Goals for 2025

Hi everyone, welcome to my first blog post of the year. I actually set some goals for myself not during new years, but during Christmas last year. It's been around a month almost since I set these goals, and while I may have been quite ambitious when I set them, I think I'm pretty happy with the way things are going so far. I just recently revamped my personal website, and I noticed that my last posted blogpost was in August 2024, and I thought it was time to write something new. So here I am, writing down the goals I have set for myself in 2025.

Goal 1: Getting into the best shape of my life

I've been working out and hitting the gym for a few years now, but I've felt like my progress has slowed down a lot. This year, I'm making my physical health a top priority. I want to achieve a balance of strength, endurance, and flexibility.

My plan includes a full-body bodyweight routine 3 times a week, and strength training with open weights twice a week, incorporating more mobility work, and being more mindful about what I eat. I've also started tracking my workouts more seriously to ensure progressive overload.

Goal 2: Leveling up my algorithmic skills

One of my biggest technical goals this year is to significantly improve my algorithm and data structure skills. I've set a concrete timeline to complete the curated content on AlgoMonster by the end of February, which will give me a solid foundation.

Beyond that, I aim to practice consistently on LeetCode with the goal of reaching a contest rating of 1800 by the end of the year. This isn't just about preparing for interviews - I genuinely believe these problem-solving skills make me a better engineer in my day-to-day work.

I plan to participate in every weekly Leetcode contest and dedicate 5-7 hours weekly to practice problems. I've found that breaking down complex problems methodically is a skill that transfers to many areas of software development.

Goal 3: Prioritizing hobbies that bring me joy

Something I've learned about myself is that I need creative outlets and diverse activities to maintain balance and prevent burnout. This year, I'm being intentional about making time for hobbies I enjoy. I've even created a hierarchy to help me decide how to allocate my limited free time:

1. Video editing - There's something incredibly satisfying about crafting a story through video, and I have a ton of footage to work through from my last semester abroad.
2. Coding personal projects - Building things I care about keeps the passion for programming alive. I've got some ideas for apps and tools I want to explore, particularly one im building now to save cooking reels into recipes with snippets of the video cut up to each step of the recipe. Stay tuned for updates on this one!
3. Reading - Expanding my mind beyond technical topics
4. Gym - Physical activity as a cornerstone of mental health
5. Cooking - The creative process of making delicious meals and the joy of sharing it with my friends during exchange really made me cook a lot more. I want to continue this habit.
6. Chess - A game that challenges me intellectually and helps me unwind, but I want to improve as well and not just mindlessly play blitz games, which I often catch myself doing. To combat this, I decided to uninstall chess from my phone and block it on my web browser, only playing longer time controls on my ChessNut board and analyzing my games after.
7. Rock climbing - Problem solving with my entire body

By consciously allocating time to these activities, I hope to achieve better work-life balance and maintain my enthusiasm for both my career and personal growth.

Final thoughts

Setting these goals feels different this year. Rather than chasing arbitrary achievements, I'm focusing on building sustainable habits and pursuing activities that genuinely enhance my life. I recognize that consistency matters more than intensity, and I'm prepared to adjust as needed.

I'll check in with updates throughout the year to track my progress. Here's to a year of growth, balance, and pursuing the things that matter most!

What goals have you set for yourself this year? Sometimes sharing our intentions helps keep us accountable.