In a dramatic change, I hit almost all of my 2017 goals. I have a habit of being way too ambitious with my goals, so I sort of dialed it back last year. The one exception will be obvious to readers of this blog - I failed to write!
Per tradition, Greg’s goals can be found here. Mine follow below.
Write
Essays, technical documents, personal notes, anything really. I find writing to be very difficult, mostly because everything I write tends to sound really stupid initially, and only less stupid once I publish. But I also consider it important as it’s the best (and maybe only way) to formalize thinking.
Get Finances in Order
Being recently married means that the whole money thing has become much more real all of the sudden. Now is the time for me to understand how to work towards financial security for my family, especially before the hustle and bustle of kids comes along. This means finally understanding investment, 401Ks, taxes, etc.
Stay In Shape
I often put down lofty fitness goals. This year, I just want to make sure I don’t fall off the wagon, so I am going to set my goal at an average of 4 workouts per week. I expect I will do some races, and I kind of want to learn to swim, but for now the important thing is to stay active.
Learn Piano
I have this on my goals every year. It may seem trivial, but I think it’s important for a few reasons:
- Music can keep you sharp mentally, and it’s something you can do into old age
- You can pass it along to children
- There is a lot of beautiful music, and playing is a new way to enjoy it
I’ve resigned myself to two conclusions - I need to learn to sight read, and I won’t be able to do that on my own. Last year, I started lessons with an instructor for 30 minutes every two weeks. Progress has been slow, but incremental. I’m hoping it’s like math - if I master basic arithmetic now, then I’ll be doing calculus in a few years.
Learn about Technology
Let’s face it. Technology is taking over every segment of our lives. Although it can be a force for good, that’s often not the case. Sometimes, when I’m overwhelmed by the pace of change in the world, I wish it was possible to just look away and plead ignorance. Unfortunately, the pervasiveness of technology makes this risky, especially for those in a technical profession. It’s important to understand and control this force rather than the alternative. There are many ways to do this, and the level of rigor required differs based on the individual. Most people can get away with understanding the basic risks of technology and being scrupulous in their choice of tools, but I probably need to embrace a deeper relationship at this point.
There are three areas I’d like to address:
- Learn about core technology. For me, this means a more fundamental understanding of computers, cybersecurity and the internet. I think the best way to learn something new is to employ a combination of action and reflection (I’m hoping to write more on this later), so here are some of the “actions” I’m considering this year in order of importance:
- Launch my own web app
- Contribute to open source
- Do a kaggle competition
- Make something cool with a RapsberryPi
- Reflect more on my relationship with technology. Hopefully this manifests itself in some new blog posts.
- Reduce mindless screen time. Right now, I watch too much TV out of laziness, and I unconsciously scroll through my phone out of anxiousness. Both can be bad habits, which, as they grow, can have increasing control over moods and actions.
Last year really taught me the importance of spending quality time with others. Too often, I find myself distracted or anxious in social situations. I need to calm down and learn to listen and enjoy company without agenda. Part of the problem is that I’ve always been a daydreamer, and find it easier to observe rather than “participate”. I have been doing better over the last few years but have a long way to go.
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