Since 2020 I've done at least two blog posts per year: one for my goals, and one re-visiting my goals. I have not made much of an effort to do blogging beyond that, and surprisingly: I'm okay with that!

I enjoy this annual check-in to see how far I've come and how I was able to act on my intentions for the year.

The end of 2023 and start of 2024 were really rough for me. I'd been dealing with levels of anxiety I'd never experienced before and constantly felt like something was catastrophically wrong with me. Thankfully, with the assistance of a therapist and some SSRI's I can say that I'm in a much better place now.

I started doing personal training in January of 2023 to help reduce stress and I'm also very happy with where I'm at with my physical health now. I began taking a GLP-1 to help with weight loss and the combination of resistance training and weight loss has helped me feel more comfortable and confident.

Give More Grace

When I created this goal, I was dealing with a lot of frustrations at work. The tech industry is a really volatile place right now with layoffs and changes in directions, and I felt the impact of that in my day-to-day life at work.

I've grown a lot in the last year as a leader at work and helping navigate a few dozen people through these transitions. A lot of this growth has come from being more patient and graceful with the people I interact with.

It's been much easier meeting people in person and having challenging conversations face-to-face where we can have full-body communication. I've repaired professional relationships with people I'd previously felt like I was on bad terms with, and built new stronger relationships with people I'd never really interacted with.

Limit Distractions

My goal initially was to reduce my screentime by half and limiting how much time I spent on TikTok and trying to tune out the news that upsets me.

I've tried implementing screen time limits for certain apps, but I habitually ignore them.

After the events of this year, I really think it's just important to wind down in a way that actually works. Some people read, some people have hobbies, but I am not going to demonize how much time I spend on my phone.

I do think that the practice of limiting distractions is important and it's a constant evolution. I really try to ignore rage bait or click bait and focus my attention where I want to.

I want to find more tactile hobbies that naturally make me use my phone less and less. Every year, my family does a homemade white elephant and this year I decided to try my hand at making candles. I thought it was a lot of fun! I also ordered some stuff to make my own face wash as what I've found in stores is either too expensive or not what I'm looking for.

Another way I'm choosing to think about this goal is to actually increase distractions towards things that bring me joy.

Reduce stress, increase joy

To be honest, 2023 was much, much stressful than 2024 and a lot of that had to do with the relationships I've built and fostered this year. Having settled in my house a little bit, I had a lot more flexibility to do things that I wanted like install new blinds, redo my bedroom closet, and get the house painted.

Any effort that I put into making my house a home ends up making me a lot happier and more satisfied. With my old closet, it was just a series of shelves so I was never inspired to keep it clean.

Now, with more drawers and options for organization I actually want to keep my closet clean and it makes doing laundry a lot easier. Something as small as always having laundry folded and ready to go makes life a little easier.

Plan more frequent, smaller trips

I went on SO many trips this year!

• Palm Springs
• Walla Walla
• Vegas
• DC
• New Orleans
• Vancouver BC
• Victoria BC
• San Juan Islands
• Alaska
• Portland

This was a great year for travel. Mission accomplished.