2019 Annual Review
Now that we're two weeks into 2020, the "New Year New Me" motivation wave has crashed. Gyms are no longer crowded. Many have forgotten their new year goals and continue with their merry ways.
Perfect time to publish the annual review post.
During every year review, we cycle through our memories, reliving that amazing adventure we had through the jungles of Thailand, that amazing conversation we had with that stranger on the subway, or that energizing feeling of crushing the work project you've toiled away at.
As I reflected on my favorite moments, books, tweets, movies of 2019, I noticed a single theme: determination. From reading about Alex Honnold's free solo ascent up to El Capitan, to Jose Alvarenga surviving 438 days in the sea, to my own bike trip from San Francisco to LA, everything that caught my eye this year resembled some form of determination.
In 2018, my theme was learning. 2019, it was determination. My theme for 2020? Let’s find out.
To find out what's in store for 2020, I conducted an annual review in this order:
Biggest Wins
Things to Improve
Things to do more of/less of
2020 Goals
Habits
Memories
Biggest Wins
Biking to LA: Last January, a few friends and I set a goal to bike from San Francisco to Los Angeles. We didn't bike regularly, but we were committed. During this challenge, we overcame a excruciating back pain, patellar tendonitis, 21,000 feet of elevation, 506 miles to complete the challenge.
Career Skill Development: 2019 was the biggest year of growth for my data science career. I've only been working in the field for two years. I also didn't study computer science in college which meant my engineering skills had significant room for improvement. I learned how to write packages, unit tests, build end-to-end machine learning solutions. I also learned how to effectively deal with stakeholders, lead and influence.
Dropping 4% body fat in 1.5 months: In June, I set a goal to get to 15% bodyfat. I crushed it. I started at 17.6% and dropped to 13.4%, while gaining a 1lb of muscle, in about 1.5 months. The recipe for this, was cooking spaghetti squash at home, exercising everyday, and 80% vegetable + 20% meat plates. Oh and biking 500 miles helped.
40 total dates: In 2019, I set an intention to find a long term relationship by dating a lot. I succeeded in the second part. I went on 40 dates over the course of 2019. I made a lot of mistakes and embarrassed myself. I got rejected a lot. I learned to keep first dates cheap and quick. I learned to apply less logic and more intuition. I learned I need to communicate better. Someone can check all the boxes, but just doesn't feel right. But most importantly, I learned what I valued in an ideal women.
Things to Improve
Technical Craft: I don't have a PhD. I don't have a Masters. Being on a team of PhD's, imposter syndrome stands in front of me everyday. But rather than let it crush me, I use it as fuel to become better than ever. While my technical skills aren’t terrible, I'm holding myself to a higher standard. To be completely honest with myself, compared to my teammates, my technical skills are definitely on the weaker end.
Dating/Relationships: While I did go on 40 dates last year, I didn't accomplish my goal: find a long-term compatible, relationship. I went hard on dating for the first eight months. For the last few months of the year, I stopped dating as frequently since I was burnt out. I’ll need to put myself in situations where I can meet women who have aligned values.
Leadership/Influence: At work, my main focus has been on execution and less on leadership side. A focus for next year, will be on how to have my ideas be heard, effectively sell them and be able to positively influence the organization. This also means thinking from first principles to challenge ideas before accepting them. The first step, is to flawlessly execute. This builds trust and creates political capital to have influence.
Things to Do More Of:
What were the experiences that triggered the highest number of flow states in 2019? What were the experiences where I lost track of time? This is what I need to do more of.
Surfing: I'm a beginner/intermediate-ish surfer. Whenever I catch a wave while surfing, the ocean drowns away all my worries as it pushes me to shore. It's ecstatic. Surfing is the on activity I must do when I’m feeling burnt out. There’s something magical about being out in the ocean, no technology, just you and mother nature.
Cycling: If you want to train “determination”, I recommend cycling. The repetitiveness of cycling turns it into a meditative sport. The repetition forces you to calm your mind, pay attention and most importantly, to just keep going. Although this year’s theme won’t be determination, I’ll need to continue applying determination to my newer goals.
Meaningful conversations: The most meaningful conversations are the ones that touch our hopes, fears, dreams. They shine light on our imperfections with the other person listening intently, absorbing every word and emotion floating in the atmosphere. Whenever I have amazing conversations, I leave them feeling energized.
Data Science: Over the last few months, I've been enjoying data science more than ever. The process of thinking deeply about a problem, finding a solution and seeing results triggers an odd, light buzz throughout my body. Constantly grinding, then solving a problem, makes me want to jump on a table and pound my chest, giving a Tarzan-like scream.
