2019 has come to an end. Looking back on this year, it seems that there haven't been many major changes in life, and it feels like 2018 was more fulfilling than 2019. When reviewing the past year, everyone may think about these questions:
- How did time pass so quickly?
- How is the past year different from what I planned?
- How should I plan for this year?
To be honest, these questions are really difficult to answer. Ultimately, both of the first two questions are due to the mismatch between reality and personal growth. Time is passing, we are growing, but after a year, we find that there hasn't been much progress compared to last year. As for how to plan for this year, plans are not as effective as changes. Even if the plan is good, whether we can keep up with the actions is a major test. I don't have a good answer for myself either. You can try to answer these questions based on your own situation. In retrospect of the past year, I will summarize it using the following keywords.
- Official Account
- Self-discipline
- Investment and Finance
- Reading more books
- Systematizing knowledge
- Making choices
- 2020
Official Account#
The output of articles on the official account was a bit less this year, with fewer articles than last year, and it didn't reach half of the target quantity. Some friends suggested that I find articles from other websites to publish daily, which can attract more user attention. However, I haven't done that yet.
Mainly because the official account has entered a stable stage at this stage. It is no longer a period of dividends for the development of the official account like in previous years. Just by keeping it updated, you can establish a certain influence in a certain field. Moreover, there are already a group of large accounts doing this. If I do the same thing, I definitely won't achieve the expected results. In addition, the positioning of the official account is more personal, and I hope to share some personal experiences and practices.
This year, I unfollowed a group of official accounts with strong clickbait titles. This type of accounts attract readers with eye-catching titles, and then a large number of readers who don't know the truth start judging and criticizing in the comments section. At the same time, I pinned some official accounts that update slowly but have more warmth and value.
Although the frequency of updates is a bit low, I still hope to continue updating this year. In addition to technical articles, I also want to consciously publish some articles that involve deep thinking. I hope to complete this in the process of continuous input.
Self-discipline#
Speaking of self-discipline, this year, besides a period of sticking to a regular sleep schedule, there doesn't seem to be any other self-discipline. Whether it's reading, writing, or drawing, they were all consistent for a certain period of time, to the point where I only scratched the surface in these areas and didn't make any progress. The 10,000-hour rule mentioned in the book "Outliers" seems to be quite inspiring. It means that if you want to become a master in a certain field, you need to invest at least 10,000 hours. 10,000 hours may seem long, but in the context of a person's entire life, it doesn't seem that long.
This theory at least illustrates the importance of continuous investment. How can we continue to invest? By being self-disciplined. Based on a five-day, eight-hour work schedule, 10,000 hours is roughly equivalent to five years. In daily work and life, the time outside of work needs to be obtained through self-discipline. Otherwise, how can we achieve continuous investment? Self-discipline means learning how to restrain oneself. Quantity change can lead to qualitative change. Only by investing first can we have the possibility of gaining more.
In short, I hope to be more self-disciplined this year than last year. I won't make any more promises, because I might end up being proven wrong.
Investment and Finance#
I remember adding a finance tag to the official account from the beginning, but I have been hesitant to write about it. Mainly because I am still exploring and don't want to mislead everyone. This year, I have also experienced the uncertainty of market ups and downs. I have become more conscious of paying attention to the trend of the overall market. From frequent trading to patient holding, ups and downs should be viewed in the context of the entire investment timeline. It is important to have a good mentality. The market will definitely not reach a bull market in one or two days. Even if a bull market comes, the most profitable part will definitely be the chips accumulated during the bear market. In addition, before buying, you must give yourself a reason and choose your investment options within your own capabilities.
The recent news of "reserve requirement ratio cut" indirectly affects our wallets. This type of monetary policy adjustment will also indirectly affect the stock market, real estate market, enterprises, banks, etc. because a reserve requirement ratio cut means that there is more money in the market. Some funds will flow into the stock market and real estate market, and enterprises will find it easier to finance to solve their current operating conditions. Banks, needless to say, will benefit from more lending after the reserve requirement ratio cut. As a result, the stock market soared that day, and all of this will affect the returns of our investment accounts. It can be said that any regulatory measures are closely related to ourselves.
