Hi all, this I Adi. 2019 has been a wonderful year for me, so I just wanted to take a moment to reflect and document what's changed for me since 2018. In this post, I wanted to talk about how various aspect of my life has seen a change and also note some goals for the upcoming year.
Freelancing
This year, I have had the chance to meet a lot of new people, of who a few of them turned into my clients. I’ve worked on 7 new projects and are in talks with a bunch more. I finally have gotten around to printing my business card, I would have never known that a simple thing like a business card could take one's professionalism a little higher, I would suggest you have one even if you’re just starting out, it will make a difference.
I did have a few bitter experiences when I had to drop 2 projects. 1 was due to a client not cooperating well and the other because, I worked on this project for 3 months straight and was exhausted after a point, so I had to hand it over to another developer to maintain my sanity. At the end of the day, we are all just humans, when you see an issue looming at a distance, you should talk this over with your clients, you’ll be surprised to know how many of them offer their support, especially when you’re a freelancer.
All in all, I have enjoyed working on all of these projects. I worked on the largest project for me yet, it was for Uzhavarbumi, I was responsible for their 2 apps, the API, the admin portal, their website, and their business intelligence setup. Fortunately, I had the necessary assets, time and most of all, the support of a best friend (You are AWESOME Mercy).
You can know more about my recent projects here.
Side Projects
Some of you might know that last year, around the same time, I launched my side project Laravel Collections. I worked on it till April and got thousands of visitors every month. This was taking up a lot of my time from work, so I decided to sell it and the people who acquired it have great plans for it in the future.
Since then I have been concentrating on my freelance projects, no time for side projects. I do have a few ideas that I want to explore to see what works. I have planned to work on them in 2020. So, stay tuned for those updates.
Personal Life
This year, I have made time for a lot of travel. I have made it a routine for me to retreat to someplace every other week, this has been very helpful, time away from a monitor screen is the best way I have found to recharge myself.
I started reading 7 books but could only complete 3 from cover to cover. I need to work on this habit.
It was one of my goals from last year, to watch one film a day, at least an average of one film a day. With the help of 4 streaming services, I have been able to cross my expectations and watch 372 films so far this year, add a bunch more by the year-end.
I have also kept myself busy by taking up a few hobbies origami and chess. I try to make at least one origami craft every day and also practice chess daily, though I don't have time for a full game, I try all the daily puzzles on Chess.com
I have been writing blog posts more frequently these days. I have been publishing at least one post a month. Writing mostly about Laravel related stuff.
Best of all, I have spent a lot of time catching up with a lot of my old friends and some new ones. Especially 2 of whom I spend a lot of time with. Personal life's been generally positive and a lot more fulfilling and meaningful because of the newfound friendships.
Goals for 2020
I have a few goals for myself for the next year. I would not call them goals, more like things I want to do.
- Find time to work on a Laravel side project (will be announced soon)
- Launch a digital product, I have a few ideas will be testing later next year
- Watch a film every day, this is quite possible since I have done it this year
- Organize a meetup for developers from my locale
- More travel
- Move time with friends
Conclusion
This is an overview of how I been over the last year. It’s been a pleasant ride, hoping for the same next year around.
Let me know how your year was, will be glad to hear it.
Thank you for reading.
That’s all for now, this has been Adi.
If you are looking for a Freelance Web Developer you can contact me