2024 Resolutions Review
Review of my Resolutions for the past year - 2024.
Going into 2024, I decided that I would have to focus on tackling anxiety, making big career steps and being happy. Sounded like a lot at the time, it kinda still does. But I was sure that these would have to be the things to “unlock” so that my life is more enjoyable.
Here I will reflect on the goals I set a year ago.
Resolution #1 - Life
Get married.
Buy a house.
Get a permanent contract at work.
Complete a course to learn Ruby.
Read 3 psychology/philosophy books.
Review
I didn’t get married, but our wedding planning is well underway, and we have a date set! I think this goal was unrealistic, since I had not consulted my girlfriend on a date :D
We also didn’t buy a house, even though we did place bids on quite a few of them, here in the Netherlands. Finally, after a lot of discussions, we decided to stop trying to win a bidding war. The system is stupid, rigged in favor of makelaars, and the houses are way overpriced (well… the market decides the prices, but still it seems stupid to me to have to pay 500K EURO for a small 2-bedroom appartment).
I did get a permanent contract at work. However, it was a very stressful situation, which included a lot of conflicts, due to other people’s immaturity, stupidity and lack of respect. I was not wrong to chase this goal, but I shouldn’t have had to.
I did complete a Ruby course, and I also wrote some Ruby for a couple of apps at work.
I did read 3 psychology/philosophy books! “Thinking Fast and Slow”, “The Stranger”, “The Idiot”, “Man’s Search For Meaning”.
I would mark this goal as 90% reached.
Resolution #2 - Wellbeing
Do weight lifting 3 times per week for 20 minutes.
Walk, run and/or cycle at least 4 hours total every week.
Keep an exercise log.
Meditate every morning.
Take 2 15-minute breaks every working day to rest my eyes, one before lunch and one after lunch. No smartphones allowed during these breaks.
Go into nature at least once every 2 months.
Do not talk about work after 9pm. Recognize what work things make me stressful and angry and filter them out of my life.
Review
I didn’t manage to be consistent with exercising, let alone weight lifting. My training was sporadic at best, although I did have various periods (of around 2-3 weeks at a time) when I did manage to keep a schedule. But I can’t consider this as anywhere near “complete”.
No running, not a lot of cycling, but some walking was done.
I did keep an exercise log for a few months, but it’s far from complete. At least, I created an easy way to log things.
My meditation sessions were sporadic at best, and I only managed to start later in the year.
I would mark this goal as 40% reached.
Resolution #3 - Contribute
Stay in regular touch with friends and family. Write down a list of names, and how often I would like to connect with each of these people. Set reminders.
Contribute to 3-6 charities that have immediate impact to local communities.
Invite and host at least 3 friends.
Give a meaningful gift to 6 different people.
Discover a volunteering opportunity that I like and join in.
Review
I did keep in touch with friends and family. It was easy, and enjoyable. I will continue doing that. I didn’t have to set reminders :)
I didn’t contribute as much as I planned, because I forgot about it.
We invited and hosted a lot of people.
I did give meaningful gifts to my friends and family. It was nice, and I will continue doing it.
I didn’t search for a volunteering opportunity at all. I decided early on that I didn’t have time for it.
I would mark this goal as 60% reached.
Overall achievement rate around ~63%.
Lower than last year. There were a few things that I completely dropped early in the year, but I still score them as 0%, to remind myself to be more mindful with the goals I set.
Since this is the 5th consecutive year of me setting goals and reviewing them occassionally and at the end of the year, I have now also noticed patterns emerging. Like, I keep failing to keep an exercise schedule. However, I keep progressing and trying different things in how to tackle this, which makes me happy when reflecting on it.
On the other hand, I have also started noticing areas where I consistently do well in, like for example my work and career.
I still need to think about 2025’s goals.
I think that as I removed some obstacles from my life (e.g. extreme anxiety & caring intensely for people who don’t care as much), I will next focus more on myself and what I find happiness and meaning in.
Happy New Year! :)