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ANNUAL REVIEWS
Annual Reviews
One deep retrospective every year since 2023 — cognitive upgrades, trajectory, and direction for the year ahead.
2025 Annual ReviewGrowth & Life
Not written. Grown.
Growth and life notes from Xinwei Xiong (cubxxw): annual deep reviews, mind and productivity systems, close relationships, and travel writing. Beyond the technical work — how one person thinks, feels, and lives.
61
Entries
1223
Days growing
4
Rings
02
MIND & FLOW
Mind & Flow
Flow state, GTD, metacognition — practical methods that turn focus into a repeatable system.
Flow State guide03
TRAVEL & LIFE
Travel & Life
A digital nomad's world game: travel notes, cultural encounters, and reading lists organized by region.
Travel map
Freshly Grown
AI Made Me Smarter—and Slower to Meet Reality
AI can rapidly complete concepts, architectures, and plans while delaying falsifiable feedback. A 48-hour task shows how …
I Don't Have an Execution Problem. I Need a Battlefield That Can Say No
High output disproved my diagnosis of weak execution. What I lacked was an external result with the authority to …
Reading Hongyi in Quanzhou: Seeing Through, Then Taking Life Seriously
In Quanzhou, Master Hongyi’s Vinaya practice and a Buddhist temple’s Hindu pillars changed how I understand play, …
Growing Calendar · Monthly Notes
Since March 2025, 16 consecutive months without a gap — one note a month, like a plant that never stops branching.
Series
Growth Rings
FAQ
What does this section cover?
Three kinds of writing — annual deep reviews (one every year since 2023), mind and productivity systems (flow state, GTD, metacognition), and travel and digital-nomad life. It also carries "Ignite and Settle," a three-part series on close relationships.
Which annual reviews are available?
One deep retrospective per year since 2023 — 2023, 2024, and 2025 — tracing the full arc from student to AI founder. Start with the latest, the 2025 Annual Review, then read backwards in time.
What is "Ignite and Settle"?
A three-part series of long essays on close relationships — the quality and time of companionship, avoidant attachment, and anxious attachment. The three interlock; enter from any one, and together they form a complete map of intimacy.
What is the author's view of travel?
The world is one giant online game — Earth is the server and we are all players. The travel page organizes every trip by region, along with the travel books that shaped the author.