How am I getting through my October goals?

I have a couple of deep dives on my mind. But they’re still cooking in my head, and I don’t want to write a half-clear issue. So I thought I’ll share some updates about what’s happening in my life and maybe some perspectives in between.

Waste no time; here we go!

October has been good. Touchwood.

I had this problem of getting overwhelmed with more tasks on my to-do. Not like “Oh I have to do so much” but more like “Where should I start, what to prioritize, etc?”

So I made a list of October Goals and printed them on an A4. Every time I work, I look at the list and start working on whatever catches my eye, whatever I am in the mood for.

I ensured I had the luxury of randomness and I am embracing it to the core. It’s just the first month to determine if it’s the right system for me but tell you what, I am loving it.

I am exploring no code.

Every night before I sleep, I build products for fun.

There is no agenda, no ROI-driven thinking. The only rule is to pick concepts I am curious about and just build stuff.

My first build was telugusongs.online. It’s a Spotify playlist of my favourite Telugu songs. Effectively, only a playlist would do the job but I wanted to learn Framer (tool), so I built a website with the playlist embedded.

Launched it three days ago. 85 listeners saved it at the time I wrote this issue (translates to “I am happy people are liking it”.) It took me six hours to manually curate 850+ songs. So, every little message brings a smile to my face.

More in no code:

Currently, I am building a directory of newsletters. As a reader, you can set some filters and find the best newsletters online. I am supposed to launch this by October 31st.

I am running 5k comfortably.

It took me four months to get here. In hindsight, I should have probably got here sooner. But better late than never.

In case you missed my running journey, I wrote about it here.

I watched The Bear.

It’s a show about how a top chef resigns from a five-star restaurant to grow his brother’s street eatery after his death. Well that’s how the show starts and evolves into a really good story.

The first two seasons were top-notch. I wouldn’t call the third season a disappointment, but the makers drifted a little from the plot and explored the characters' backstories on a deeper level. If this is set up for season 4, it's all good. If not, it might be a disappointment.

It’s a show worth watching.

Work is okay; friends are good

I don’t think I am where I am supposed to be or where I’d like to be in my career. But I feel I am on track, taking the right steps. If anything, I’d like to be more proactive.

Friends are good. I meet them regularly or keep whatsapping them for life updates.

Planning is weirdly toxic.

You plan too little; you step into chaos.
You plan too much; that’s just mental masturbation.

Ideally, you could plan perfectly enough, but as Pooja Didi from Kota Factory says, “We will find ideal conditions in the lab, not life.”

Massive respect for those who make their way through the chaos and get things done.

I don’t know how to say this strongly enough, but people are everything to me.

In any aspect of my life, I have always looked up to people and learned from them—directly and indirectly. I am sure my progress would have been tremendously slow without their presence.

Also, access to the people you admire has never been easier.

If you truly want to reach out, you actually can - with some effort and a strong case worth their time.

Oh yes, I almost forgot.

Chelsi gifted me a French Press on my birthday (that reminds me it was my birthday a few days ago; I am 26 now) and brewing coffee is my new favourite activity.

I posted some pictures here and I made an Expresso Sunriseeeeeeee:

Well, that’s all I have from this week. See ya!

Love,
Vikra.