Slowing down has been a common theme in my past goals, and that is coming up again. It doesn’t come naturally to me, but I hope to build enough habits to make it happen anyways.
Setup a Personal LLM Chatbot
ChatGPT is a big deal, and generative AI keeps getting more and more impressive. I haven’t delved too much into how it works, and since playing D&D with it, I haven’t used ChatGPT, either. Still, I feel like I should have some working proficiency with it.
Separately, I built this fancy gaming PC that I haven’t used enough to justify the cost. As a software engineer, it was worth it for the experience of actually dealing with hardware, but I could definitely do more with it.
Crossing those two points, I want to setup my own LLM chatbot (like ChatGPT) to run on my PC. Moreover, I want to make it accessible from my phone anywhere in the world.
This project is adjacent to but not quite up my professional alley, which makes it a great learning opportunity.
Say Grace
I’m not religious, but there are plenty of good ideas and habits to consider. Saying grace seems pretty close to a few ideas I’m considering.
First, I should take more time to stop and breathe. Currently, my evenings feel like a sprint from finishing up work all the way until we put our children to bed. And it probably shouldn’t. There’s plenty to get done, but it’s not really a rush, and I should live in the moment with my family. Sitting down to eat dinner is a good cue to pause.
Second, Michael Pollan says we should all “Give Some Thought to Where Your Food Comes From.” Today, eating is wrapped up in a lot of emotions and politics. Although there’s that larger cultural issue, a bit of mindfulness can alleviate much of that individually.
Third, it feels good to express appreciation. Hopefully I do that in the moment. If I don’t, saying grace is a daily reminder to dig deeper to remember and notice things, too.
Drive the Speed Limit
To be clear, I don’t think I drive dangerously quickly. However, I certainly subscribe to the philosophy that “five over isn’t really speeding.” Also, I’m now primarily driving an electric car, so I can zip along much more quickly than intended.
However, I’m taking this as another reminder for myself to not rush things. It’s not going to take that much longer if I’m driving 35 instead of 40. Instead of always running from one thing to the next, perhaps I can be more deliberate to create time on the road between activities.
Final Thoughts
These goals are officially the latest that I have ever posted them.
I still have ten months left.