November felt slow and a little disrupting, the kind of month where routines loosen up and progress becomes quiet and steady. It was busier than usual on both the personal and career side. I spent most of the month juggling learning, training, and keeping life in order. Because of that, my side projects stayed still. Not a bad stillness, but a deliberate slowing down.

This month was mostly about getting deeper into SwiftUI, playing way too much FC 26 Rush, showing up to BJJ classes, trying to build something small in Swift, and turning 32 with a sense of calm reflection.

Learning SwiftUI 🍎

I kept the momentum from last month and reached Day 30 of the SwiftUI course. This is probably the first time I stayed consistent without dropping the habit halfway.

I continued following Josh Kaufman’s idea on learning anything in 20 hours. It helps me keep the whole process light, simple, and more about repetition than mastery. I’m letting the concepts stick naturally instead of forcing it.

Building My First Swift App 🏋️‍♂️📱

To test what I actually learned, I started building a small fitness app using HealthKit. It is nothing serious, just a space to practice and understand how things connect.

Building something from scratch is always humbling. Every stuck moment reminds me that the point here is to learn by doing and not to ship a polished product. Even after years in design and product, starting something new still scares me in the same familiar way, but that is also what makes it exciting.

Starting BJJ 🥋

I also started learning Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu this month. It humbled me instantly in a good way.

BJJ feels like learning a new programming language. Confusing at first, awkward in practice, and full of small moments that suddenly click. It also made me realize that the calm I thought I had is only the surface level. BJJ needs a different kind of calm, the kind you hold until the exact second you need to explode with strength. I have no idea how to do that yet, but I like learning it.

FC 26 and the Rush Loop 🎮

Rush mode in FC 26 Ultimate Team became my main escape this month. Quick matches and the constant reward loop made it the perfect end of day activity.

Seven years ago, a colleague warned me about games that trap us in endless loops without progressing a narrative. I am now exploring how these systems are designed and how they create that sticky experience. It is interesting to see it from both the player and designer perspective.

Turning 32 🎂

I turned 32 this month.
I wrote more about it here

Birthdays make me look inward in a quiet way. I feel like I am becoming more intentional about how I learn, how I spend my time, and what I want the next decade to look like.

Stillness in Side Projects 🌫️

With SwiftUI, BJJ, work, and life happening at once, my side projects slowed down. Not because I lost interest but because my mind felt full. Some months are for movement and some months are for letting things sit. November was the second type.