Today marks the first day of All Things Open 2025, a technology conference that takes place every year right here in my backyard. I remember attending the first few editions and loving the chance to meet people and friends — some I only knew from online interactions — while listening to great speakers and getting my mind blown by their enthusiasm for their craft.
After unsuccessfully submitting talk proposals for several years, I eventually decided to skip the event altogether. But this year, I decided to give it another shot — to see if it could win back my patronage. I even bought my tickets months in advance and made plans to meet some teammates and hang out outside of work.
But alas, I won’t be going to the conference today — for a completely different reason.
My team is in the middle of delivering several important features and fixes for our platform, including the architecture of a major new capability that could set the tone for all of 2026. Add to that the end-of-year rush of people-management tasks, paperwork, and planning before the holidays, and it just doesn’t feel right to step away right now and let things sit idle.
I like to think I’m good at balancing work and personal life, but this isn’t that kind of trade-off. This is a work-versus-work situation, and right now, I need to prioritize what will have the biggest impact for my team. Still, I’m bummed I won’t get to see some old friends who’ll be in town this week — and I’m hoping for a better shot next year.
Photo by Piret Ilver on Unsplash