Well 2020 was certainly an interesting year. I’m pretty sure none of us could have predicted how the world would look now and it won’t be regarded as the best year ever. However, there were definitely still some bright points I’d like to make note of before setting some targets for 2021.
Looking back on 2020
One of my biggest achievements of the year was being awarded MVP for Cloud and Datacenter Management in February. I’m really proud of this and my ability to positively contribute to our data and PowerShell communities. Along with that I managed to publish 25 blog posts and added two videos to my YouTube channel. I also gave 10 presentations, only one in person, and also sat on two diversity and inclusion panels. I’ve also continued to contribute to dbatools, dbachecks and other open source software.
Outside of the tech world, it was a year of cancelled plans and lockdowns. I will say this gave me and my wife plenty of time to explore our local footpaths. I recorded over 460 miles of walking last year. Something we usually wouldn’t have had time for. I also cycled just over 700 miles after getting a new bike in June.
Looking forward to 2021
Now, I’m not going to say 2021 is going to be back to normal, who knows if we’ll ever go back to that normal. However, I’m hopeful that things will be better than 2020, and I hope sooner rather than later we can get back to travelling and actually meeting up with people in person!
I’m going to set some targets to aim for that won’t depend on what 2021 looks like.
- Publish 26 blog posts – this would average to one every fortnight. I also aim to publish at a regular cadence.
- Create 10 YouTube videos – my short ‘life hack’ videos that I’ve published have got positive reviews. I aim to get more of those recorded and available on YouTube
- Speaking – I don’t have a specific number target here, but I’d like to think I can beat last year’s total of 10 presentations. Perhaps even some at in person events?!?
- Open source contributions – Again, no specific numbers here but just a goal to continue contributing. I also have some ideas for this area that need a little love and time, but I hope to work on those this year as well.
- Cycle 1000 miles – this would be more than I’ve ever cycled in a year, but without a commute in 2020 I found a lot more time for cycling before/after work.
- Duolingo streak – another non tech goal. I’ve been using Duolingo to work on my French and hope to keep the streak alive throughout 2021.
All in all, I hope 2021 is an improvement on 2020 – here’s to doing everything I can to make it a good one. I’ll leave you with a couple of local views I’ve enjoyed while cycling\walking this past year.
Biking in a beautiful part of the world Getting outside with @kpomfret12 this morning.