For maybe the first time in my life, the note-taking application I'm using at the end of the year is the same that I used at the beginning. Among the many benefits this brings is that I'm able to see the goals I set for myself last year. And so here I am, reflecting on where I thought I was going, where I went, where I am, and where I want to go next, with maybe a quick check-in on how I feel about all that.
The goals I set for myself at the beginning of 2025 were: average one blog post a month, average one non-fiction book a month, average one programming book per quarter, have a plan for starting a co-op, go on vacation, and run more. I didn't leave myself any notes about why I chose these goals specifically, but in general these were supposed to push me towards the kind of life I want to live. I want to learn more, be more public with that learning, be healthier, and find some sustainability in my working life.
I really fell short on my blog post goal, but I read more non-fiction and programming books than I would have without these goals. I also, surprisingly, went on all the trips I had written down at the beginning of the year: the American Southwest, Montreal, and Japan. I've learned more about starting a co-op and while I don't have a plan, I definitely made progress on charting a path towards a more sustainable and fulfilling work life. I did manage to get into a habit with running, but I also managed to fall out of that habit. I expect we'll see "run more" on this year's list of goals.
Work life was pretty steady this year, working on one contract for most of the year. It's a role that's required me to be a lot more public about what I'm working on than I'm used to. I still haven't felt comfortable with this increased level of exposure, but I've made a lot of progress on it this year and I'm glad to have had this experience.
While I'm happy with the progress I made on my goals, looking at these goals leaves me thinking about all the parts of this year that aren't represented here. I knew this year wasn't going to be fun, but I forgot just how much of my energy gets consumed by the constant churn of news and fear and anger and frustration and sadness and numbness. The chaos of this year was best captured by a few weeks in September and October. My wife and I booked a trip to Japan for late September. Work was hectic before we left because it would be hectic when we got back. A colleague and I would be delivering a presentation a few days after returning to the US. Even though my wife and I both had some work commitments during the trip, all that comes to mind when I think of the trip are fond memories of seeing more of the world with the love of my life. It felt good to spend time together and away from our normal routine. We came back on a Monday and on that Friday I took the train up to New York. A pleasant nostalgia washed over me as I walked from Penn Station to Union Square on a warm, sunny fall day. I arrived at the conference feeling a little out of place and sat down towards the back and waited for the keynote. Afterwards, I strolled to Strand to pick up some books that I could then read in Union Square for the rest of the day. I met a close friend for coffee. I tried not to think about the conference keynote, when an attendee threatened to shoot themselves. I tried to calm down on a park bench and follow the shadows on my eyelids made from the shade of the leaves flapping in the breeze. I tried to avoid thinking about how easily the gun could've gone off in my direction. I let myself feel relieved that I didn't have to give a presentation later.
That, to me, is 2025 in a nutshell.
Ok, that's enough reflection for now. Here are a few things I enjoyed this year, in no particular order:
- Setting up a home media server. I cancelled my Spotify subscription and it's been really great getting back to more active listening this year.
- I've been really enjoying pretty much all of the Login.jp mixes, the first half of Mac Demarco's "Guitar", The Last Dinner Party's "From the Pyre", and Resident Advisor's list of electronic albums since 2000 (a nice bit of personal growth here is that I didn't even think about how these are ranked; as far as I'm concerned this is a totally unordered list of good albums).
- The programming book goal was great, even if I didn't read four books cover to cover. This goal pushed me to pick up and finish Zero to Production in Rust, which I loved. I wish this book existed for every programming language.
- Going on vacation with my wife
- Coming back home to my cats
The next year brings another round of the same questions as the last few years. I'm still contracting, so the worry of finding work is rarely far from my mind. Like last year, I want to find a way to be more in charge of what I work on. I started a new project this year and releasing that is definitely a goal for 2026. Other than that, this year's long-term thinking was mostly describing to myself what I want Unremarkable Software to be. It'll be difficult, but I think I have enough to work on while the rest of the vision comes together.
I don't have high hopes for the broader view of things in the US to improve, but that doesn't mean nothing can improve. I hope I can end 2026 with some hope for 2027.