My Goals for 2021

As I argued earlier, I think that goals are for everyone. After all, goals simply bridge the gap between who we are today and who we’d like to become in the future. By definition, goals state the things we want.

With this in mind, the goals I set each year follow a particular format. I start with a high level objective about the person I want to become, and then break out each objective into small and measurable steps (borrowed from Objectives and key results (OKR) framework).

Here are my goals for 2021.

1. Become a late stage beginner at piano
- Memorize the notes
- Play 3 different songs (that are not in C Major) without noticeable mistakes
- Perform “recital” with friends

2. Become conversationally adept in the NBA
- Subscribe to 2 podcasts
- Watch 5 games
- Participate in fantasy league

3. Become decent at data science
- Complete MIT Python
- Set up new personal automation
- Automatically deliver a quote from personal database to personal email daily

4. Become more thoughtful
- Schedule 4 off-sites
- Reach 100 newsletter subscribers
- Reread 5 books
- Read 10,000 pages (including magazines)
- Read a presidential biography
- Read a classic that exceeds 500 pages (Les Mis)
- Start LOTR

5. Become a pain-free runner
- Book MRI appointment
- Meet with one other ortho
- Upgrade health insurance

What are your goals for the new year?

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