Now

🧩 Quest 1... The Machine

I’m building the environment I operate from... the box, the desk, the workflow, the stack. If I’m going to think for a living, the machine has to be deliberate.

This is a rebuild of the foundations... better hardware, cleaner Linux setup, tighter workflows. No bloat. No chaos. Just leverage.

  • Custom PC as long-term command centre
  • Linux migration... friction removal, fewer distractions
  • Walter as second brain... structured vault, automation later
  • Dev environment designed for shipping, not endless tweaking

⚙️ Quest 2... Year of Code

This is the consistency play... daily commits. Real builds. No tutorial hoarding. Output over consumption.

FreeCodeCamp, React, fundamentals tightened properly. Formal brand and informal brand running in parallel.

  • GitHub streak as non-negotiable baseline
  • Projects that stand on their own
  • michaelmacdonagh.net vs mechmadhog.com... dual identity
  • Frontend readiness... React, JS depth, UI polish, deployment

Year of Code completes: 3 August (36... locked)

🛠 Quest 3... Body & Base

Rebuilding from a broken ankle. Slower than I’d like. Still happening.

The aim is simple... walk properly again, then surpass the old baseline. Reduce load. Increase strength. No ego lifts. No stupid setbacks.

  • Ankle rehab... patient, structured progression
  • Food system... repeatable meals logged in Walter
  • Kitchen setup... make good choices the default
  • Conqueror challenges as accountability framework

🎨 Quest 4... Output

Rule: produce. Sites, small apps, experiments, art. The personality stays alive through output, not theory.

  • Maintain and refine both sites
  • React apps... practical, portfolio-ready
  • JavaScript games... mechanics first, polish second
  • Tablet drawing, UI experiments, light 3D exploration

🧠 Quest 5... Social Dynamics

Discovery through social dynamics... not “be nicer”, not “self help”. More like recalibrating my internal model of the world.

TRT changed how I think and what I notice. That means I need to relearn who I am in motion... standards, boundaries, confidence, attraction, status, all of it. No coping. No pretending.

  • Relearning my baseline... behaviour, boundaries, presence
  • Exposure reps... small real-world tests, not theory
  • Social calibration... what works, what doesn’t, what’s actually me
  • Identity rewrite... values, standards, and the direction I’m aiming at

🚀 Quest 6... 37-Year Target

Not vague goals. Targets. By 37 the direction should be undeniable.

  • Have completed my Year of Code (3rd of August)
  • Secure my next career step... proof over promises
  • Walk properly... then extend distance again... through my Conqueror Challenges
  • Drive independently... reduce reliance

Last updated: February 2026