2017 is over. I didn’t think it was a bad year. We had some great things happen and some terrible things happen. Overall, it wasn’t a bad year. It wasn’t my best year either. But it’s over now and we have 2018 to look forward to.
2017 Goals
I made a number of goals in 2017. I achieved a few of them, but not all.
Half Marathon
My first goal was to enter and compete in a half marathon. I entered into the marathon (paid the entrance fee), but I never competed.
I was training and preparing for this. I was out running several times a week for a few months. But, despite being a year out from my last surgery, I was still having some pain while running longer distances. The last thing I want to do is re-injure anything and need further treatment. Instead of risking that, I abandoned this goal. I didn’t want to, I really enjoy(ed) running. I think I’ll try running a few 5ks before jumping back into a half marathon.
Technical Blog Posts
I managed to make a number of semi-technical blogs posts. One one was overly technical, but I think I got close enough with the others to call this a win.
I posted a rather lengthy post about how to use Charles Proxy for app development and testing. This actually turned into a talk I did last year (to satisfy another goal).
I also started a new series about data synchronization. It’s still a very slow work in progress, but I’m still chipping away at it. Life gets in the way (as always). But I’m determined to make more progress.
Present Something
I presented my Charles Proxy session at a joint iOS/Android meet up during Philly Tech Week last May. I’m not very good with presentations, so I am happy that I went through with this. The presentation went well and I think everyone appreciated it (and maybe even liked it).
My slides from that presentation are available here.
Release a New App
While I didn’t personally release a new app. My company worked on and released a brand new app. We released Boomerang - Best Cartoons last year. It’s a really cool app with a lot of awesome cartoons.
I’m not really sure if this is a win or not. While I didn’t release a new app personally, I did professionally.
2018 Goals
Now that I’ve taken a look back, it’s time to look forward. I haven’t put a lot of thought into what I want to accomplish in 2018. But I do have some personal goals I would like to accomplish.
Run a 5k (or two)
This goes directly to my 2017 goal. While I don’t feel like I could complete a full half marathon, I think I could do reasonably well in a 5k. Baby steps…
Read 20 Books
In 2017, I read 14 books. I enjoy reading. But I don’t do it as often as I want to.
To help accomplish this, I have purchased a new Kindle Paperwhite. Why the Paperwhite? Because it’s only a reading device. I won’t get Facebook or Twitter notifications. It’s just for reading, it’ll keep me focused. It’s also easy enough to carry with me. Ok, so why not the Oasis? Because the Oasis was over $100 more and if I decide that I hate this device, I won’t feel so bad. And if I love the Kindle Paperwhite, I can always upgrade to the Oasis when the next revision comes out.
I’ve also started (re)subscribing to Audible. I love taking walks (sometimes 2-3 times a day) and why not listen to a great book while out for a walk? I used to be a huge audiobook listener. Time to get back into things.
More Blog Posts
I like writing. I’m not very good at it. But I want to get better. I think the best way to do this is to read and write more.
Last year I had a goal of writing more technical blog posts. This year it’s more of anything goes. I would still like about five technical blog posts, but if I limit myself to those, I’ll never write anything.
I’m hoping to write a new blog post every two weeks. This is the first of those posts. I hope a post every two weeks is a reasonable amount. I just hope I don’t post stupid posts just to say I made it.
Present Something (again)
This one is just like last year. I hate presenting things. I need to force myself to do it. I think this has been a goal for myself for the last few years.
The only way to get better at it is to do it. I would really like to present at a conference sometime, but again… Baby steps…
Wish Me Luck
I hope to reach all of my goals. But I guess only time will tell. Wish me luck.