In January 2021, I posted a 2020 Recap and 2021 Goals blog post recapping and reflecting on the year and mentioning that I’d like to do one yearly. That didn’t quite happen, as I missed the 2021 recap. However! Better late than not.
Working From Home is now a Treat.
Unlike in 2020, working from home is a real treat for me now, and I love it quite a lot, and so does Jasper!
If you’ve been following my blog, I wrote two articles a while back about my life working from home:
Many businesses since then have gotten the hang of working and operating from home. Many of the companies I work with now fully embrace this. Granted, it took them a while to find that balance, but now many are on the right track. Plus, to be fair, I’ve learned to stop checking emails and answering phone calls after 5 PM (more on this later below).
The other thing worth mentioning about why working from home now is such a treat is because of the office space I got back in 2020. Having that work and personal life separation has been fantastic, and for the first time in a long time, I’m happy when I’m working out of my bedroom. Not to mention that A LOT of the equipment is also no longer in my bedroom, and it feels like an actual home.
I Started Using a Business Number
One of the things I’ve done for a long time is use my phone for all things business and personal. Even when I had an office phone, it was always routed back to my cell to ensure I answered immediately. The problem was that when my phone went off, I wondered if it was from a friend or work-related.
My business is only me working full-time, so it made sense to make sure I could hear and manage every phone call. However, as I continued building, I needed to make sure I took another step in making sure one, that I was doing this correctly and two that I was doing this as healthy as possible. So, I opened another line. The benefit is that all my text messages, phone calls, and work-related apps are now all off my phone, giving me no excuse to check work stuff during off hours.
In all honesty, I should have done this sooner, but now being able to put down my phone and even putting away the phone after work hours has brought me a lot of peace and better enjoyment during my downtime.
IDE Interactive, Inc. was born!
The most significant change (next to the new studio space I’ll mention in the next section) is that I rebranded TVLE Design LLC to IDE Interactive Inc.
After spending so much time with that name building up my business since 2015, I needed a better brand that felt more in line with what I did and something that wasn’t “me.” TVLE Design LLC is the initials of my full name, and I wanted something that could stand by itself and didn’t just feel like it was just me as I continued to grow.
Out of that decision, IDE Interactive, Inc. was born. The fun pun is because I’m a developer IDE means something completely different (for all you devs out there), but also it stands for what I do: Imagine, Design, and Experience.
Shout out to the best graphic designer I know for helping me with this beautiful logo! Asa Wild. You can check out her work at asawild.org.
New Studio Space
The other significant change was that we changed studio spaces! To make a long story short, the building we were initially renting in got bought out, so everyone had to go. Fortunately enough for us, I’ve found a location roughly three blocks away that has a better space for us and room for us to grow. Even though none of this was planned, it worked for the better.
We now have room for podcasting and space to do other content-related creations for videos. The area is much bigger (by a lot) than our previous one. I have many things planned for it that will go up on my YouTube channel soon.
If you also have yet to hear, I have a podcast out right now that is more for experimentation with friends called The Late Night Void. You can check it out at https://anchor.fm/the-late-night-void.
The Exp Design Blog
Lastly, one of the more minor changes is my blog name (once again), and I’m pretty happy with what I landed on this time. For the longest time, I’ve been having trouble finding that “personal” identity for my blog, and nothing I landed on stuck. After workshopping the idea since 2021, I’ve finally landed on The Exp Design Blog or, as I like to pronounce it, The E.X.P. Design Blog.
I already shared a few things in my blog’s Resources section. I’ll be using the category to share resources I’ve gathered throughout my time on the internet as a developer. In a sense, it’s like an advanced bookmarking system for me.
What’s in store for 2023?
So what’s in store for my 2023? I got quite a lot planned! My main goals are:
- To focus more on building my business and the content around how I’m doing this.
- Creating more content in general for my blog and my YouTube channel. I plan on getting started on writing my first course!
- Beginning recording for a podcast series I’ll mention in a couple of weeks.
I’m heavily focused this new year on building my business and brand and becoming more comfortable posting and sharing content. Of course, I am also focused on staying healthy and ensuring I continue creating a better work/life balance. I’m sure Jasper and my family will appreciate that very much.
Happy New Year, everyone!
