It’s been a while since I shared an update, so I figured it’s time to check in, partly for anyone following my journey but mostly to get my own thoughts in order.
Post Microsoft, the past few months have been a mix of celebration, reflection, recalibration, minor chaos and a surprising number of “what am I even doing?” moments. So here’s a quick catch-up on where my time and headspace have been lately.
Festivals, Food, and Family Time
Festival season rolled in, and this time, I went all in. Most of my days were spent indulging in great food with zero portion control, enjoying long movie marathons with family, and wandering through malls for some festive shopping. The laptop stayed closed, and I didn’t even pretend to be productive. Honestly, it was perfect. There’s something deeply satisfying about doing nothing with the people who matter most. It’s grounding in a way that no productivity hack can replicate.Adjusting to Life as a Solo Developer
Now this might need its own post someday, but here's a short version. Moving from corporate life to working solo sounded dreamy, no meetings, no sprint updates, no “can you hop on a quick call?” at 6 PM. But once the novelty wore off, I realized how much invisible structure corporate life provides.When no one’s watching your calendar, it’s surprisingly easy to lose momentum. I’ve been figuring out how to set my own pace, where I'm disciplined enough to make progress, but relaxed enough to avoid burning out. Let’s just say I’m still fine tuning that balance.
Taking the Pressure Valve Off
In the first few days after quitting, I went full throttle. I was working like I had something to prove. I was analyzing every idea to make sure it “meant something” or “led somewhere" before writing a single line of code. It made everything heavier than it needed to be.Instead of focusing on building stuff, I was worried about whether it had a decent market size, and if it did, how to market or sell it. I’d slipped back into the same old corporate loop, just without the paycheck. I wasn’t building from curiosity or problem-solving energy anymore, I was acting like an employee trying to pick projects that would look good on an appraisal.
I wasn’t stressed, but I was definitely running hot. So I dialed things down, giving myself some more time to move away from the employee mindset and back into builder mode. More rest, walks, video games and far fewer market studies. And guess what, as it turns out, "playing video games in pajamas”, when done right, is a pretty solid way to take a clean break and reset your mindset.
Travel Plans that never materialized
When I quit my job, one of my key goals was to travel and explore. I thought, I will start with Southeast Asia, then Europe, travel the world, visit new places, meet new people. I had even started looking at itineraries, Airbnbs, hotels, and flight options. I had a list of cafés in "Namma Bengaluru" bookmarked where I planned to write blog posts and build my apps from every week.But my lower back had a different idea. It screamed at me that it wasn’t on board with the plan and demanded more time to heal. So travel got parked for a while. A few other seasonal health hiccups crept in too, forcing me to pause these travel plans for a bit. The plans are not shelved, just postponed. Hopefully next year !
Wrapping Up
So that’s been my life lately: festivals, food, some downtime, a few false starts, a back that needed a timeout, and a gradual rediscovery of work-life balance without external pressure.
If I had to sum it up in a couple of lessons:
1. Rest isn’t laziness: You can’t pour from an empty cup. Rest isn’t a reward, it’s maintenance. Sometimes the best productivity tip is to take a nap.
2. You don’t have to prove anything to anybody: As long as you’re not harming anyone (including yourself), there’s nothing wrong with spending time on things that matter to you. Life isn’t always a race, and you can move at your own pace. Some days that might mean focusing on health, diet, or exercise and other days, it could just be trying out a new React.js framework that caught your eye. You don’t have to jump into something just because someone else is doing it, or worry if people think you’re not prodctive enough. That kind of thinking only adds pressure where none’s needed. Honestly, everyone’s too busy dealing with their own stuff to keep tabs on what you’re doing anyway.
Regarding solopreneurship, that ambition is still intact. But I want to start giving it more shape over the next month. Over time, I want to build a steady daily rhythm, may not be the rigid corporate kind, but one that feels structured, healthy, and flexible, something that works for me. I want to keep the fun and curiosity alive while adding a bit more routine to my days. It doesn’t mean the projects would go on forever. I will need to scope and timebox it so that it doesn’t remain a fantasy. Will share more on that in the coming posts.
Progress might look slow from the outside, but this time of self reflections and development has been quietly meaningful. And honestly, right now, that feels good.