Every year I do a review of the past year, and what I plan on doing this year. I usually have this ready by the first week of the year, but here we are in the third week, and I’m now doing this.
Guess things haven’t started too well.
First, let’s review my main goals from last year.
- Learn Python and DevOps
Status: Stalled.
While I started doing some work with both, somewhere things fell off. - Learn Machine Learning/Deep Learning/Artificial Intelligence
Status: False start
I bought books, online training, and watched lots of YouTube videos. Everything, except to start doing something. Even my final year project is an AI project, and couldn’t get that started. - Develop my drawing skills
Status: Never started
Just never got around to doing anything. Not even going to look at that this year. - Learn negotiating and influencing skills
Status: Progressing
If it’s one thing about the job, is that it gives me opportunities for practising negotiating and influence. Can’t say I’m any good at it, but I’m getting practice. - Get back into fitness
Status: Done
I got back a Fitbit tracker and started again making my steps and monitoring my health. After neglecting my health a bit this year, I wanted to finish on a more positive side. - Master focus and time management
Status: Progressing
I’m no master, but I at least know how to manage myself. Practice though? That’s another thing. For sure, I have too much to do. It’s easy to say delegate, but when things are not getting done, it’s hard not to get involved to move items along. Need to start holding people accountable.
So last year didn’t go so well. I certainly didn’t feel as though I left the year with a set of successes.
Plan for next year
So what’s the plan for this year?
Start a new business
I need to make movements to improve my situation. Working is not working out for me. Building out another revenue stream is an excellent place to start.
Finish my M.Sc. Project
My M.Sc. final project is especially troubling to me and keeping me from completing my Master’s degree. Need to take what I’ve learned in focusing and managing my time and put it towards completing my final year project.
Keep stepping
I started back fitness, now to take it up a notch. I plan to run at least two 5Ks and at least one 10K. Next year, I want to do the half marathon, and who knows, perhaps I’ll do a full marathon the year after.
Get certified
I’ve allowed much of my technical certifications to lapse. As I reconsider my career options, I plan to get certified in some new areas that I wish to pursue, especially from the DevOps side of things. Certifications I’m looking at in order of preference:
- Red Hat
- MCSA (Azure)
- AWS
- TOGAF
Minimise
I’ve gathered way too much stuff. And further, I’m adding to it. It’s taking up space, time, and not to mention money. It’s time to simplify and become more minimalist. So get rid of some of the things I currently have, and then reduce the number of things I tend to acquire.
Cook more
My wife doesn’t like to cook. But I do. I just don’t have to time, or rather make the time to do it. Part of it is that I’m really slow – it takes me an hour to make minute rice. As I strive to be healthier, and richer, I think it’s time to cook more.
Take greater control of my finances
Over the past couple of years, my spending has gone awry. I stopped keeping track of my spending, and I’ve not been following my budget. As I make plans to go back to foraging for my income, I need to take back control of how I spend my money. This means:
- Creating a budget and sticking with it
- Tracking how I spend money
- Finding better investment instruments to roll with
- Find more income streams (hence new business)
Some hard conversations will come from this one, I know it.
Take control of my time
My time has not been my own. Work has taken up too much of it. And when I do have free time, I tend to squander it on mindless activities like YouTube, Netflix, and lately, Twitter. I need to not only spend my time wiser but also take it back.
So the plan:
- Use weekends for myself and personal projects
- Reduce the time spent after hours at work
- Limit the time spent on mindless activities (probably using a timer or something)
A nice vacation
It’s been a while since I’ve taken a nice vacation, so I’m thinking of doing just that. Perhaps a big country trip or something. I know I said I need to take control of my finances, but I think this will do me well.
In all, I have a ton of goals that I’ve set, even after not continuing with some of the goals I set last year. Not sure how this would go given that the last year I barely made a dent.
I still want to pursue DevOps, Python and AI, but I’ll do that while doing my other goals – new business and M.Sc. Project. Hopefully, I’ll be successful doing it this way.