2020: Done is better than perfect

2020 was certainly an imperfect start to a new decade. But imperfections can also be viewed as opportunities, and this year presented opportunities to read more books, to become a better cook, to spend time with family, and to understand this messy world we live in a little bit better.

This is a quick look back at the things shaped my thoughts this year.

Books

I inadvertently read a lot of philosophy this year. I would have dismissed most of these books a few years ago, but somehow went down the rabbit hole and ended up happier for it.

Clickable version available on Goodreads.

Best Technical

• Hackers & Painters — Why hackers are more like painters/writers than scientists.
• Shape Up (runner up) — Keep time fixed and scope variable, not vice versa.

Best Philosophy

• Man’s Search for Meaning — Even when you lose everything, you can choose your attitude.
• Inner Engineering (runner up) — Meditation is a technology (a tool) for handling your mind.
• The War of Art (runner up) — The professional doesn’t overcome fear, they just accept it.

Best Narrative

• Gang Leader for a Day — What happens when an Indian-American nerd befriends a Black, Chicago gang leader (true story).

Podcasts

I’ve been really into podcasts. These are some of my favorites ordered by frequency that I listen to them and the influence they’ve had on my life.

• Naval — Philosophy for impatient people.
• The Tim Ferris Show — Interviews with legends across many disciplines.
• Lex Fridman Podcast — Interviews with legends across computer science and tech.
• The Peter Attia Drive — Optimizing health and wellness.
• Talks at Google — Inspiring talks. A lot better than TED imo.
• Akimbo: A Podcast from Seth Godin — Pithy observations and advice on how to do great work.

Photos

I moved, somewhere over the rainbow.

The neighbors are real friendly.

Learned how to cook (sorta). Left-to-right and top-to-bottom: Greek salad, caramel banana bread, stir fry, steel-cut oatmeal, beet pasta, and moong dal halwa. No sourdough, unfortunately.

Did plenty of lakeside walks and runs.

More lakes, err, a pond.

Went to the Bay Area during peak wildfire season (cough). This picture has no filters.

Drove a Tesla Model S for the first time (woot). Also no filters.

Celebrated getting older (Covid-style) with Karishma. Thanks for always being there for me!

I became a plant mom. The succulents are still alive.

Miles

My exercise routine became much simpler and more enjoyable.

I walk ~10k steps per day and go for a long run once a week. Walking is highly underrated — if you don’t exercise as much as you’d like, start here and you’ll be amazed at what a difference in can make on your body and mental health.

When I feel like it, I do yoga too.

That’s it.

Random Lessons

• Sing your ABCs when you wash your hands. Make sure to scrub between your fingers.
• Willpower is finite and distractions are plentiful. I went Cold Turkey on a lot of websites. For example, I now have a 30-minute daily allowance set on all my favorite social media sites. The time scarcity has made me much more conscious of how I use my time on them.
• You can do anything you want. Just not all at once. Don’t be a donkey. Saying yes to one goal means saying no to others, for the time being.
• Buy the ticket, take the ride (maybe after quarantine ends).

2021

Some things I’m looking forward to working on next year:

• A technical blog. Stay tuned!
• Being more proactive in nurturing relationships (I’m sorry if I haven’t caught up with you in a while!)
• Improving my Hindi speaking and reading skills.

I hope you and your loved ones were safe this year. I would love to hear what you learned in 2020 and what you’re looking forward to in 2021!