28 Important and Not-So-Important Things I’ve Understood in 28 Years
The order is random; they can be important or completely trivial. Some may be interesting, others banal. If I don’t forget, I’ll do this every birthday on August 6.
By 28 years old, I’ve realized the following:
1. Don’t make negative assumptions when you can run a cheap experiment
Many times in life and work, I’ve encountered situations where my assumption that something wouldn’t work turned out to be incorrect. The fact that something didn’t work before doesn’t mean it won’t work now. Things change. If you can run a cheap experiment, it’s better to do so.
2. Books are one of the best sources of knowledge
The format of a book forces the author to organize their knowledge and observations into a form suitable for readers. The knowledge they contain usually remains relevant for decades, unlike articles and videos on the internet. In short, books are top-tier.
3. Leadership can be old and new
There are two types of leadership: old and new. The old type is very autocratic; you make decisions and force others to follow them. New leadership is more about setting an example, sharing knowledge, improving social relations, and so on. Even though new leadership sounds better, it’s important to have both types of leaders in a team.
4. Learning languages isn’t that hard
In winter 2022, I didn’t know any Polish at all, but now I can easily read a book in Polish or watch a movie. And this is without making extraordinary efforts to learn the language.
5. Expensive things are still not perfect
Even buying the most expensive device in its class doesn’t guarantee you’ll get something perfect—it’s still a compromise. No matter how much money you have, you’ll still have to put up with imperfections in things.
6. LLMs aren’t that smart yet
My faith in the AI revolution diminishes every day I actively work with ChatGPT and other LLMs. Yes, compared to what we had before, it’s impressive. But it’s not revolutionary yet. These systems would need to become a hundred times smarter to approach human intelligence. Still, they’re good tools for specific tasks.
7. You can achieve the same with smaller resources
I worked in teams with limited resources and learned that sometimes changing a button’s name can solve the issue, even when the second option was to invent new types of inputs or something else very complicated.
8.Some processes are slow, and you have to accept it
A career isn’t built in two years—most top specialists have over 10 years of experience. Getting residency in Poland also takes time. Learning languages takes time. You need to be able to plan for at least five years because not everything can be done in a month or a year.
9. A dishwasher is a treasure among treasures
I’ve learned to enjoy the meditative pleasure of washing dishes while listening to a podcast, but a dishwasher is still a treasure. With it, instead of washing dishes, you could listen to a podcast while walking or exercising.
10. The second shift is nice
If you’re unlucky enough to have a job where you need to wake up early, it feels like torture. But starting work later in the day, when you’re already awake and energized, is much better.
11. Warsaw is a pleasant city
Unlike Tallinn, it wasn’t love at first sight with Warsaw. But over time, you start appreciating how green, vast, multifaceted, and well-connected it is to other cities.
12. An unrecorded thought = a lost thought
It’s better to write down all your thoughts. Perhaps 90% of them are useless, but the remaining 10% can be valuable. That’s why it’s good to set up a shortcut on your phone for quickly noting down thoughts, even using voice.
13. Reducing the flow of information is beneficial
I unsubscribed from most Telegram channels and archived many of them. Now, I can finally read all the messages. As a result, I actually consume more information, not less.
14. The brain is very creative in critical moments
I’ve created challenges for myself, but I often forget about them and only remember on the deadline day or even later. This forces my brain to find creative solutions, and surprisingly, it always works out. I wouldn’t recommend this for work because it’s highly stressful, and the quality isn’t the best. Still, it’s interesting to have this knowledge
15. Short-form content is terrible
I thought I was immune to short-form content because I understand how it works, but I’m not. Like everyone else, I sometimes waste time watching short vertical videos. My only excuse is that they’re in English, so it helps maintain my language skills. In all seriousness, I plan to kick this habit—and I will.
16. It’s possible to find your approach to regularity
It’s hard for me to do something daily. Even posting on BeReal every day doesn’t work; I often skip two or three days. Maintaining a language app streak for over 100 days is extremely challenging. However, I’ve been consistent with weekly posts on my Telegram channel, and it’s been fruitful. Before, I wrote only when inspired. Now, I’m no longer dependent on inspiration—new week, new post.
17. The right inexpensive things can improve life
For example, we recently bought a coin organizer. It’s an incredibly convenient tool that sorts coins by denomination, making shopping much easier.
18. A wish list is a great idea
I created a list of things I like in Notion. My wife asked for access to it, and as a result, I received the best birthday gifts of my life. There was still an element of surprise, but I got exactly what I wanted.
19. Cycling is still fun
I rented a bike and cycled a few times, and it was just as fun as in childhood.
20. To express opinions, it’s advisable to have expertise
There are a lot of fake experts in every domain, but that doesn’t mean you should join their ranks. Reading at least a Wikipedia article, or better yet, 2–3 books before sharing your expert opinion with the world is incredibly useful.
21. Direct experience is hard to replace
During travels, you notice details that are difficult to grasp through online learning. You can read extensively about a cuisine, but until you’ve tasted a dish, you won’t truly understand it. The same applies to work or even life. Endless studying won’t replace experience, but it’s still valuable.
22. Education is essential to being educated
Being educated is a value in itself. There’s no need to invent further justifications like: “I need an education to…”
23. The impossible can be simplified into the achievable
Not everything, but most seemingly impossible or very difficult tasks can be broken down into manageable steps. Writing a book may seem daunting or almost impossible, but writing a chapter every two weeks and sharing it on social media feels entirely doable. This approach applies to many things.
24. Invest in the future
Do things today that your future self will thank you for. At least spend a few hours each day on this.
25. Living in the moment is a great psychological trick
I overheard this from Ukrainian soldiers: when they have time to sleep before an operation, they simply sleep and don’t overthink what will happen soon. Worrying unnecessarily about what might or might not happen is unhelpful. Orders can be canceled, plans can change, and even if they don’t, focusing on the moment helps maintain sanity.
26. People matter
Though I can handle being without close people nearby quite easily, it’s only because the person closest to me is with me every day, and I can share everything with them. Some close ones are virtually present, which also helps. Being completely alone would be incredibly difficult.
27. Life is like an RPG
I had an incredible life experience where my life felt like a movie, but it ended before even reaching the climax. Most biographical films cut out half the story or alter facts to make it more interesting. However, comparing life to an RPG is quite apt—a series of quests, some of which are auto-generated to simply extend the journey. Overall, it’s pretty similar.
28. Gratitude is a good trait
It’s good to say thank you to parents, close ones, friends, family, and everyone who has helped you in some way. Unfortunately, expressing gratitude isn’t very common, and you often need an occasion to do so. But I recommend finding such occasions or overcoming awkwardness and saying “thank you” at random moments.