Here is my review of 2020, the weirdest year of my life.

Career

I had two career goals:

• Expand my professional network
• Embody Netflix culture

Good

• Led multiple cross-functional projects successfully
• Transitioned to remote working without a hiccup
• Had a productive Q1 and Q2 at work
• Got used to providing positive feedback
• Gave a public talk to a crowd of 200

Bad

• Couldn’t understand the importance of Q3 and Q4 projects
• Failed to get enough context on my domain to have a deep insight
• Still not used to giving constructive feedback honestly
• Did not expand my professional network outside the talk

Intended Changes

• Start questioning the underlying assumptions of our projects. I am only as effective as the impact of the projects I work on. I need to make sure that they are worthy of the team’s time.
• Make time at work to play with new technologies that I am not comfortable with.
• Be more honest about challenging conversations and my career growth.

Personal

I had quite a few personal goals in 2020:

• Continue to have a happy marriage
• Rest more
• Get leaner
• Reach personal records on big lifts (Bench 225 lbs & Squat 360 lbs & Deadlift 405 lbs)
• Keep up with the recent trends.
• Read long forms vs. short forms

Good

• Stayed healthy throughout the year
• Daily walks with my wife gave us more focused time with each other without devices.
• Ran 10k in one go (first time ever!)
• Published my newsletter every week
• Read a couple of eye-opening books like How to Hide an Empire and Riding for Deliveroo

Bad

• Messed up my diet and gained 5 lb while losing muscle.
• Unable to work out as much as I wanted to due to COVID and the California wildfires
• My sleep pattern was out of control
• Couldn’t find the will to meditate
• Read fewer books than I originally planned (37 out of 52)

Intended Changes

• I’ve relied on my years of training to get away with an unhealthy diet and inconsistent sleep. I believe that reserve is now depleted. I need to start taking care of myself.
• Accept that my life pattern has changed and adjust my plans accordingly.

Overview

I am grateful that none of my family has caught COVID-19, that my wife and I got to spend more time with each other, and that I did not have to worry about my job. I did ok considering everything.