In the last few days I’ve only worked on my Portfolio. I have a work trip for four days and there will be little time for coding, so it was great to get the portfolio out there with at least a half-decent design. That means that in my trip the thought of something incomplete won’t be buggering me in the back of my mind.
I decided to create the portfolio on WordPress just to get it done quickly, but I do plan to have a coded website once I have more projects displayed in it. Plus I have to admit I love working with Elementor and I’ll probably have many side projects using this amazing tool in 2021. But yeah, it’s not great for a self-proclaimed full stack developer not to have a coded portfolio.
I started the portfolio with just three projects but I already have a few more under my belt to display. I’ll keep enhancing it in the next few days and on Monday I’ll create a thread on Reddit with the following title: “Please tear my portfolio apart”. It will be interesting to put myself out there and I know the criticism will be harsh, but it will be great to have a reality check.
But I miss coding!! All this work in WordPress means I haven’t written many lines of code (except for a bit of CSS), and I miss it so much! That reassures me about being In the right career pursuit.
Getting Organised
Freedom!!! Finally!
Exactly six months after getting my Australian visa I got my Australian Open Driver’s License. I can barely convey the feeling of driving again after 20 months of being back into the public transportation system.
I don’t think Queensland has a bad transportation system. It’s pretty reliable. I’m sure it depends on where you are comparing it with but I don’t have many complaints. And I could always study on the train and work on the bus. It was fun, unforgettable times. But the comfort and flexibility a car provides are just immense.
It’s already impacting everything in my life. I can eat better because it’s easier to plan and stock the foods I need. My fitness will improve because I don’t dread the walk to the gym when I’m tired and my social life will skyrocket because I can easily get anywhere in my schedule gaps for a coffee catch up.
Putting Systems in Place
I’ve always known the importance of preparation, but in the past few years the idea of preparing ahead as a general principle has gained space in my life. Jocko Willink talks about it all the time in his podcast and recently two guests on Tim Ferriss’ podcast sealed the deal for me: Matthew McConaughey, talking about why he’s always relaxed in the set – “That’s because I’m a preparer”, and specially Steven Rinella, a specialist in wilderness exploration and survival skills.
It’s funny that I don’t have any interest in being in the wilderness and exposing myself to all sorts of danger. I mean, I have to admit it’s fun, but I don’t like the trade-off between fun and death so yeah, I’ll be in cities for the rest of my life. So I didn’t think a podcast would have such an impact. But the way he talks about his preparation, and the mindset that you need to put the thinking and the effort into putting systems in place so “you don’t need survival skills”, are just fascinating. According to him, he’s not a survival specialist, but a specialist in avoiding survival situations. Because if you’re trying to survive, the systems you put (or didn’t put) in place failed.
So now that I have a car I’m trying to implement those ideas. I’ve had many problems with cars before so I’ll try to avoid them by thinking ahead. I just got comprehensive insurance, which gives me a bit of tranquility for my road trip, but I still don’t have Roadside Assistance and a good spare tyre. Unfortunately December has been a bad month financially so I’ll have to keep working on my systems in January.
Some of the things I plan to do to avoid catastrophes:
- Having a couple of sets of spare keys distributed in strategic locations
- Having a tracker attached to my important objects
- Having money in my savings account (there’s none now 🤣) and having a contingencies account so I don’t need to touch it.
- Having a bag with clean clothes ready to go in both my work places and in my car
Recently I’ve implemented Apple Pay, connecting my Mastercard to my phone and it’s already paid off when I forgot my wallet and had to pay for something in the shopping centre. Very handy little piece of technology!!
Ok, that’s it for now, back to work!!