2025 Year Ahead
Introduction
Lately, I’ve been diving deep into the world of productivity. I’ve explored ideas from Cal Newport, Ali Abdaal, and other YouTubers, along with concepts like “building a second brain,” which align closely with one of my project ideas. At the same time, I’ve been seeking ways to become a better version of myself. This introspection happened to coincide with the onslaught of “Be Better in 2025” content as the new year approached. I watched some of those videos, while unapologetically skipping others.
Among the ideas that resonated with me was Cal Newport’s concept of setting quarterly goals instead of year-long ones. The shorter timeline makes goals easier to track and accomplish, avoiding the procrastination trap of vague, distant objectives. It reminded me of a quote by Kariza (@lifeofriza):
“We overestimate what we can do in a week and underestimate what we can do in a year.”
Advice I’d Follow
In one of his recent videos, Ali Abdaal shared a simple yet effective strategy for planning and achieving goals. I highly recommend watching the full video, but the gist is captured in this visual from the video:
This, combined with Cal Newport’s philosophy of slow productivity, has inspired me to outline my professional and personal goals for 2025 in a way that keeps them clear and achievable.
High-Level Goals for 2025
1. Mini Projects and Articles
I want to focus on mini projects that leverage the knowledge I’ve gained and document them through quality articles. Some topics already in mind include my ML experiments with Modal and Axolotl, as well as progressive RAG (retrieval-augmented generation) improvements. These will be turned into thoughtful blog posts because, let’s face it—not every question can be answered with ChatGPT.
2. Mega Projects and Resilience
There are one or two long-term ideas I’ve been mulling over for a while. My goal is to finally start these projects, break them down into smaller, manageable milestones, and keep improving them over time. Think of them as my versions of “SuperMemory” or a “paper-trading agent.” These mega projects will test my patience and resilience, but they’re worth pursuing.
3. Create, Not Just Consume
I want to tap into my creative side—whether that’s editing workflows, learning new skills, or even experimenting with vlogging. The focus is on doing things that I enjoy and that contribute something meaningful to the world, rather than passively consuming content.
4. Build My Body
Health is a major priority. I want to work toward a balanced and sustainable lifestyle—one that encompasses exercise, nutrition, skincare, and proper sleep. While I’ve already taken steps to be more active, I aim to create a routine that I enjoy and can maintain long-term. This includes room for occasional indulgences, like a night out with friends or a sweet treat. I also want to revisit activities I used to enjoy, like yoga and calisthenics, and explore others that might benefit my future health.
5. Relationships
While some details are better suited for a journal, I want to work on being more present, mindful, and supportive in my relationships. Being a better partner in 2025 depends on becoming a better version of myself—someone who can manage multiple responsibilities, isn’t afraid to ask for help, and has confidence in his own abilities.
I plan to expand on Cal Newport’s quarterly goal-setting framework in a future post, as it’s something I want to dive into in more detail. But for now, this is my high-level roadmap for 2025.