I don’t usually set any goals at the beginning of the year. I just set them as and when they occur in my mind. I also have not put any of my plans out in public for fear of disappointing myself. This approach has not been working for me. So, I decided to put my goals for the year together as a blog post to keep myself accountable, hoping to make better progress.
Revamp my portfolio website: I have a portfolio website built with Gatsby.js that is seldom updated. I was supposed to revamp the design last year but never got around to it. I even lost the mock I made with Affinity Designer when my OS got corrupted. So I am considering this as high-priority. I need to get this done this year.
Improve online presence: I realized that I had become more withdrawn last year. I had not made an effort to reach out and engage with the dev community. My plans to write blogs were always on the backburner. Hence writing blog posts regularly and sharing them goes to the top of my list.
Improve and practice algorithms and data structures: I have been working on algorithms and data structures last year but made painfully slow progress because of the lack of structure to my learning. I purchased a subscription to Algomonster at the end of last year, which seems to provide the structure I needed. All I have to do now is learn and practice them consistently every week. My goal is to complete all problems that are on Algomonster.
Spend time on drawing or painting: Drawing has been my lifelong interest. But when I had decided to focus on web development I had completely stopped spending time on it. Now that I have a full-time job as a Frontend Developer, I should start drawing again and improve my drawing skills.
Build side projects: I had stopped building side projects for the last year and a half as I spent most of the time coding at work. This year, I plan to set aside some time every week or two, to ideate and build a side project.
Be consistent at learning languages: I am learning five languages on Duolingo because I cannot seem to prioritize one over the other. Last year, there were times where I learned languages every day, and also times where I skipped it entirely for weeks. I intend to be consistent this year. I may not have time for it every day but at least once a week.
Apart from the ones mentioned above my other goals for the year include improving JS skills and also continuing my workout with the goal of building muscle and getting stronger. Keeping fingers crossed hoping for a great year ahead!