If you’re reading this, you have dedicated a precious portion of your time in 2018 to show attention to my efforts. I do not take that for granted. I vowed to publish one article per weekday and your feedback keeps me going. I have never been very consistent at anything, and this is my shot at doing something that I enjoy. Please know that I am extremely grateful for your attention. I wish you have a wonderful year of 2018, full of audacious goals and victorious accomplishments. Happy New Year!
During the new years weekend, I was thinking about the right article for today. Not in the usual overthinking way, I’ve been enjoying a fulfilling flow of ideas as I started doing things. I wanted to do a part two on my imperfect story, but I wasn’t sure that’s the right way to go on New Years Day. Finally, I got it. Today, I will tell you about the things that don’t scale. The things I’ve been dying to try for the past ten years. The activities I would write off as non-monetizable, and in effect not worth doing.
This year I’m doing the exact opposite. I’m doing all the things that I didn’t let myself do. In fact, I assembled a plan to keep track and by publishing it here, to establish accountability. I will share the results of this once per month over the next 12 months.
The following objectives are simple, yet they will present a challenge to keep it interesting.
1. Travelling more, seeing old friends and meeting new people
Every month, I want to travel somewhere I haven’t been, either for a long while or ever. The ability to travel is not universal and I’m so grateful to be in a place to be able to do it. I’ve been putting off seeing friends all around the world simply because I was lazy. Not this year. Trips planned so far:
January — Italy — leaving for a ski trip tomorrow morning
February — London — have been putting this off for three years or so
March, — NYC — good friend living in the greatest city in the world, need to go
April — Stockholm? — never been
May — Monaco — seeing friends
June — Luxembourg — work
July and on — open to suggestions
During these trips, I want to expose myself to the unfamiliar as much as I can. Any suggestion of a good community meetup will be much appreciated.
2. Trying new things
Next, I want to go back to taking pictures and try making videos. I used to love it when I was younger. Messing with some iPhone footage over the past few weeks has been a lot of fun. A rather capable camera is on the way, and I’m stoked to get into it.
3. Reading more
Last year, I read occasionally and inconsistently. I consumed about ten books in audio and standard form. This year I want to do 24 books with notes. Afterwards, I want to share these short summaries and noteworthy ideas, that way I can provide a review and a topic for discussion. I’m starting small and I would like to increase the count during the year. As Tim Urban at Wait But Why pointed out, we have (rule of thumb) 300 books to read till the end of our lives. I need to hurry if I want to do something about that.
4. Meditating every day
I’ve been having a great time using Simple Habit, an app for guided meditation. I specifically enjoy Oren Jay Sofer’s concentration series. I’ve been enjoying a calmer and more focused daily experience.
5. Working out every day
Feed your mind and body.
Tony Robbins is known for saying this over and over. I’ve been doing my 7 minute workout every morning for about two months now. It helps me get in the flow in the morning and get on with the day. No matter how much sleep I got, with a workout put in early, I’m ready to get to work immediately.
Moreover, I never really knew how to swim and I tried Total Immersion, a learning method popularized by Tim Ferriss. I recommend to check it out if you haven’t already. It works.
6. Regular quality time with the family
The daughter is already ten months, and I love seeing her firsts. I want to keep focusing on being more present during family time. I want to devote 3 hours of quality time per weekday — that’s leaving the phone in a separate room.
In fact, I started putting my phone on do not disturb while talking to family or friends and it’s paid off. I can enjoy the time much better and feel more fulfilled by the moments. These relationships are the most precious. There is nowhere else you have to be. Let’s stop screwing around and turn off the phone, or at least turn off the notifications.
2017was a lot to handle. My daughter was born, and I’ve gone through a work transition. I experienced a radical change in perspective, which allowed me to feel more grateful, and in effect more happy. It was tough, but I couldn’t ask for more.
These are the six things I want to keep doing in 2018 to grow and achieve clarity.