Lesson learned

Document why you stopped, not just why you started

Without an exit note, abandoned interests come back wearing new clothes and look like fresh ideas.

Linked focus entries

Active Meta / Life Systems

ADHD systems audit

A long-running effort to understand what actually helps: medication notes, planner experiments, capture systems, and how to design for inconsistent energy instead of pretending...

Life Systems subcategory 6 cycles $540 spent
Active Technical / AI Systems & Agents

AI workflow lab

Less about hype and more about turning AI into an actual workbench for writing, synthesis, product architecture, and low-cost leverage.

AI Systems & Agents subcategory 3 cycles $190 spent
Abandoned Technical / Operating Systems

Linux distro and self-hosting loop

Repeated cycles of distro hopping, Docker stack planning, and wanting a perfectly controlled setup that ended up creating more maintenance than leverage.

Operating Systems subcategory 5 cycles $420 spent
Abandoned Meta / Life Systems

Planner stack experiment

An endless series of notebook, planner, and index-card setups that each felt like a breakthrough for about nine days.

Life Systems subcategory 7 cycles $460 spent