My name is Donovan Frew and I most readily identify as a Software Engineer. For years I’ve been focused primarily on developing and applying my technical skills and now I’m rounded enough to operate proficiently at any stage of the software development life cycle. I’m relatively successful as measured by my current position but success has come in an ad-hoc manner. First I followed the predefined routes of academic qualification including BSc, MSc and a few professional certifications in between. Then I just focused on keeping up with technology by following blogs, regularly reading hacker news, perusing open source code and getting involved in hackathons/code camps. Overall I was happy with the results. Happy but not satisfied.

Firstly l felt like there was an inner potential that was not being fully exploited. I was good at what I did but not great. I could achieve unbelievable results with favourable winds but lacked the skill, dexterity and acumen to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. In addition, the non-professional part of my life could not be described as a success. No long term relationship, infrequent interactions with my family, only a handful of genuinely close friends and absolutely no giving back to society.

I eventually came to realise that the two set of problems were actually symptoms of the same underlying ailment; I lacked a clear vision for my future self. This led to me focusing (way too much) on the immediate pleasures at the expense of long term values. Instead of trying build meaningful relationships I was obsessed with fleeting interactions. Instead of working towards a particular long-term objective I was going with the path of least resistance. To change this meant making fundamental changes to my outlook on life. Anyone who has ever found themselves in this position knows that it ain’t easy.

I resolved to find a way to change. I tried a number of techniques but none really worked for me as they required making the kind of up front investment that was the very problem I was trying to solve. Then I came across an article about forming habits, you just had to do the same thing for 21 days and then it would stick (I missed the article that said this is a myth). Another article explained that willpower wasn’t some supernatural energy that allowed a man to lift an ox, it was simply the determination to keep the promises you make to yourself. This knowledge combined with the pomodoro technique of completing tasks using small investments led me to the 30 minute formula. Now I only needed to find an activity which could have real impact that I enjoyed doing but wasn’t already doing.

Since May 29, 2016, I’ve read a book for at least 30 minutes per day, every day with only a few exceptions. I read (to completion) more books in the following 6 months than I had read in the previous 6 years. I learned lessons that I could apply immediately and lessons that evolved my core philosophies. It was simply the best investment I ever made. Since then I’ve added 30 mins of coding and online courses. Every day. Including weekends. Including bank holidays. Including while on vacation. Every day. 30 minutes.

My newest ‘habit’ is 30 minutes of writing. This entire blog will be driven by the output of those sessions. I plan to share my thoughts on the books I read, the developmental steps I take, my success and my failures. The point is to create a record of my endeavours, for reference and motivation. But if it inspires just one person to make a transformative change in their life then that’s an even bigger win. Enjoy.