mess. Maybe a swimming club will make it easy to go regularly, for fun. Having a strict schedule also helps keep my self-employed life under control.
- Nutrition is crucial if I do more sport. No need to obsess over this, just being more mindful helps.
- Reading taught me a lot in 2024. My flat now has a shelf of never-ending unread books for motivation.
- The best way to maintain good mental health is to be surrounded by great people. Caring for the valuable relationships makes a big difference.
Such conclusions can only be achieved by sitting down and thinking. I’m both changing my mindset and incorporating new routines. Just keeping in mind the fact that I need to be mindful already has an effect. It’s easy to be busy all the time, but my brain now sometimes tells me to stop for a second. Additionally, things like “morning pages”, meditation and simple prioritization help.
I’m also happy to have quit my job. It’s been quite chaotic, but every step back has been a lesson. Even though I’m still at the start line, my understanding of the problem is more clear now:
- Working with so much ambiguity is tough. But my ideas are now more viable and concrete. I don’t want to build either a new phone or yet another app-blocking app with a bazillion features.
- Finding a cofounder is equally challenging. Meeting so many people has taught me what a good match looks like. And it’s great to have the contact of such cool individuals for other reasons.
Surprisingly, it’s less stressful. I’m definitely speaking too early, given that my user count is 0. But having control over my schedule gives me peace of mind. The routine feels similar because I still have to do things I don’t like. But the product I’m striving towards is fulfilling, and that makes up for it.
Before committing to a bigger idea, I’m building a silly Android app. “SpeedBump” makes it annoying to use social media and other apps. After a few minutes, cookie banners, rain effects, cats, and more will get in your way. It’s as stupid as it sounds, but also fun. Google now requires developers to find 12 people to test the app, so please opt in here to help me out!
More serious stuff is coming soon, anyhow. I hope SpeedBump isn’t the peak of my career.