Highlights of 2019. Goals for 2020

As we enter the 2020s and people bicker about whether or not we've entered a new decade (instead of just being happy to be alive) and I avoid the issue by just saying that it's now the 2020s, I'm aware that I've been writing articles here for over five years. Tempus fugit, eh?

Yesterday, on New Year's Eve, after going for a two hour walk through the woods with my kids and then watching the World's Strongest Man with them, instead of finishing a somewhat overdue article about Azure Key Vault (I know, tough choice, eh?), it occurred to me that perhaps I haven't been prioritising my writing properly. That gives me an easy goal for this year, then.

Selected highlights of 2019

• I gave up a job I liked to put my family first - it was a good job, they seemed to like me and I was good at it, but I didn't get to see my children at all during the working week. That wasn't anybody's fault, but it also wasn't okay.
• I managed to attend all the important school things, as I always do.
• I managed to keep my bodyweight around 100kg^[1], which means I've done that for well over two years now. I'll probably either gain or lose a bit on purpose, just to relieve the tedium.
• We made a 3D printer (more about that another time, perhaps).
• I did some soldering for the first time since I was a child (more about that another time, definitely).
• In December, I passed two exams to become a Microsoft Certified Azure Solutions Architect Expert. You can click on this badge to verify that I'm telling the truth:
  
• I filed my tax return several weeks before it was due. This has never happened before.

I did quite a few other things, too, of course, but I'm not going to write about them here. Not now, anyway. One thing I've realised is that, when you have three young children, a lot of time is spent doing stuff with them instead of working on personal projects (like writing books and decorating your home office/gym, etc). That's as it should be. Whilst young children can often be excessively annoying and mine drive me to distraction daily, I gave up a good job (on purpose) so I could spend more time with them. Am I insane? Perhaps. But if you ever get a similar opportunity, you should probably do the same.

Goals for 2020

This year I am going to schedule time for writing and for lifting weights. I don't need to worry too much about prioritising the other stuff (family, work, etc), as I always make sure it gets done. However, last year when time ran short and I needed to drop something, writing and weight training were the things that were dropped. That's not going to happen in 2020.

One other goal: I really need to sort out the annoying popups on this website. I promise I'll do that soon. I mean, who cares that I ran a prize draw three years ago?

Have a happy, healthy and prosperous 2020, don't make daft resolutions you won't keep and remember to be kind to everyone, especially yourself.

Photo by Jude Beck on Unsplash