Q1 2015 Recap!

I’ve been quiet silent on here the past few months.  Winters in Chicago can be miserable, driving all of us indoors.  However, just because it’s cold out doesn’t mean we can’t be productive!  Over the years I’ve come to enjoy them, using the extra indoor time to my advantage to get a lot of projects done.

Passive Income

This was a major focus. Dave and I added two apps for Misfit and Withings to our activity tracker-focused Fitwatchr line, expanding us to 4 total apps. Reaching 10 apps or more is a major goal this year. Additionally, I developed, marketed, and launched a beta for BeerSwift, a new mobile app focused on better Untappd beer check-ins.  It’s a niche-within-a-niche concept, so it probably won’t be as popular as Fitwatchr, but that’s ok!  Testing it at a couple of beer festivals with friends was tons of fun and showed me that the idea is sound.

My most exciting development this quarter was acceptance into Pluralsight’s Author program. I’ve used Pluralsight through SAVO for years now and love it!  After almost three years of developing hybrid mobile apps and last year’s presentation at That Conference, I decided to look at the number of videos that focus on hybrid development.  Surprisingly, there were almost none! That’s when I knew that I should try out.  Newly accepted, my first course will be on Adobe PhoneGap Build Fundamentals.

Work

It’s been a busy and challenging start of the year.  SAVO went through some reorgs, strategy changes, and brought in a new CEO.  While frustrating at times, I’m excited to see the direction we go in this year.  After nearly 6 years (this July!) though, I’m still proud to say that I work with some amazing, hard-working people.  

Health

If you’ve ever had a weight problem, you know that every day turns into a struggle, depression is rampant, and overcoming it can seem nigh impossible at times.  Fortunately, through small lifestyle changes over the past couple of years, I’ve finally turned a corner.  More exercise, healthier eating, and an attitude adjustment are the main reasons.  I still have a long way to go, but for the first time I’m confident I can.  I’m noticeably happier and more focused!

Travel

With the weather getting warmer, it’s time to start going places again!  So far, I’ve got two trips planned; one to Las Vegas with a friend and one to Michigan with my wife for a B&B weekend getaway.  Once she completes grad school in the Summer, we’ll definitely be taking another trip in the Fall.

How do I accomplish so much?

After absorbing a ton of information about entrepreneurship, passive income, and better health in 2014, I put more of my learnings into practice.  The gist of it is refining my time management skills and a focus on healthier living. The highlights of how I accomplished this includes: batching (completing similar tasks together instead of one by one/spread out), exercise (giving me more energy), better sleep (a result of more exercise, healthier eating, and sticking to the same sleep schedule on weekends), and better productivity (mainly by limiting distractions). In fact, I accomplished it all by dedicating about 10 hours per week on average.  Not bad! There is much more I can say about this topic, so look for a follow-up post soon!