2021 Here We Come
Tags: Code, Reflections, Goals, Lifestyle, Goal Setting

With 2020 being a year most of us would hope to forget for the obvious reasons,

I lay in bed on Christmas day night feeling pretty reflective and excited to keep moving forward.

In the hope here to be completely honest and respectful of your time, I’m going to lay out my little plan for this mind dump and hope that it keeps you intrested to the end. No promises I keep on track, I am that guy who would completely unravel a jumper if it had a thread, crikey but me in a shop full of jumpers with loose threads and you better call the WI because someones opening a knitting shop. Any way I am going to have a little reflect on 2020, before I go on to set out some goals for 2021 and more.

Photo by v2osk on Unsplash

Right, on the whole 2020 has been a bit of a dumpster fire but actual I have a fear that the over arching sense of doom of this global pandemic is going to steal the lime light of some incredible things that have happened. On a personal level I can completely see it, In Feb I got engaged to my amazing partner, who for all her demands for tea, puts up with my inability to understand and deal with my emotions. Thats before we mention my poor ability to switch off and unhealthy obsession with work, I would say though that lockdown has been rubbing off and we are both getting pretty guilty of the latter. True to my word, first paragraph and I already got sucked into a black hole. There was more personal success, I helped turn a business around by smoothing out creases they where having with there technology, processes and real clunky website. There is nothing quite like seeing something go from sinking to growing in the space of the year. I love a good bit of efficiency and most of the success just came down to good listening. I from there found a job that I am loving working in the NHS (Data Analyst), deep down I had an earning to want to make a difference in the world, I feel especially at the moment I can do that here.

Aside from all the sappy personal stuff, there is loads of positive change that has happened in the World. I mean flexible home working is now a real thing. We have all got out of a shower at 8.55am and been in a 9am meeting. The distrust of working from home for being unproductive has vanised and if your experiance is anything like mine, were now more focused and end up working longer. Office distractions have gone from office chit chat, to putting a load of washing on. I know it will be different for everyone but I definatly think that a more flexible approach to working can only be a positive for the future. I have also spoke to friends and family who are further away mor than I ever had before, the family zoom is always interesting but it is defiantly a positive change.

Photo by Charles Deluvio on Unsplash

I also spot some big changes that I hope will stick. There is a new found love for data, I don’t think I can make it through a news article with out seeing a graph. It really excites me that we all want to get are teeth stuck into stats, however can I ask that we all make it our mission to demand the best visualisations, data people we can do better. It is super frustrating to see a week bar chart on every page. Also who could believe that when money is no object, and all the waiting is taken out we could really create a life saving vaccine in a year. Sorry for this little anti vax rant but, steps where quicker than the used to be because of data collected from every drugs trial there has ever been helped reduce the guess work. There were more people who could be used because everyone is effected by this, so no long hunts for participants. It is the perfect storm really for creating the quickest vaccines.

Here is a bit more of a short list of things I hope we don’t forget about: heros don’t ware capes but the defiantly go out there an fight for your life, very often putting yours before theres. Black lives really do matter, just because your not does not mean that it doesn’t happen and shock, some thing you do could be seen as racist when you look through some one else’s lens. Most of America learnt about mail in voting, its just a shame one of them keeps looking silly by shouting about it constantly, I really would prefer it if this one would go back to there box set of law and order. Also mental health is not something we talk about more. It is ok not to be ok, not every day is rosey.

Photo by Soroush Karimi on Unsplash

So 2021

I always get a little buzz at this time of year and drive to push my self in to the next. I like to set my self some goals and I more often than not like to publish them some where so I feel some kind of account ability to them. It also really nice to look back and chuckle about what you thought you would do in a year. Now a really big thing for me is that my goals have to be obtainable and measurable. I often find a couple get lost but I expect that when I write them, and a lot can change in a year, am I right 2020?

My goals this year are:

Run 520 miles

Cycle 1040miles

Now these are both over the year so its not as big as it seems, 10miles in a week of running and 20 on the bike I feel is pretty obtainable, there where points in 2020 where I got 4 3 mile runs in a week and a quick 20 mile ride in on the weekend no stress. The challenge for me is that I am inconsistent. My partner is incredible, she has this amazing routine with going to cross fit at 6.30am every weekday. I want to get in to those habits. If your think just go to cross fit then, trust me I did but I got to competitive in my own head. I need to race my self and no one else. Also cycle trainer for Christmas, I really am excited to do this.

Learn SQL

Learn Basic machine learning

Finish My IT course

I love to code, in my new job I use SQL everyday, I want to not just be-able to do what I need to do, I want to do It better. I also see massive opportunities to use ml on things I do in work, I hope it can be really impactful.

Write 52 of these things.

In my head I have got a couple of areas I would like to write about, and also I find writing really relaxing. Its a bit of mind cleaning, why is it a challenge? I am sure if you have made it this far you can tell Im dyslexic, and this is a bit of mind training for me. My plan currently is to write about python, my journey to exercise more. Reflections on a trip I made in 2019 and the impact its had.

Now recurring goals that go on past 2021 pretty simple currently.

pay off mortgage and cars,

be happy.

keep it simple hey, obviously if you want to follow along keep eyes peeled here because if I want to get up to 52 blogs, whats simpler than getting away with 12 goal updates. If you want to get envolved and build a little goal tracking community, drop a goal in the comments, I am exited to see them.

Any way thanks for falling in to my mind with me. I hope I have inspired you to reflect and make some of your own goals. Please also look for the silver lining even in the greyest cloud.