Writing: I didn't write as much as I wanted this year. I wrote a giant post about my bike trip but stopped right after. Not only is writing a great flow activity, but it's also a great way for me to hone my thinking and understanding of ideas. But most importantly, writing is an amazing way of sharing what I’ve learned with others.
Things to Do Less Of:
Binge Drinking: I used to party a lot in my college years. This year, I can count on one hand, the number of times I had a hangover. This is great and I plan to keep this up. The times where I notice myself becoming irritable, upset or anxious are usually after nights of heavy drinking. I still plan to have a couple drinks. However, as I get older, binge drinking doesn't really have a place in my life. Unfortunately for my friends who love to binge drink every weekend, this may mean we grow apart.
Ordering Take Out: I habitually order delivery. This isn't great for my wallet and my health. While I don't eat crappy food, ordering out usually means I don't know what's actually going into my food. The solution here is to cook at home more often.
2020 Theme - Craftsmanship
Based off my 2019 reflection, my 2020 theme will be on craftsmanship. Like a blacksmith welding metal, the craftsman pay attention to the minutiae of everything they're building. They pursue their craft with the highest standards of excellence. Excellence means we hold ourselves to a higher bar than others expect of us. You pay attention not just to how it looks on the outside, but the inside. You take feedback but its the only way to improve.
Combine 2018's theme of learning with 2019's theme of determination and we get “craftsmanship”. The principle here is to treat all my projects as a part of my "craft." Not just work, but any personal projects. This is the pursuit of excellence.
Outcomes/Goals
Use data science to generate $XXX of profit for the company: I won't put an exact number publicly, mainly because the number is based off internal information. But, by aligning my goal with the companies, this means any work I do will not only entail using data science, but also understanding the business impact of the project I work on.
Level up as a Data Scientist: While I won't divulge my data scientist leveling, my goal here will be to level up my skills so they hit the next level. This means working on additional projects related to relevant topics outside of work. This may include heterogeneous treatment effects, deep learning, chat bots. Ideally, this goal would build off the first goal. By building valuable projects, I can accomplish two goals at the same time.
Use writing as a method to level up data science skills by publishing 50,000 words and 20,000 views,: I'm a better writer than most data scientists. Combining data science with writing is how I leverage my stronger communication skills. Clear writing is clear thinking. And if i can apply writing to my data science skills, this forces me to clarify my ideas within data science. 50,000 words comes to a 1,000 word post bi-weekly. This would give me enough buffer to also building projects that I can write about.
Find a long-term, compatible relationship: The key here will be to continue taking swings. I'll only need one to accomplish this goal. To do this, I'll also need to put myself in situations with people who have similar values to tackle the compatibility component.
Travel to 5 new cities/countries that I've never been to: I didn't travel much last year. Outside of snowboarding in Japan and biking to LA, I stayed put in the Bay Area. I've traveled quite a bit out of the country, however, I've never been to cities like Chicago, Austin and Seattle. This year, I plan to visit at least 5 new places outside of California. I currently have a trip planned to Sri Lanka.
Habits
Connect w/ people who have similar values: This ties well with my dating goal. The only difference, is that the focus isn't just on meeting women, but meeting people who have similar values. So far, the best place has been through the internet, especially online communities. If I have an obscure interest, I can always count on someone on the internet to have the same interest. How can I find similar communities in real life?
Spend more time in flow sports: surfing, cycling, snowboarding: Sports is my favorite flow activity outside of work. Since my work is extremely analytically focused, it'll be important for me to engage in activities that use my body outside of work. Sports that get me into flow are surfing, cycling and snowboarding. However, sports that I also enjoy include football, basketball, tennis. Do more of this.
Cleanliness: Over the years, I've significantly improved. From our cock-roach infested college apartment 6 years ago and now somewhat maintain a clean room. However, cleaning still feels like a chore. Adopting Marie Kondo's attitude toward seeing cleaning as a way to "spark joy" will be key.
Memories
Favorite Tweet(s): High Agency Behavior
Favorite Article(s): Bus Ticket Theory of Genius
Favorite Song: Trippy by J. Cole
Favorite Video: Mac Lethal performs poem from 84 Year Old Man
Favorite Movie: Free Solo
Biggest Challenge: Biking to Los Angeles on Patellar Tendonitis
Favorite Sports Moment: Klay Thompson draining his free throws after tearing his ACL.
Favorite Book: 438 Days
Favorite Course: The Wim Hof Method
Favorite New Artist: Justice Der
Favorite Quote(s):
It's about being a warrior. It doesn't matter about the cause necessarily. This is your path and you will pursue it with excellence. You face your fear because your goal demands it. That is the god damn warrior spirit. - Alex Honnold
"When you’re told that something is impossible, is that the end of the conversation, or does that start a second dialogue in your mind, how to get around whoever it is that’s just told you that you can’t do something?" - Eric Weinstein