In January 2020, I wrote a blog post about how I wanted 2020 to go. I talked about growing my freelance business, redesigning my blog, and reading more books.
Those were the most significant things I expected to happen in 2020.
What actually happened was:
- A global pandemic
- The birth of my son
- Quitting my dream job after eight years
It made me wonder if I should even bother planning. But then I remembered one of my favorite quotes:
A good plan, violently executed now, is better than a perfect plan next week.
So, below are my goals and aspirations for 2024.
One thing to note: I chose not to include a few things. The first is family goals: they’re private and probably not interesting to anyone besides family. The second is the goals for my professional job. I have many goals there but can’t publicly disclose details about ongoing projects.
Goals for 2024
- Don’t die
I borrowed this one from Matthew Dicks. If you haven’t read his books Storyworthy and Someday Is Today, you should. As Matthew said in his 2024 New Year’s Resolution: “I plan to live forever or die trying.”
To help with this, I will push myself to work out three times per week. I used to do this in college, but I stopped when I convinced myself work was more important than working out every week. Skipping one workout turned into two, then three, and now it’s been months.
Prioritizing health will help me stay around longer for my family, and there’s nothing more important than that.
- Start working on some “small bets” to approach financial independence
There is always a possibility that I could get laid off from my job tomorrow. I work to the bone and genuinely believe in the mission, but the market decides what products succeed, and there are no guarantees.
To ensure my family is always taken care of, I will try to add some other income streams. I only have nights and a few hours on the weekends for this, so I’ll need to use that time wisely.
I started last year by releasing TeamDynamic, a SaaS for building team activities. I haven’t marketed it enough, but I will this year. I spent almost every weekend for a year building this. In hindsight, I should have spent much more time validating the idea before putting in this effort. It’s a project I’d like to see become profitable, even if I have to pivot off my initial idea for its value proposition.
Also, I’m thinking of building a course that teaches electronics. Growing up, I learned to build things by scrapping together pieces of the internet, and I loved every second of it. I would have killed for a course like this, so maybe others out there feel the same.
- Work on a YouTube channel
This year, I started a YouTube channel for fun. I’d like to publish a new video every two weeks. I don’t expect this to make any money, but the videos involve topics I love, and I enjoy making them.
- Practice chess more
I sometimes play chess to unwind. I want to push myself to play more because I’ve gotten rusty.
- Write more blog posts
Writing is the best way to clarify my thoughts and learn new things. I spend much time writing in my personal notes but less and less time writing publicly. This year, I want that to change.
I want to do a minor design refresh for the blog to keep myself interested in writing. I’m not sure why that helps me, but it does. Then, I’ll try to write a blog post at least every month.
- Read at least 12 books
Between my Kindle and Audible, I read a bunch of great books in 2023, including:
- Be Useful: Seven Tools for Life by Arnold Schwarzenegger
- Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Herari
- Stillness Is the Key by Ryan Holiday
- All of the Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells
- Old Man’s War by John Scalzi
- The Expanse books 1-4 by James S. A. Corey
I also re-read one of my favorites: Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir.
I want to continue my streak of reading at least 12 books every year in 2024.
- Post my progress publicly
Posting my progress on this blog helps me hold myself accountable. I haven’t done this in the past, but I think it will help going forward.
So, there you have it—my roadmap for 2024. If there's anything the rollercoaster of the past few years has taught me, it's that plans are less about the certainty they offer and more about the direction they point us in. As I work towards these goals, I'm keenly aware that the path may twist, turn, or even circle back at times. But that's okay. It's all part of the adventure.
Thanks for being here, for reading, and for possibly setting your own goals after reflecting on mine. Here's to a year of growth and learning.