2020 was bad… but great. It forced me to take a step back and reflect. In retrospect, I think it was a good year. Although it might take me a while to fully appreciate it. Due to preparations in previous years, it didn’t hit me as hard as I expected. However, I’m aware that not everyone was as lucky.
2020 acted as a catalyst for technology. Remote work is here to stay. Universities have to innovate. They can’t keep charging 12k+ for Zoom classes. I’m curious to see which behaviour will stick after we go back to “normal”.
What went well?
- Traveled to Johannesburg, Cape Town, New Delhi, Nice, Frankfurt, and Tessel. With a full-blown pandemic going on I’m more than happy to be able to visit these countries.
- I’ve sent Pieter’s Post 52x times this year. It feels good to create something instead of consuming. However small that may be.
- I’ve given this blog a polish and joined a small writing group called Word Raft. So far really enjoying it. I’m aiming to blog weekly and see where it takes me. 2021 will be about quantity. 2022 about quality. It forces me to process all the information I consume and (try) to form a coherent argument. This year I’ve published 7 blogs.
- Launched Westvoss. Giving freelance web development a go. Looking back I’ve done a lot in a couple of months. However, I’m looking forward to growing it.
- Learned HTML, CSS, and the basics of Javascript ( Vanilla JS, Node.JS, MongoDB). Happy that I got the time to focus on learning (Frontend) web development from scratch. It took up a lot of my time but it’s something I’ve wanted to do for a long time.
- Took the first step in asking others for help. I’m slowly learning to choose the best person for the job instead of forcing myself to do it. For example I hired someone to help accelerate me learning Google AdWords instead of reinventing the wheel.
- Invested in tools like a proper desk and chair. Switching from being a cheapskate to buying high quality stuff I use all the time.
What didn’t went well?
- Needles to say, it’s not a good year to be in the event video business without events. So I had to make a fast pivot to web development. It feels bad to leave such a fun job behind but I’m grateful that it gave me the time to think about what I want to do in the coming years.
- In the first 7 months, I was in the best shape I’ve been in a long time. But from September onwards I lost motivation and it quickly got worse.
- Financially okay year due to the circumstances but not what I was aiming for.
What is the focus for 2021?
- Keep learning Javascript and building projects
- Outsource what I’m not good at. Find help, get a coach, trainer, or whatever
- Build or join a community around creating online
- Focus on growing (more leads) for Westvoss
