2023 In Review

Here’s the summary of my year in review.

New preferred tech-stack

I moved my entire stack to Remix, this blog included. NextJS is awesome but I wanted to experiment something new and Remix sort of became the new norm for everything I do outside of work.

Personal

Being a parent of two is time consuming. Shout out to all parents out there. I’m grateful for my wife and kids. Seeing the two boys connect, play (and sometimes fight) every day is priceless!

Our trip to Brazil was incredible, even though it had several hiccups. And I’ve definitely reached a point in life where my family wants to see the kids more than me.

We also visited the Magic Kingdom in Orlando for the first time and I can’t describe how magical the whole place is. We visited Disneyland Paris a few years ago but this year we took it to a whole new level. My oldest son is now best buddies with the entire Mickey Mouse crew, Spider-man and Captain America 🤘.

My second brain

Everything I’ve done last year seeking a better productive life keeps paying off. I’ve made a few tweaks here and there with some other tools but the process stays the same. That’s the important bit for everything in life: stick to the process, not the tools.

Books

Every year, I share my top 5 (ish) audiobooks I read throughout the year. The main addition for 2023 was that I bought a kindle and I rotate between reading books and listening to books.

But here are my personal top read books of 2023:

• Switch: How to Change Things When Change Is Hard
• How to Take Smart Notes
• Make Time: How to focus on what matters every day
• Extreme Ownership: How U.S. Navy SEALs Lead and Win
• Make Your Bed: Small things that can change your life...and maybe the world
• The Whole-Brain Child

Smart Home

The list of devices keeps growing:

• 37 Zigbee devices (as opposed to 31 from last year)
• Some more automations, specially in my office
• Wife keeps approving all of the above

Looking ahead for 2024

Some of my goals will never change: a better husband, father and leader. Expect those to be listed here every year.

2023 was challenging in so many things in life and work but I guess that’s part of the journey. I didn’t manage to write a single blog post on my personal website and that's what I'm going to aim for: write more.

The quote I kept referring to every now and then in 2023 was:

It’s not how you fall, it’s how you get up. Lewis Hamilton.

Wish you all a happy new year! I see you on the other side 👋🏼