Weekly Digest: 12 Week New Year Resolution, Embrace dissatisfaction, Unveil Envy
#2: The 12 Week Year, Dealing with dissatisfaction after hard-work, It’s okay to be envious
Hola, welcome to the Weekly Digest, a curated collection of my weekly learning from books, articles, videos, etc. Here, you’ll discover insights that I absorb, interpret, and summarize. Join me on this learning journey!
Location: Muddy Water Coffee & Cafe, Tarrytown, NY 10591. Sunny, 10°C
1. The 12 Week Year
December tends to be the onset of many people planning their New Year resolutions. In the book “The 12 Week Year”, however, presents a different concept of goal-pursuit journey. Rather than setting a traditional year-long goal, the book advocates to pursue a more intense 12-week goal. This concept prompts me to ponder, “Are there achievements I can pursue now instead of waiting for 2024?”
In the quest of expanding my professional knowledge, I stumbled on the Avent of TypeScript — a 25 day challenge curated by TypeHero. This challenge spans from December 1st to Christmas Day, December 25th, focusing tackling 25 diverse TypeScript problems. Not until I committed 20 minutes a day to this challenge did I realize how incremental improvements can yield substantial long-term changes. I am glad to not wasting my last month not gaining anything back.
Since late November, I’ve applied the same principle to Leetcode Daily digest and my ongoing Duolingo Spanish learning venture with at least 10 minutes each day.
2. How to deal with dissatisfaction after hard-work
There’re two disappointing results came up this week. Firstly, despite my belief of high accuracy result in all three interview round, I faced rejection. Secondly, I failed to complete my second half marathon within 90 minutes, with a mere 18-second gap.
It’s easy to envision the frustration that comes with the failure on two major goals, especially when they consumed 80% of your time and energy. Surprisingly, there’s no anger or self-loathing. Perhaps I’ve come to recognize that luck doesn’t favor me, or maybe I’ve grown less sensitive after facing a series of unsuccessful endeavors over the past three years.
How to deal with dissatisfaction after hard-work?
1. Stop comparison / 2. Looking at the future
I have noticed that when I begin comparing my hard work and its disproportionate results to those of others, it triggers a cycle of self-loathing that obstructs my ability to see the positive aspects of humanity. I recognize this as a significant issue that affects many individuals, leading them towards thoughts of suicide or fostering anti-social sentiments. To address this, I’m making a conscious effort to mitigate this feelings of animosity and focusing on a brighter future.
While the future may not be bright, it holds the potential, unlike the determined nature of the past. To prevent repeating past errors, I’ll assess my mistakes. If there’s little to criticize, I’ll shrug it off, attributing any shortcomings to mere chance, and persist with determination.
3. It’s okay to be envious
In this age of emerging social apps where people flaunt their wealth and showcase amazing vacations, it’s challenging not to feel envious sometimes. Personally, as I’m aware of these feelings, it often triggers a sense of guilt, worsening the situation. Yet, it’s important to recognize that envy isn’t entirely negative.
Envy signals a genuine desire for something your friends have but you lack. It highlights your aspirations, acting as motivation to strive harder and attain your goals. It manifests your ambitions, potentially fueling your determination to achieve what you truly desire.
For instance, witnessing my friend — who previously ran at a slower pace than me — surpassing my personal best in all distances. This prompted me to redirect my focus towards breaking my record once more. Instead of lounging on the couch, indulging in soda and chips, I recognized my genuine interest in improving myself and even striving to match or exceed my friend’s achievements.
4. My weekly discovery compilation
- Elevate for Strava : A Chrome extension designed to elevate data analysis experience for Strava users (An awesome tool for non premium users like myself)
- YouTube Summary with ChatGPT & Claude : A Chrome extension to summarize Youtube video with ChatGPT UI (he rapid script parsing capabilities are quite impressive)
- Medium parser: A Chrome Extension to access Medium membership articles for free (A blessing for free, though the quality of Medium article vary significantly)
- LetsRun: A forum dedicated to discussions, news, and information about running and track & field sports. ( While UI is outdated, the depth of information and the popularity of posts make it an invaluable resource for runners like myself, encouraging explration to uncover hidden gems within its discussion)
That’s all for now. I hope you’ve gained some insights here. Please share your thoughts below — whether it’s something that caught your interest or a recommendation. I’m eager to learn and welcome your input.
Take care,
SL
Notes
When composing the article, I’m also commit myself to enhancing my English writing skills. ChatGPT serves as an excellent teacher that can not only identifying my grammar errors but also rephrasing sentences with brevity and sophistication. Therefore, I jotted down what I’ve learned during the drafting process. Hopefully, I can utilize these insight in upcoming episodes.
