- January felt like a strong start overall, even if it didn't go perfectly.
Development and work
Nothing flashy happened day to day, but I can feel myself getting better at the fundamentals. I’ve been more confident designing front-end layouts from scratch instead of relying on examples or copying existing patterns. I’m thinking more about structure and UX before touching code, which makes everything cleaner and faster in the long run.
I’ve also gotten a lot more realistic about timelines. Last year I'd occasionally feel as though I should finish sooner than my plan and offer them a faster estimation, which led to me doing it in overtime. Now I have a much better sense of how long things actually take, and I plan around that.
I finished The Pragmatic Programmer this month too. It didn’t teach me any magic tricks, but it really changed how I think about the craft. It reinforced a lot of habits I want to build, like writing simpler code, communicating clearly, and treating development as something you steadily improve at over years rather than something you brute force.
One last thing that surprised my this month was how well interviews have been going. Although they're stressful, i've had some good conversations with some companies and i've learned to calm down a little and put less pressure on myself.
Overall, it feels like I'm leveling up slowly and consistently, which is my plan for this year.
Japanese
Mixed feelings here. I endedu p failing N2, which was super disappointing since I did well in the practice test from 6 months before. I'll endeavor to keep improving daily and hope that the skills will catch up as they have recently with programming.
The main focus lately has just been touching Japanese every day. Reading, lessons, random practice.
Fitness
This was my most consistent gym month in years, I wish I didn't have the flu for the final week though! I trained regularly, stuck to my program, and finally got back to a point where I am activating my muscles to lift rather than just struggling. What's it called? Brain muscle connection?
Overall
January wasn't dramatic or life changing, but it was steady progress across the stack that is my life. That's probably the best thing I can ask for right now.