2014 Review; 2015 Goals

December 2014

A quick blog post about things learned and accomplished in 2014 and areas of focus for 2015.

By writing them down I hope there’s more chance of me actually following through.

New software/apps/tools for 2014

Some of these apps I had used before, but in 2014 I found myself becoming more reliant on them and working them into my daily routine.

  • Slack for team chat & communication.
  • Sketch for UI design. It's taken over some, but not all, of what I previously used Photoshop for.
  • Wealthfront (US) & Nutmeg (UK) for ETF investing.
  • Pocket for saving articles/sites for later (I previously used Instapaper).
  • Pebble smart watch.
  • GetAround for car rentals.
  • Uber for taxi service (previously used Sidecar).

Things I shipped and worked on in 2014

Books read in 2014

Podcasts subscribed to in 2014

Goals for 2014

A look back at some areas of focus I set myself this time last year.

1. Projects with (sustainable) business models. Fail. Continued to work on side-projects that I enjoy to work on, rather than those that make money. What can I say, I enjoy hacking and tinkering on stuff. However I did manage to shut down and/or sell a few websites that I felt weren’t going anywhere, freeing up some time.

2. Hardware. Success(ish). Took a couple of classes at Techshop in San Francisco where I built and programmed my first Arduino. My Kano also arrived so I can devote some more time to it. I definitely have a better understanding of how this stuff works, but have a long way to go before building something useful.

3. Educating others. Success. I was a mentor and talked at Lean Startup Machine SF, mentored at Startup Weekend Oakland, gave a couple of Tech Talks on the things I do at Mailgun and wrote a couple of tutorials.

4. Educating myself. Success. Read quite a few useful books. Started Krav Maga training. Started Crossfit classes. Attended a Cooper workshop on design leadership. Took a couple of Techshop classes on electronics, and some development classes on both Code School and Treehouse.

Bonus: Start a family. Success. Very proud to say my wife and I had a son in November. Life now has a whole new meaning, and also affects my areas of focus going forward :-)

Areas of focus for 2015

1. Focus on doing less. Instead of spreading myself thin and working on lots of things, I plan to focus. This includes projects I take on in work, personal projects and things in my personal life. By being selective I hope I can be more successful at the things I do take on.

2. Investing and wealth management. I’m a noob to what I’ll call “wealth management”. Investing. Stocks. Real estate. Lots to learn here. Now that I have a family I want to have a better understanding of this area of life so I can invest in the future.

3. Writing. I enjoy writing about the things I learn. And I find I learn more when I write or teach. More how-to tutorials, talking at events, hosting work shops, writing a book, teaching in schools. Something along those lines.

Have a good 2015.

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