2023: Year in Review
To another year of life and retrospectives
👋 Hey, Madhur here! Welcome to my Newsletter. I write about technology and lifestyle. Subscribe to my newsletter to receive all my posts directly in your inbox. Happy reading
This is my last writing of 2023. So I thought I would share some of the interesting things I did/learned, some wins, and some improvements going into the new year.
Job
I left my job at Coinbase in June to start working at an early-stage startup called EigenLayer. I always wanted to work for a smaller size company and this was the time I just went for it. It has been great going to work in person (travel time is just 15-20 min each side, so yay) after working from home for almost 3 years. I have to say I missed working from the office as you get to interact with so many people and have random conversations.
The current job is demanding and hence less time to do side projects or writing but I can still keep at it.
Since I have started going in person, my sleep schedule has changed. Since I don’t know when I will come back home from work, I had to move my gym timings to mornings so I have now become a morning person waking up at 6.30 am. It is hard for someone who has not been a morning person ever.
Being Active
This was one of the best years for my gym workouts. I have been doing CrossFit for almost 3 years now and this was the best year yet. I attended 215 CrossFit classes this year which is a great achievement and it’s the first time I have been this active consistently.
Being consistent at the gym changes your body and I can feel it. Well for one, your body is always sore but you get used to it.
Personal PRs this year
1 rep Back squats @ 200 lbs
1 rep Deadlift @ 235 lbs
1 rep Power Clean @ 160 lbs
1 rep Front Squat @ 165 lbs
1 rep Clean & Jerks @ 155 lbs
1 rep Power Snatch @ 110 lbs
I did injure my back in one of my deadlift cycles and was reminded that technique goes a long way. So few months of recovery, I worked on improving my form and I am better now.
Hopefully, I can maintain this next year. One thing I want to do in 2024 is to have more Yoga workouts paired with CrossFit to maintain flexibility in my body.
Newsletter
This is the year I started this newsletter and I grew my subscribers from 0 —> 83 (as of 12/27). This is not much but I have never written this consistently in my life so this was a good new thing I did this year and hope to continue next year. The inspiration for writing came to me when I stumbled upon DHH’s writings which are so fascinating and pure. I even sent him an email thanking him for inspiration to which he was kind enough to respond and this response will stay with me forever.
Also a very sincere thanks to all my subscribers for reading and engaging with my writing. Hope I have not bored you :)
Even though I strived to write one article every week, I could only reach a count of 38 (which is way better than last year of not writing anything). Let’s try to beat this in 2024
Books
I love reading and I read some really good books this year. For someone who’s looking for books to read over the holidays or next year, here are some good ones I read this year.
Books are something that has changed my life and I continue to read more and more different kind of books that helps to broaden my mind and take me to places which I have never been before.
Books I am looking forward to reading next year
and a lot more…
Podcasts & Audiobooks
I wrote about it previously but there’s one more addition to it. These are some great podcasts that I hear when I am commuting to work or cooking/cleaning.
In addition to the podcast by Noah Smith, you should check out his newsletter. This is one of the best writings I have read in 2023.
Side Projects
This is the place where I didn’t make much progress and needs work next year. I have always been a fan of side projects and I did build some things but not enough. I think this is partly because of the demanding job schedule but I think if I focus more and spend less time being lazy I could build and ship more. In 2024 I will try to do exactly that.
Areas of improvement for next year
Write more
Build and ship side projects. Learn to market and sell
Watch less TV/Social Media
Go on more hikes
Talk to family and friends more
To everyone reading this, hope you had a great year and you know what can you improve next year even if it is something small. Stay safe, stay healthy, and a Happy New Year to you and your loved ones.
Looking forward to more of your writing next year and don’t hesitate to let us know when you’re looking for another hiking buddy 😉