Looking Back to Look Forward
I know Im late to the boat but this has been a draft I never quite finished. Here goes nothing. In 2019 I set goals for 2020 some of them being specific and achievable others being a little more fungibgle. For things that don’t have direct metrics I’ll estimate progress.
Looking Back(2020 Goals)
- Date Zoe(aka improve quality time with my wife): 6/10. While in absolute contexts we did not go out on many actual dates(#corona)
- Write a Thesis: 10/10 Nailed it! It was close but I finished my Masters thesis right before the end of Decemeber and got my Masters! Next step is to turn it into a conference paper.
- Help Theo to walk: 10/10 Nailed it. Admitedly this was a given but the sentiment was more focused on being there and present for him in this journey. I didn’t expect to be able to be home as much I was in 2020 but a lock in will do that.
- Get a Tattoo: 0/10 Complete failure. Maybe 2021 is the year I stop chickening out.
- Sell Seattle House: 10/10 Success! Sold our house in August to a great couple who seems to continue our energy
- Move Somewhere New: 10/10 Done! As of Oct 8th our family became full time residents in Urbana Illinois!
- Start a Dinner Club: 3/10. Had a good friend group dinner going before covid with interesting meals and coversations but regularity died shortly into covid.
- Hunt an animal: 6/10. Fishing trip in La Ventana brought in a haul that fed everyone for a week but still isnt fully hunting.
- Surf a Wave: 3/10. Got kinda close surfing the incoming swell during my la ventana down winder but not a true wave nor a surf board.
- Meditate: 2/10. I got into a flow of waking up and thinking about my day but need to work on turing this into more structurted mediation.
- Write More: 3/10. Wrote papers and stuff for work but could definatley do more and share earlier.
- More Push Ups: 1/10. Missed the boat.
- Read More: 8/10. I read so much for my thesis and for investment work in 2020. Points off because of diversity of reading
If we add up my scores I achieved 62/130 aka 47%. Not too shabby but big room to improve. Using my 2020 goals I have rolled over a few into 2021. Main focus is on improving my process to work on anxeity, community, and physical activity.
Looking Forward(2021 Goals)
- Date Zoe: Building on last years goal the focus is to have focused Zoe and Daniel time.
- Read More about areas I dont know: As part of my PhD life I became obsessed about learning about CS, NLP and AI topics. This years I will read more and learn more about areas outside of my core. Focus this year is childhood development.
- Write and Post More: I need to write and share more. What better way than this blog and various social chanllanges.
- Wake up early: I am generally much more productive and happy when I wake up before 5 and get some good time in to work before my family wakes up. Goal is to have 4 days a week like this.
- Be a more present Dad: Theo is growing and learning like crazy. I want to listen to him more and support him fully.
- Make a PhD Friend: Covid had made PhD networking hard all I want is to make 1 homie.
- Go on a trip with my brother and his wife.
- Run from Home to Homer Lake(14 miles ish). When done have the only beer for the year will be consumed. Target June or July!
- Drink no beer: Beer had become an easy vice that I want to step away from. Move consumption over to hoppy kombucha instead. Only beer of the year will be after homer lake run.
- Get a tattoo: I have my ideas and been talking about it for years. Just need to pull the trigger.
- Get a first author paper published at a conference.
- Move into our new house.
- Surf a wave.
- Do one more pushup a day: This is my way to get back to doing hundreds of push ups a day. Starting at 20 I add a pushup every day. Goal is 385 by new years eve.
- Deliver 2020 Wine Vintage: Made a huge amount of wine in 2020 which needs to be landed into bottle!
- Dinner/Poker/Wine Club.
- Medidate + Breathing work.