End of 2024

31 Dec 2024

The year is nearly over and that means it’s time for a new word. I can’t remember where I stole this tradition from, probably some YouTube channel or podcast I used to listen to, but each year I like to pick just one word to define the upcoming new year. I like this approach a lot more than having a resolution because it can become more fluid and change as the year goes on.

The word for 2024 was read. I had originally intended for this to be a way to get myself reading books again and it worked. What I did not expect was to also read various research papers, technical documents, ttrpg rule books, blog posts, and even start writing myself. Biggest highlights were Dead House Gates and Data Oriented Design (which I am still reading).

For 2025 I had a few ideas for possible words, but with having another kid in March and coming to grips with how valuable time is as a currency the only appropriate word I could think of is focus. I need to focus on things I actually care about and not get lost in the noise of distractions, drama, and other things eager to steal time from me. Calling back to my last post, in the song “Blues” off of Geordie Greep’s “The New Sound” there is a lyric that goes:

Admit that you sleepwalk through life

This has been stuck in my head for the last few days and it really hits home. Do I really need to have my headphones in when I am taking the dog outside? Is it absolutely necessary for me to watch YouTube when I feel bored? Boredom is a great tool for coming up with new ideas. Have I been robbing myself of that?

Which brings me back to focus. To help do this I made a list of activities that I want to focus on for the first month. Additionally, to make sure I am keeping myself balanced, I picked activities based off of ability scores. For the month of January, I set a goal for each category and in a month from now I’ll take stock to see if I met any of those goals.

This might be too much, it could also be too little. Either way, I am hoping to cut back on things like YouTube that have been holding my attention hostage for so long.