Hi there everybody and thanks for visiting my blog!
My name is Baden, I’m literally years old and live here in the fine old city of Melbourne, Victoria located in a faraway land known as Australia. I’m fascinated by new and emerging technologies, automation, manufacturing, electric vehicles and of course my first and true love Formula 1 (although it’s now being challenged by the up-and-coming category of Formula E). But other than that, there is nothing too extraordinary about me, I’m a regular guy, living a regular life in my regular city.
In my day job as an industrial and controls electrician, I work with some truly talented professionals, the likes of engineers, designers, and of course other sparkies, all of whom are much, much more capable and intelligent than myself – you are the average of the five people you surround yourself with after all, so might as well make sure those people are smarter than yourself. Regardless, my interest for all things technical has been fuelled from these professional surroundings, having now been emersed in this tech heavy field for the best part of two decades.
Aside from my professional career and for as long as I can remember, I’ve had an intrinsic interest in design, engineering and in general making all kinds of eclectic stuff. It is hugely satisfying designing and making something from scratch, a process I find incredibly interesting and rewarding. If a need, want or problem should arise, then a pragmatic solution can always be designed to overcome it. That’s not only my professional attitude but it’s also a philosophy I choose to live my life by – “there are not problems, only solutions”
I’ve never considered myself as a writer in any form, so when I started the blog in 2020, I had no set agenda or expectations in mind, rather it was to be a place to share what I’m doing or working on at any given time, and also to give my wife a break from hearing all my chatter about what projects I’m tinkering away at and the nuance details that go along with them.
Since its launch, the blog has proven to be a particularly useful productivity tool in my endeavours. In a highly effective way, it’s a means of holding me to account for all these projects and hobby related activities I have going on at any given moment. In the not-too-distant past, personal projects of mine had a way of getting started but would never be seen through to completion because after all its easy to start something but incredibly difficult to finish it. But by sharing my activities openly and publicly, it’s the motivating force that is needed to get me off my arse and actually finish what has been started.
Hopefully this gives some context about what the blog is about, who I am and where I am coming from with what is being published. I don’t claim to be an expert on many things, nor do I consider myself Shakespeare with my writing ability, but I will always try and produce the most informed and clearly communicated articles I can. Hopefully in amongst the posts and pages you may find something of value, something interesting or even just something entertaining to become engrossed in and follow along the journey with.
Yearly Themes
What is a Yearly Themes? It’s an idea, a practise, an attitude, call it what you will but the best way to think of it is as a personal mindset about how to orient thoughts, decisions and actions for a period of time. One thing a Yearly Theme is not is a New Years resolution. Unlike a New Years resolution, a Yearly Theme can start at any time of the year, can go for as much or as little time as desired and is loosely defined allowing for adaptation to theme over time.
A better description can be found from the yearly theme website:
“Instead of setting resolutions at the start of the year, you set an overall idea of how you would like to approach each year or season. This then becomes a guide for your personal and/or professional life throughout that period.
Ideally, you would also think of what the ideal outcome is for a set period of time and some key actions you would like to complete. This helps you maintain focus throughout the year when considering new projects.” – The Theme System
The following are my own Yearly Themes which I have been living by for the past few years. Despite only getting into the theme system first quarter of 2020 I have noted their benefits. Hopefully my examples will inspire you to take up the habit as it is very much worth it!
An illogical sounding concept but with intentions of making big improvements over the course of 2021.
The need to be organised and having a streamlined workflow was at a critical point, hence this years theme was all about setting up the framework for years of productive work ahead.