Right, I am going to do a longer post "monthly" post now because we are away for Christmas, and I cannot guarantee getting time on the forum much between now and then.
WL 5->6
I have spent considerable time since the end of November thinking about what I want to spend my time doing, outside of work. This was mainly provoked by the
WL5->6 thread, in particular some statements made by Jacob:
jacob wrote: ↑Tue Nov 29, 2022 2:27 pm
Effectively, it means giving up watching TV/youtube.
jacob wrote: ↑Mon Dec 05, 2022 8:06 am
I'm hoping that especially the WL5-6 and WL6-7 efforts will get some insight from this and realize that the reason one gets stuck is in thinking that the way forward is "more practice" if one is already practicing (a WL6-7 problem)---nope, it's time to start drawing reverse fishbone diagrams and WOGs. Alternatively believing the answer is "more theory" (like better spreadsheets or a good book) if one is already theorizing (a WL5-6 problem)---nope, it's time to pick up some practical skills.
And Taleb gave me pause to think even more:
A donkey equally famished and thirsty caught at an equal distance between food and water would unavoidably die of hunger or thirst. But he can be saved thanks to a random nudge one way or the other.
Artisans ... have some volatility in their income but they are rather robust to a minor professional Black Swan. Their risks are visible.
If you "have optionality", you don't have much need for what is commonly called intelligence, knowledge, insight, skills ... you don't have to be right that often.
These compounded to make me realise I should spread my wings wider; do
more and
different things. Given breaking the WL5-6 barrier is predicated on praxis, it is important I start to do as soon as appropriate, rather than concerning myself with a grand strategy.
Now I don't think my enemy here is TV/YouTube(*); it is a lack of direction in what skills (modules) I'm developing. This is historically abnormal for me, but this year has involved little skill development and more consolidation: allotment felt much more habitual, routine exercise, stable savings rate etc, journaling habit etc. Unfortunately it took until the WL5->6 thread for me to realise I am not utilising my time effectively; I'm complacent.
Ashamedly, it took me a while to think of things I wanted to develop. There are plenty of interests I'd want to pursue, but far fewer that I want to commit to which have a small footprint (read: portable) and cost very little money. The narrowed list I came up with is as follows:
- Investments studying
- Writing (particularly about software architecture, which I find interesting even outside of work)
- More structured kettlebell training
- Opportunistic bike maintenance (e.g. I could do with replacing the bar tape on mine)
- Cooking (in particular emphasising making staples in house, such as yoghurt)
- Guitar
Now the last one is inexpensive only because my Dad happens to have an acoustic from when I was younger and we both tried learning; set up costs would be nil. The other benefit of guitar is it is fine motor, which I am particularly weak with (apart from QWERTY keyboards), so it would bring a considerable difference of skill to develop. It also possesses a good catchment of the renaissance education domains from the book (namely, Intellectual, Emotional, Social, Technical). As such, I have borrowed the acoustic and intend to start learning (again) with the initial goal to be able to play a few songs my partner and I enjoy.
I plan to tackle the others alongside, but I want to spend some more time (over the Christmas break) considering a sensible set of goals to aim for. For example, I've tried sticking to a routine with investments studying, but it ends up falling by the wayside and I think this is because I have not set particular goals for myself here. With others, such as cooking and bike maintenance, I intend to better incorporate those into my day-to-day. For example, aiming to cook more meals where I devise the recipe myself, perhaps from what is on-hand.
For writing, obviously my increased journaling will help, and I am already writing pieces about software architecture offline, but I want to set up a small blog to share these pieces, if only to encourage myself to write little and often.
Reverse Fishbones
As part of the WL5->6 MMG, the vote was to create new WoGs. I took the time to redo as many reverse fishbones as I could think to do, which I will share here when I get time to scan them onto my laptop.
Reading
Still reading
Antifragile, still loving it; it will be my own read of the year at this rate. I plan to reread it immediately after finishing. I have reserved Cal Newport's
Digital Minimalism off the back of
Lemur's journal.
Garden and Allotment
The ground has been frozen and covered in snow for the past week, but I still managed to harvest a two frozen leeks for a soup in the week. There really isn't much going on now, but there is still plenty of food for us to pick; I just need to remember to do so!
I am going to try a second planting of garlic this week, once the snow has thawed, because I am still not seeing any shoots from my original planting in the autumn... it'd be a shame to lose a self-saved set of varieties.
Finances
Capital: £105,172.02
Average Savings Rate: 57.7%
Average Savings Rate TTM: 65.0%
(*)We do not own a TV; I cannot sit still to watch a TV programme. I do use YouTube, but mainly for music, or to listen to talks while washing up.