Today marks the beginning of the investment and finance section. For me personally, investment and finance mainly involve fund investment. Although I have dabbled in stocks, it has always been in experimental accounts, so I won't go into detail. In terms of fund investment, I mainly use two platforms. On Alipay, I mainly choose my own funds and make my own judgments on buying and selling. The other platform is called Qie Man. The main strategy I follow is the Changyin Index Investment Plan. I have been following it for almost two years now. Of course, on this basis, when encountering a big drop, I will make additional purchases on my own to ensure that the holding cost is low enough. In addition, I also use my stock account to implement grid strategies, but I won't go into detail here. Below is a screenshot of the current returns:
Looking back on 2019, there has been some progress in investment and finance, but there is still a lot to be learned, such as patience, perseverance in strategies, and mentality. In the journey of investment and finance, you must believe that time is the best friend. All you can do is to ensure that you have enough chips during a bull market.
Reading more books#
This year, I mainly read books on the WeChat Reading App. I have read less than 10 books in total, and most of the reading time was during commuting, so I didn't organize my reading notes. I didn't do well in this aspect. There is not much to write about this tag. I hope that when I write about the reading tag next year, I will have more content. Here is a screenshot of the WeChat Reading annual report:
Systematizing knowledge#
Systematizing knowledge is very important. The process of organizing is the process of systematizing knowledge. In terms of technology, try to do fill-in-the-blank questions, which means supplementing the knowledge you lack in the process of continuous learning, and try to eliminate knowledge blind spots. For example, when reading technical books, don't just read from beginning to end, but constantly fill in your knowledge framework. So how do you actually do it?
It's actually very simple. You can categorize the technologies you come into contact with. You can use tools like Youdao Cloud Notes, Wiz Notes, or Mind Maps. Organize and classify the knowledge in your field, such as Android, which is a major category, and then subdivide it into Android multi-process, Android animation, Android custom views, Android source code analysis, etc., each becoming a series. After that, you need to complete each category, making your knowledge systematic and ultimately useful for yourself. "A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step; a river is formed by the accumulation of small streams." The process of systematizing knowledge is a process of continuous accumulation and improvement. Don't just organize for the sake of organizing. At the same time, continuously improve your learning methods and find a suitable method for systematizing knowledge that works for you.
Making choices#
In the process of improvement, you need to judge which skills will be more helpful to you. For example, many Android developers are struggling with whether to learn Kotlin or Flutter. This depends on your own situation and make good choices. If the project requires the use of Kotlin or the team unanimously agrees to use Kotlin, then there is no doubt that you should invest time to learn Kotlin in order to quickly integrate into the project development.
As for me, I still haven't directly used Kotlin for development until now, which may be a bit outdated from a trend perspective, after all, Kotlin has been out for a long time. Although I set a goal last year to learn Kotlin, this year I made some choices and put Kotlin in a secondary position.
First, because the projects I have been involved in so far do not require the use of Kotlin for development, I haven't spent time on it, and there is no great need to study it. If I really want to study it, I plan to put it on a side project and release a Kotlin version to get some hands-on experience. Second, compared to Kotlin, I have more confidence in the development prospects of Flutter, so I plan to spend more time on learning Flutter. Of course, this is a process that requires time. The most important thing is to prioritize what you need the most and choose accordingly based on your actual situation.
This is a mindset of making choices. Everyone's energy is limited, and technology is changing so rapidly. The best motivation for learning is either work requirements or personal interest. Otherwise, you need to make choices based on your actual situation.
2020#
The past year has made me feel that as I enter society, everyone becomes more and more realistic. There are some things that I would never believe based on my previous understanding. Some experiences this year have also had a significant impact on my future growth. 2020 is a new beginning. This year may bring many variables and choices, but I will never regret the choices I make. I will always believe in myself and follow the thoughts deep in my heart. I hope to break through myself and try things I haven't done before in this year.