The year 2019 has already ended. Looking back on this year, it seems that there haven't been many significant 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 by so quickly?
- Why was 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, and 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 important as adaptability. Even if the plans are good, whether we can keep up with them 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. I will summarize the past year using the following keywords:
- WeChat Official Account
- Self-discipline
- Investment and financial management
- Reading more books
- Systematizing knowledge
- Making choices and sacrifices
- 2020
WeChat Official Account#
The output of articles on my WeChat Official Account was a bit less this year. The number of articles is even less than last year, and it hasn't reached half of the target quantity. Some friends suggested that I should find articles from other websites to publish daily, which can attract more user attention. However, I haven't done that.
Mainly because the WeChat 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, one can establish a certain influence in a certain field. Moreover, there are already a large number of popular accounts doing this. If I do the same thing, I definitely won't achieve the expected results. In addition, the positioning of my Official Account is more personal, and I hope to share some personal experiences and practices.
This year, I unfollowed a group of Official Accounts that had strong clickbait titles. This type of accounts attracts readers with catchy 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 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 with deep thinking. I hope to complete this process through continuous input.
Self-discipline#
Speaking of self-discipline, this year, besides a period of time when I insisted on going to bed and getting up early, there doesn't seem to be any other self-discipline. Whether it's reading, writing, or drawing, they were all periods of persistence at certain times, to the point where I only scratched the surface in these areas and didn't make any progress. It seems that the 10,000-hour rule mentioned in the book "Outliers" is quite inspiring. It states that to become a master in a certain field, one must invest at least 10,000 hours. 10,000 hours may seem long, but in the time dimension 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 sustain continuous investment? It is through self-discipline. According to the 8-hour workday, 5 days a week, 10,000 hours is roughly equivalent to five years. In daily work and life, the time outside of work needs to be disciplined in order to obtain it. Otherwise, how can there be continuous investment? Self-discipline means learning how to restrain oneself. Quantity change can lead to qualitative change. Investment must come before gains.
In short, I hope to be more self-disciplined this year than last year. I won't set any flags because I might end up being proven wrong.
Investment and Financial Management#
I remember adding a finance tag to my WeChat 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 fluctuations. I have become more conscious of paying attention to the trend of the overall market. From frequent trading to patient holding, gains and losses 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, making it easier for enterprises to obtain financing to solve their current operating conditions. Banks, of course, will benefit from the increased 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 can be considered the beginning of the financial management section. For me personally, financial management mainly involves 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 buy and sell decisions on my own. The other platform is called "Qie Man". The main strategy I follow is the "Changyin Index Investment Plan". I have been following this plan for almost two years now. Of course, when encountering a major market decline, 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 trading strategies. 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 financial management, but there is still a lot to be learned, such as patience, sticking to strategies, and maintaining the right mindset. In the journey of investment and financial management, one must believe that time is the best friend. All you can do is 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 my reading time is during commuting, so I haven't organized my reading notes. I didn't do well in this aspect. There's not much to say about this tag. I hope that when I write about reading 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 knowledge is the process of systematizing knowledge. In terms of technology, try to do fill-in-the-blank exercises, which means filling in the knowledge that 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 start to finish, but combine it with your own knowledge framework and constantly add to it. 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 MindMeister. Organize and classify the knowledge in your field, such as Android, which belongs to 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. Then, fill in each category to make the 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. Continuously improve and find a method that suits your own systematization of knowledge.
Making Choices and Sacrifices#
In the process of improvement, you need to judge which skills will be more helpful to you. For example, many Android developers are currently struggling with whether to learn Kotlin or Flutter. This depends on your own situation and making the right 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 take the 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, as Kotlin has been around for a long time. Although I set a flag last year to learn Kotlin, this year I made some choices and put Kotlin in a secondary position.
Firstly, 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 in an amateur project and release a Kotlin version to get some hands-on experience. Secondly, compared to Kotlin, I have more confidence in the future 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 own 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 own situation.
2020#
The past year made me feel that as I enter society, everyone becomes more and more realistic. There are some things that I would never have believed based on my previous understanding. Some of the 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 this year and try things I haven't done before.