Quick update this week. Still learning Rust and it’s been fun. I’m already halfway through the two books, filling in flash cards in the process. In Hands-on Rust, there’s been a few interesting things not Rust related, like the Entity component system architectural pattern or Dijkstra’s algorithm to calculate the shortest path, and I’m currently learning how to make more interesting dungeons with cellular automata.

Two weeks ago, I wrote about limiting time on social media and distractions, since it was taking too much time off my day and affecting me. My goal was not only to reduce my time online, but also to add times when I could just focus on being in the moment. On the blocking app, I set three profiles:

• Morning: blocks social media and work apps since I woke up until work starts.

• Wind down: blocks social media and frequent webs an hour before sleeping

• Focus: blocks during the “core” hours after work, where I do my learning, workouts, etc.

On top of these profiles, I also limited social media to a max of one hour a day (thirty minutes on the phone, and thirty on the tablet).

The experiment has been great so far. Not only have I been able to have time to learn and do what I want to do after work, but also noticed a positive impact on my mental health. In the mornings, I have breakfast without using the phone, only enjoying the food. When I go out for walks during the day (which I recommend if you work from home a lot) I dedicate some time with no headphones and to focus on what’s happening around me, or to sit down in the park and do nothing for ten or fifteen minutes. Being in the moment and not having the need to look up at my phone or having extra stimulus (like music or a podcast) gives me some kind of serenity. I’ve also “rated” my days at the end of each day and, on average, my score was higher than previous weeks, as I could do what I wanted, and felt satisfied. As an added bonus, if I didn’t get everything done, it was alright, I focused on the most important thing or just rested that day if I needed to without remorse.

This is it for this week. I’ll be on a break next week, as I’m going to Spain, and I’ll come back the week after.

Interesting links

• 100 Exercises To Learn Rust (Luca Palmieri). Fantastic course to learn the language one exercise at a time.

• Super Cute Please Like (Nicole Lipman). Exceptional piece on SHEIN, and ultra-fast fashion. “SHEIN has shown the world that unsustainability pays. Together with the companies that will follow its example of ultra-fast fashion, SHEIN will accelerate the already-rapid acceleration toward global catastrophe.”

• Leaving Rust gamedev after 3 years (LogLog Games). A long post with thoughts about using Rust for professional video game development, and why it’s not suited for it. At the same time, it’s an insightful view into the language and its environment.