Defragmentation began with a hard drive. Sectors shuffled into order. Shorter seeks. Higher throughput. I want the same for a life that is currently all head movement and no read/write.
This series is my defrag. Small passes. Low-level format of routine and intent. No grand theory. Just moving blocks until the head stops thrashing.
I started graduate school this week. Mid 30s at MIT after spending a decade in the industry. The image that comes to mind is an old tower PC loading the latest AAA game. The fans spin up. The case vibrates. It's on the verge of a crash-and-burn. ChatGPT feels like a cheat code. Useful, but not the point. I did grades already in undergrad. This time I came here because I chose to. Better steer off of a classe if ChatGPT can take it for me.
So week one was about people, not tasks. I showed up to orientation after orientation. I avoid dry networking. I prefer activity. Shared oxygen. Hands on a thing. Meals eaten down to the last grain of rice while someone talks about their quantum physics research. Unlimited food for thought. Finally I'm no longer starving.
I almost committed to rowing again. Lake Union Crew in Seattle was life changing. The morning fog. The erg’s bruise on the ribs. The useful ache. But 6:00 a.m. practices in the Charles River break the rest of the day. I'm sticking to my priority stack:
1. Health matters.
2. Meeting people matters.
3. Good work matters.
Rowing is a fine tribe, but static across a term. The dues stack up. The kit gets pricey. Early alarms erase evenings where friendships tend to grow. Not a one-way door because I can try it in the next Summer. So I apologized to the captain for changing my mind and quit.
I signed up for the Outing Club instead. They need a mountain biking trip leader, offer ski touring trips, and the social scene feels dynamic. Easy decision. I'm in.
Automation also got a pass this week. One-time investiment for compound interest.
- Outlook filters so I can handle emails in bulk. Been there done that with Microsoft.
- Calendar mirroring across Google and Outlook. But seriously why would Media Lab and MIT choose separate email providers?
- Experimenting with GitHub Projects as a kanban for school matters. The long bet is a machine interface to my errands: actions, agents, GraphQL, it's going to be my third brain in addition to my second.
That's it. Next week is for habit building. I want a repeatable routine but not too rigid:
- Early morning for gym, running, or erging.
- Breakfast in the apartment followed by a study hour. I need the clear mind for reading dense papers.
- Class, lab, meetings throughout the day.
- Lunch and dinner with friends.
- Deep coding while the city thins out.
Defragmentation complete. Next cycle queued.