A satisfying year

It’s that time again. Another year has closed out and I am reflecting on how 2016 was for me. Overall it’s been a very good year.

Professional

I started my business in 2015 as a test. I believed that running things by myself was something that I could be good at. I was never that scared of it not working out. I used a pretty laid back approach to it, if it wouldn’t work out I could always find something else to do. But it did work out. I’ve managed to work with teams from all over the world this last year, and I have had a lot of fun doing it. I’ve handled everything from setting up budgets, handle clients, doing accounting to actually do the real work that I get paid for. I’ve gained a lot of experience by running my business over the last year.

I think the new year will look a bit different from the past though. I have some new plans for the first half of the year and I will write a lot more about it over the coming weeks and months. 2017 looks to be really promising.

Personal

Something I really came to enjoy at the end of the year was swimming. In October, November and December I integrated it as part of my morning routine. At 6:30 I would head off to the local indoor pool and make 40 laps, then walk back home to start the day. I found that I really enjoy swimming as a workout.

Reading books reached a new level for me. Never before have I managed to finish 35 books in the course of a calendar year. Most fiction, because I love stories. But also a couple of productivity books toward the end of the year. And the interesting part is that I don’t feel any fatigue after having read that much, in fact I just want to read more. I’ve set my goal to finish 40 books this year. That goal is the main reason why I’ve now started listening to audio books for the first time ever. I figured that I can then “read” even when I’m out on my daily walks.

Highlights of 2016

• I’ve kept attending the Book Club I joined back in 2015.
• I attended the Daily UI project for a month.
• I read 35 books over the year, more than I’ve ever read before.
• Evolved my personal task management system by using OmniFocus and principles from Getting Things Done.
• Exchanged my Jawbone activity band for an Apple Watch.
• Attended the Smashing Conference in Barcelona.