2023 Resolutions Review
Review of my Resolutions for the past year - 2023.
Going into 2023 I tried to define goals that were measurable, by breaking them down into specific “checkpoints” or “smaller goals”. This should have helped me become more deliberate with my actions and mindset towards achieving them.
Resolution #1
Athletics
Build a program that fits my needs.
Keep an exercise log.
When working from home, observe a pomodoro schedule and do exercises every other short break.
Incorporate a running and/or cycling (or some other aerobic workout) schedule in my weekly life.
Review
I did take time to investigate and form a program that fits my needs and I did keep an exercise log. However, I didn’t manage to stick to it for the whole year, not in a pomodoro schedule during work and not in the average week of the year.
I would consider this goal as “Experiment was a success. Keep working with it” when all is considered, as I did establish some good bases and I did keep the schedule for a total of ~5 months.
I would mark this goal as 65% reached.
Resolution #2
Weight
Have 5 meals a day.
Eat healthy meals as much as possible. Reduce eating out or ordering to maximum 4 times per week.
Gain 1 kilo every month.
Track my progress at the last day of every month.
Review
I weigh the same as a year ago. Gaining weight is hard, as I knew already - at least for me. Also, with some newly discovered health complications it was even harder to hold weight once I gained it; which I did for a few months.
Despite that, I did eat healthy and my latest medical exams show it.
All in all, I would mark this goal as “Failed, need to try a lot harder”, considering the situation. I will think about maybe revisiting this goal from an added angle during 2024.
I would mark this goal as 75% reached.
Resolution #3
Hobbies
Create a book of guitar tablatures and practice on two songs every day for at least 30 consecutive minutes.
Work on technical projects (example: MagicMirror, backups, PhotoGallery) at least 4 hours every week.
Read 12 books.
Go for a long walk in the forest at least once every 3 months. Go camping one time.
Find (or resume) another hobby. Ideas: 3D printing, painting, booknooks.
Review
Well, I have marked most of the above as “DONE”, but the whole goal would be something like “Good progress but not on a schedule”. This, because I spent months of reading 0 books and going on 0 walks and working on 0 hobbies, and other months when I did all of the above multiple times.
Maybe this is the realistic scenario, but I would have liked to have had it more spread out over time.
I would mark this goal as 65% reached. I did not go camping and even though I played through a lot of songs, I did not create that book.
Resolution #4
Contributions
Contribute to 3-6 charities that have immediate impact to local communities.
Open at least 6 PRs to open source projects.
Be more relaxed and mindful, and pay attention to what people are saying.
“Pay it forward” 1 time every month.
Review
I would consider this goal as “Went better than expected, but got forgotten somewhere along the way”, as the first half of the year I was really mindful of this goal, but during the second half, I got carried away by life’s various waves and forgot about this often.
I did contribute to a few charities and organizations, I did contribute (albeit not a lot) to OS projects, and I did become more mindful. I did “pay it forward” a few times too, but definitely not >=12.
All in all, I would say I reached an 80% on this goal.
Overall achievement rate around ~71%.
Better than last year, which I am proud of. I think I prefer this approach of having more structure and measurable sub-goals on each resolution.
I haven’t thought seriously about next year’s resolutions yet. I do have some in mind, but I need to analyze everything a bit more.
Happy New Year, with health and sustained happiness to all!