For the past few years I’ve tried to set some year-long goals according to a theme. This year: Go deeper and finish things. I’m drawn to this theme because I tend to start a lot of projects, dabble in hobbies, and leave things 80% done. This year I want to resist the urge to chase novelty and instead commit to finishing what I start - especially important for tech projects in this age of rapid experimentation and prototyping!
Did I structure them in the form of OKRs, because that’s what I know best? Yes. Is that extremely dorky? Also yes. I’ll be doing monthly check-ins (monthly personal reports? MPRs?) to myself and sharing with Kaitlin to look at progress and identify changes to routine if things are off-track.
Fitness
Objective: Get back to running consistency and build full-body strength
2024 was the year I became a runner, ending at around 750 miles total driven by a half marathon trail run in April. In 2025 I fell off, not able to build a good routine with more work around caring for Rory. This year, I want to return to basics: Run consistently, lift regularly, and keep the foundation strong. Key results:
- Run 500 miles
- Lift 2x/week (104 sessions)
Specific action to help drive this: Put workouts on my work calendar at the start of the week.
Software projects
Objective: Finish and polish software projects to the point where I want to share them with the public
I have a graveyard of half-built projects. This year I want to push through the uncomfortable “last 20%” and actually ship things. Key results:
- Launch 4 projects on my blog and Hacker News
- Launch 1 app that has billing
Board games
Objective: Play more board games and ensure my collection is intentional
I’ve accumulated a shelf of games over the years, but have lost the habit of regular play. Going through the collection is a fun exercise and will help me prune those that I don’t want to play again. Key result:
- Play every game in my collection (55 games)
Golf
Objective: Develop my golf game with intentional practice and professional feedback
Golf has become one of my favorite activities, but I’ve plateaued. Time to get serious about improvement. Key results:
- Get coaching feedback 2x/month during the golf season (Q2/Q3)
- Practice 1 hour for every round I play
Writing
Objective: Expand my writing habit using my personal blog, writing more and about more in-depth topics
Last year I managed 28 weekly updates (54% of weeks) and 6 longer posts. I want to be more consistent and push myself to write more than just my weekly updates. Key results:
- Write weekly updates for 90% of weeks (46/52)
- Write one non-weekly-update blog post per month (12 total)