In early 2020 I set a few goals and established a tracking method to stay aware of them.
A year has passed, and it’s time to round up and post a status, before setting the new targets for 2021.
Here’s the 2020 goals with comments on how they went and why.
Play music every week
I set this goal in the very beginning of 2020, and only lasted 2 months. I think there are a few reasons for that.
- No social structure supporting me (I don’t talk to anyone else who plays)
- I haven’t made it rewarding in any way to play.
- I haven’t managed to make it part of my identity to play music. It used to be, but I wasn’t able to merge it back in.
I’ve got an idea of how to address this, involving the game Rocksmith. We’ll see how it goes. It might help that I’ve committed somewhat financially also. If Rocksmith doesn’t help, lessons of some kind will, and I placed a note in my tracking sheet to remind of that.
Play Xbox with a friend 12 times in Q1
Totally nailed this one. It’s also super easy to do, since it involved playing video games, inherently a rewarding activity (in the short term).
It also deepened bonds of friendship, which made it super valuable for reasons outside of the gameplay itself.
I stuck it back on the 2021 list, but it’s almost an easy win – it’s become part of what I do/who I am.
Spend more meaningful time with GF
This one started off weak, with a solid 6 months of intention but no action. There’s a double catch here.
- The word “meaningful” is tricky. Meaningful how?
- Several viable interpretations of “meaningful” will generate active resistance from GF.
We’ve allocated specific time now, a weekday evening, which will help puzzle out what this looks like in 2021.
Read something non-work most evenings
Great success. The definition turned out to be important, and was tweaked from the original “read fiction most evenings” to the more accurate “non-work” definition. I’m keeping this as an active goal, as it’s not 100% ingrained yet, but it’s a powerful habit I want to nurture and reflect on over time.
Eliminate screen time after 9.30 – except Kindle
Started OK, and then turned into an epic fail. I’ve started using my phone up until 5 minutes before bed. I’m renewing this goal with refreshed dedication.
Don’t rely on caffeine addiction to fuel production
- Well this one was on and off. It’s easy to say yes to the high.
- Moving on to tea, 2x per day max – except on weekends where coffee is allowed.
Write 42 blog posts
This was originally set as a doable goal for 2020, and it totally was. I didn’t hit the target (only go to 32), but I developed a good process, especially as it was executed in the beginning of the year. Also I’m pretty sure the process of writing those 32 posts really helped mull some things over and solidify some ideas. So overall, a win, and I’m maintaining it as an active target because it’s not yet solidified as part of my identity.
I cut down the goal size to match the 2020 batch. This is a foundation I would like not to go below until I want to change ID.
Read and review with intent 1 non-fiction book per month
Only got 10 done. Not through a lack of reading, but a lack of publishing. I’m not happy with the result, and will do better in 2021. One per month.
Consistent 30s freestanding handstand
Got about 20s, retaining 30s for 2021. The journey is definitely more important than the goal for me here, so I’m actually OK with it taking multiple years. The practice and movement is more important.
That said, I’d love for 2021 to be the year I can do 30s consistently and start work on more advanced variations.
Ship 6-12 projects
This was too big a mouthful for me. I did ship 1 project, Project Ashtray.
I think I got caught up in how much bigger project ashtray could/should be, and that got me stuck from shipping more. An excuse. A way for baseless resistance to creep in.
I’m reviving this at small scale in 2021, and I’ll be careful to not let the scope creep in a way that lets me “get stuck”.
Keep a diary/log
I did this for a while, stubbornly. Keeping track of the day/planning does actually help with overview. It sort of pre-loads the day and commits specific time to specific activities. The actual method didn’t pan out. However, one takeaway is that whenever I have time set aside to “grind”, that time should likely be marked of for specific activities to keep me honest and not distracted.
Sub 10-minute Berings Stafet (10:16 2019)
This stopped being fun when the run got cancelled. I’m not really set back, and will continue CF, keeping me decent on the 3k time. So I’ll settle for that, no harm caused, and it will return as a goal when the run is back on.
Complete IBM Data Science Cert.
Completed 8 out of 9 modules, didn’t finish the capstone. Didn’t feel it anymore. Did get a super foundational understanding of Python, and a basic understanding of data science, including what options are available.
Having this baseline is fine, but it’s not something I’m going to be actively building on for 2021. This is not where my development focus lies at this time.