Chasen Adventure

My Goals for 2020

These are my goals* for 2020:

  • Make a list of things to see in each city I live in before I get there
  • Publish a post here weekly
  • Share my photos within a couple weeks of taking them
  • Travel with family & friends
  • Try time tracking for a month
  • Work out a few times a week

Make goals for each place I visit before I get there

I love making plans to break plans. But these past five months, I’ve been doing less planning and more procrastinating.

For me, planning my time helps me create a structure that I can follow. I abhor strict plans because they make me feel caged, but given the chance, I will procrastinate in figuring out what I want to do to the point that I accomplish a lot less than if I had just done something.

This year, I want to combat this by planning my trips before I get there. I think this will help me enjoy the places I visit more.

Publish a post here weekly

I have over a dozen draft posts right now that I need to finish and publish. I think I can publish at least one a week.

Share my photos within a couple weeks of taking them

Same thing with photos; lots of photos taken, but I haven’t shared them with my core group of family & friends since October. I need to prioritize sharing these photos because they help me stay better connected to my family & friends back home.

Travel with family & friends

Speaking of them, some of my favorite trips have been with my friends. This year, I want to prioritize opportunities to travel with friends when I can. And as part of that, I want to encourage my family & friends to travel more, and provide them the resources to do that.

Try time tracking for a month

I’ve tried time tracking in the past but I haven’t made it work for me. I want to explore this more and see if it can be a useful tool for me to procrastinate less.

Work out a few times a week

I worked out with a personal trainer from February to August last year (thanks Jake!) and I was really proud of the results: I mostly maintained my weight but exchanged a significant portion of body fat for muscle mass.

Since starting my travels, I’ve not maintained a regular workout routine. I don’t think I can reasonably keep a weight-lifting schedule, but I can run more regularly, so this year I want to run / work out a few times a week.

Footnotes

  • Do not get me started about how goals should be measurable. I think it’s total okay to have “objectives” or “themes” around a year, some of which are measurable and some of which are not. I also think it’s okay to fail, and if you don’t allow yourself to fail sometimes then 1) you’re not pushing yourself enough and 2) it’s too easy to say “oh, I’ve failed, I guess I will give up.”