My reflections and resolutions for the new year

It's almost the end of January of this new year 2025. I usually start the year with a clear view of my resolutions and goals to accomplish within the 12-month mark. This year, however, my idea of what I want to achieve this year has been a bit of a blur. But I don't think this has been a bad thing. I am in fact quite satisfied with everything I got to do last year, regarding both my professional and personal goals alike.

Rewinding on 2024

By this time last year, I was still in the transition from finishing up my doctorate to re-joining the workforce. After having spent a whole year focusing solely on academic duties, I was more than ready for the next phase of life: moving to a new (and bigger) city, starting a new job in Software/AI engineering and building some sort of baseline of a life - while doing a PhD, it felt like my life was in some sort of limbo, not moving forward, but having the certainty that everything around me was (obviously) in constant change.

Transitioning back to a 9-to-5 job was easier than I had expected it too. After the adjusting period, once I was up and running, it was easy to figure out what my year would look like career-wise: it was a deep dive into productionising AI models, distributed systems and edge technology, so my curious mind had plenty of entertainment.

One of the biggest adjustments for me, coming from the end of the PhD, was having the evenings back with me and being able to turn off the guilt-tripping the voice inside my head that tells me "hey, it's way past your clock-out time, but how about you do X? or Y?". That voice was of course the byproduct of the sprint a doctoral thesis is, but after three years, leaving it behind is not as easy as one could think. It took me some time - and some kind colleagues' reminders and nags. But it was SO worth it.

With my newly-found evening hours, I allowed myself to go back to all the things I had stopped doing in the previous years: exercise, books and writing - hence the birth of this blog.

What I'm looking forward to in 2025

As I step into this new year, my vision for what I want to achieve feels less rigid than in the fee previous years, and I’ve come to appreciate the fluidity of that. Instead of a meticulously planned roadmap, I find myself drawn to broader themes and intentions—areas of growth that feel meaningful and aligned with where I am in life right now. I no longer feel a need to become a 5 a.m. person so obsessed with productivity, optimise my schedule, yada yada yada...

"Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished."
Lao Tzu

This year, I want to embrace the art of balance. Last year taught me the value of reclaiming my evenings and setting boundaries, and this 2025, I want to refine that skill. It’s about being present in both work and play, knowing when to push forward and when to step back.

But that does not mean I am without resolutions for this year. I have just decided to make the range of my efforts broader and therefore, more holistic. A few of the things I aim to do this year are:

Learn to grow tomatoes in a balcony. In England, it is incredibly hard to find fresh and tasty tomatoes, especially bigger breeds like beef or pink tomatoes. Last year, I tried growing some on my own, but I sowed the seeds way too late in the year, and I managed to grow only two tomatoes in the whole season. This year, I plan to start the sowing sooner and plan my gardening schedule more carefully. Hopefully, I won't have to completely give up my predilection for good fresh tomatoes in summer.
Improve my strength and metabolic conditioning. I made huge progress in this department last year, so this year is a year of consolidation and stepping further out and see what sticks 😄. I accidentally signed up for a subscription on Strava, so I guess running outdoors is in the calendar for the next twelve months.
Travel around the country a bit more, get to see the small lovely towns and maybe go on a hike or two. I have spent half a decade in the UK and I am ashamed to admit I haven't seen some of its most famous landmarks like Stonehenge, Seven Sisters or the Lake District.
Focus on production or reutilisation as opposed to bare consumption: I don't buy many gadgets or clothes around the year, but I feel like I could be a lot more conscious of what I buy (if I do, might as well go for something with no programmed obsolescence) and my carbon footprint. Learning to upcycle old clothes, grow my own herbs, etc. sounds more fulfilling to me.
Careerwise, I want to continue building on the foundation I laid last year. The world of AI and software engineering is evolving at a breakneck pace, and I’m in for the long run. This year, I aim to deepen my expertise in edge technology and explore its intersection with sustainability—how can we build systems that are not only efficient but also environmentally conscious? Code and execution optimisation, low-level programming are some major topics I want to become an expert on - it is quite an ambitious one, I know. In addition, I want to participate in more conferences: one of the wholesome similarities between tech and academia is the willingness of a significant chunk of our peers to share knowledge openly with one another.

So, as for 2025, I’m keeping it chill. No crazy pressure to “change the world” or “be the best version of myself” or whatever. This year, it’s about doing what feels right—whether that’s diving deeper into AI geekery, actually sticking to a workout routine, or just binge-reading books without guilt. I’m here for balance, growth, and a little bit of fun.

And if I don’t hit every goal? Eh, that’s what 2026 is for.

Here’s to a year of less overthinking, more doing, and maybe even a vacation or two.

Let’s go!