I’m a developer and entrepreneur based in Japan. I recently sold my startup after 8 years of struggle. It wasn’t a huge success, but was rewarding enough to fund my next venture.

That journey taught me tough lessons. Above all, I worked extremely hard in the wrong direction. I tried too many things at once, and none of them received the focus needed to become a breakthrough.

It seems that I’m not a genius entrepreneur. I'm bad at managing people. What I love is working hard on things I truly enjoy. I’m also endlessly curious about different fields. The world is too interesting to spend all my energy just grinding away. The purpose of working hard should be to enjoy the real world.

My current goal is to “get unplugged” from the digital world—by leveraging technology. It might sound strange, but I believe some will resonate with this. I'm trying to maximize my output with less effort, so that I can have more time and energy to enjoy life beyond screens. That’s what technology is supposed to be about in the first place.

I'm still struggling to focus on one thing, but trying to narrow it down to a few.

I keep building products. I constantly come up with ideas. I try to avoid wasting energy on less important ones (like reinventing this blog system) and instead focus on a few that matter most. When it comes to blogging, I’ll keep it infrequent and write on important topics I’ve thought deeply about.

I also love investing in stocks. It’s both rewarding and intellectually stimulating. Sometimes one thoughtful decision can lead to substantial returns without any ongoing work.

I love reading books. It’s always mentally engaging, and the knowledge compounds like interest over time. And finally, I truly enjoy spending quality time with my happy family and friends. That’s what matters most in the end.