Every year, I take the time to reflect on the previous year and set goals for the coming year. The format has evolved over time, and for 2023, I have categorized my goals in an OKR-ish manner.

Future Me Will Thank Me

These are goals that compound; not all of them may have an immediate practical outcome, but they all contribute to skills I want to learn or improve upon.

• Write for at least 30 minutes, once a week: I have previously found a lot of joy in writing, but my skills have deteriorated to the point where it feels more frustrating than enjoyable. I need to practice writing regularly to regain my flow.
• Become intermediate in Japanese: While I can manage a basic, useful conversation in Japanese, I have yet to reach the intermediate level.
  • Complete 26 italki sessions.
• Create more! Creation, whether physical or conceptual, is the essence of who I am.
  • Work through at least one classic coding exercise:
    • Spreadsheet
    • Ray Tracer
    • Game emulator
  • Finish an Advent of Code challenge.
  • Build at least 2 physical objects.
• Find flow twice a week: As an executive, I often find myself in a constant state of context switching and rarely experience a state of flow. I want to intentionally create space for finding that flow. I have made attempts before, but this year, I am committed to achieving it.

Work/Life Integration

Towards the end of last year, I took on a larger role, leading the global engineering team at Mindbody. Given our current position and the progress we need to make, I find myself spending more time on work-related tasks. Balancing work and family commitments means I have less time for other hobbies. This year, my goal is to restore a healthier work-life balance, allowing me to dedicate more time to my other interests.

• Mindbody engineering is firing on all cylinders:
  • Spend a reasonable amount of time working.
  • Ensure the team is performing well (based on my performance review).

Consumption

My overarching goal is to consume less and create more - and to be conscious of the quality of the work that I do consume. Even before taking into account the effects of generative AI, media is now effectively infinite. This effectively infinite sea of art and the lack of shared context in what is consumed, consuming new media doesn’t confer much advantage.

• Clean out reading backlog: I have accumulated hundreds of saved tabs to read, and it’s time to tackle this backlog one way or another.
• Watch 12 great movies.
• Read 5 classic books.

Physical

• Take 10 swim lessons: I live in a city with many rivers and enjoy river surfing, but my swimming ability is holding me back.
• Complete a mountain bike race: Mountain biking has been my most consistent sport over the past few years.
• Maintain blood pressure below 130/80: My blood pressure hasn’t been optimal in recent years, so I aim to bring it to a healthier range.
• Achieve great joint health: Experience joint pain for fewer than 5 days in Q4.
  • Do 20 Pilates sessions.
  • Practice yoga once a week.

Home

• Complete 1 major house project.
• Transform the shop into a space of pride: Last year, the shop was barely functional. This year, I want to make it a place where I truly enjoy spending time.
• Cook twice a week: I find joy in nourishing my family and want to do it more often. Recently, I started experimenting with sous vide cooking, which also satisfies my engineering curiosity.