Edgaras profile
Edgaras Benediktavičius
Product designer and web developer

Yearly reflections 2022

As the new year approaches, I'm getting excited to see what it has in store. But before I charge ahead, I like to take a moment to reflect on the past year. By thinking back on my experiences, I can better understand what has happened and be better prepared for the future.

As I think about the past year, I am struck by all the amazing moments and experiences that have enriched the year 30 of my life. I am grateful for the good times and the lessons I have learned from the more difficult ones.

Water and high rocks during sunny day. Hiking in south of Spain.

Water and high rocks during sunny day. Hiking in south of Spain.

Here are a few of my and professional highlights (and lowlights) from the past year 2022:

⭐ Highlights

  • Lived and worked remotely in 🇹🇷 Turkey for 2 months
  • Completed five freelance design projects for five different clients, including two well-known companies in Denmark and worldwide
  • Continued co-building Best Writing with my friend Tom
  • Continued learning web programming with JavaScript (React, Node, NextJS) and TailwindCSS
  • Participated in Copenhagen 🕺 Salsa Festival
  • Had 2 work-vacations in 🇪🇸 Malaga and Alicante
  • Hiked ⛰️ in south of Spain
  • Moved in to new co-living community in 🇩🇰 Copenhagen
  • Learned to play 🎾 Padel tennis
  • Celebrated my 🎂 30th birthday with some of my best friends and family.
  • Visited my family in 🇱🇹 Lithuania multiple times
  • Took my grandma to 💆 SPA retreat for several days
  • Finally designed, developed, launched my personal website and shared the process in public
  • Learned more about designing and building modular Design Systems
  • Met some amazing new people on 🐦 Twitter
  • Saw my first big football match live in 🏟️ Sevilla stadium
  • Ran our own GTP-3 hackathon weekend with my friend, and co-founder
  • Lived a minimalistic lifestyle with purchasing and owning very little
  • Enjoyed balanced food diet (Mostly Pegan)
  • Started 🥊 boxing classes

🥀 Lowlights

  • Had a particularly bad sleeping habits which affected my productivity and immune system
  • Was sick with the flu for the entire Christmas season
  • It was difficult to balance freelance work and building a business
  • Didn’t improve my Danish
  • Didn’t reach a sustainable 10K MRR with my business
  • Didn’t exercise regularly

In addition to the ups and downs, here are some of my most valuable discoveries in 2022:

🔍 Top picks

I am incredibly grateful for all of the amazing experiences I have had. However, there are also some disappointments that I am still reflecting on. As I look towards the new year, I am determined to work on improving those areas and making the most of every opportunity that comes my way.

Me with my girlfriend and a cat sitting outside. Water and mountains are in the background.

Me with my girlfriend and a cat sitting outside. Water and mountains are in the background.