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2020 Yearly Theme Mid-Year Review

With the COVID-19 pandemic wreaking havoc on everyone’s plans for this year, I take a look at how the subsequent chain of events have impacted on my Year of Commitment, the progress I have made so far, and my aims for the rest of the year.

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JOHN NICHOLS

JULY 31, 2020

When I set my Yearly Theme in January, COVID-19 was but a mere rumble in the heart of China – relegated to third or forth fiddle in the news against the topics of the day. Nobody could have anticipated the pandemic we now find ourselves in, with large swathes of humanity in lockdown for our own safety. Whilst we emerge from a lengthy nationwide lockdown in the UK and get used to a ‘new normal’ (urgh), COVID-19 remains the biggest global threat of a generation, as it continues to spread overseas in record numbers on a daily basis. 

Understandably, this has had a major impact on my plans to tackle the year ahead. The Year of Commitment was a source of focus; an ideal I wanted to chase. I wanted 2020 to be the year where I stopped being a dreamer and started taking action on the catalogue of thoughts and ideas in my head. With the current circumstances being what they are, the flexibility of this theme has been of great benefit so far this year, and although the past few months have been far from ideal for the majority of us, I’ve tried to make the most of the newly freed-up time to make, I think, a decent amount of progress so far.

Let’s recap each aspect of my Year of Commitment in turn, and reflect on the gains I have made, as well as what is left to accomplish.

Work Life

In my work life, this means the following:

  • Bringing up/acting on ideas, rather than creating a list
  • Becoming less unsure and putting my full weight behind a project – within reason
  • Dedicating more regular, stringent working hours (regarding starting, and continuing, new side projects)

Aside from working on this blog on-and-off, I will freely admit that, in terms of having a side-project that I continuously work on, the first half of this year hasn’t been as productive as it should have been. I still have a list of ideas that I need to at least attempt doing a feasibility study on, which I believe I have put off from doing partly due to not wanting to see my ideas fail. In the latter half of this year, I need to become more forthcoming, put a valiant attempt into those ideas which I believe are feasible, and realise that the failure of an idea is not a reflection on me – it often takes many, many attempts before achieving success.

Although not applied strictly to a side-project, I have found my time management ability and self-discipline to be improving, especially within non-work hours. For example. this blog post was the result of at least an hour of work every night for a week, whilst also setting time aside each day to exercise and read. This is providing two key benefits; it gets me into a consistent daily routine, making me more likely to stick to the tasks set & make real progress, and it’s limiting my unstructured leisure time, reducing my social media intake (particularly YouTube). Scheduling my daily non-work tasks means I can make effective progress in chosen areas each day whilst not having to resort to eliminating relaxation time entirely.

Personal Life

In my personal life, this means the following:

  • Being ready and willing to try new things (managing nerves)
  • Becoming a better companion
  • Being more actionable and less wishful

The lockdown in the UK has had a major impact on my ability to try new things, although I am keen to discover new opportunities as soon as it is safe & possible to do so. However, this increased freedom has allowed me to dedicate more time into becoming a better companion, both in terms of being a better friend and a better fiancé. Whereas I used to be pretty patchy with staying in touch with people, I now make a concerted effort to be present, both online and offline. I’ve visited friends in other cities, met old friends I hadn’t seen in years, and been there to both celebrate the good times, and support & comfort in the bad.

My fiancée has been through a lot of difficulty so far this year, and I’d like to think I’ve been more supportive, comforting and understanding than I have been in the past. I will admit, I can often be easily distracted and phase out of conversations, but this is something I am making a concerted effort to improve, as it will better the relationships I have with all of those around me.

Regarding becoming a more actionable person, one major skill I have always wanted to learn, but never got around to doing so, is the ability to sew. This is something I spent time to learn and practice in lockdown; I have gone through my wardrobe and either cuffed or shortened all of my trousers, chinos and jeans. Learning this skill has opened up a window of opportunity into what trousers I can wear. I have rather short legs (27″ inseam!), and finding trousers off-the-rack in my size is almost impossible. Now, I can happily buy longer trousers, knowing I can make the adjustments myself. They won’t be perfect, but knowing I’m wearing something I’ve adjusted myself is a reward in and of itself.

I love the idea of being self-sustaining, and having all the knowledge and skills at my disposal to get through everyday life without the assistance of others. Simple skills like the ability to iron, sew and cook require an investment of time (compared to the monetary investment), which pays dividends in return. Ironing, sewing and cooking by yourself is far cheaper than using a dry cleaner, alterations tailor and ready meals or fast food respectively, leaving me feeling fulfilled and rewarded that I’ve put my time to good use by learning a life skill and putting it into action.

Goals & Outcomes

My ideal goals/outcomes of this year would be:

  • To have ‘discovered’ more of myself
  • To have a continuing side-project
  • To have become more action-oriented

This phrase is almost a cliché, but I do think that I’ve learned more about myself and the type of person I am in the last six months than in at least the last three years. From taking the time to learn new skills, using Todoist to organise my life and using self-discipline to work towards my goals, I now feel as if I am slowly working towards becoming the person I would like to be. My living situation has also helped in this regard –  I feel far more comfortable in my new flat than in my previous residences, and I believe that’s contributed to me finding enjoyment in a plethora of activities that I hadn’t touched in quite some time.

For the first time since I was 18, I’ve began reading on a regular basis. I dedicate at least a couple of minutes (usually more) every night before bed to reading a few pages minimum. I think I’d forgotten just how much I enjoy reading. Non-fiction is my jam, and whether it’s history, style, horology or another interest entirely, I’ve found books to be a great escape, giving me essential time away from the screens which dominate my life, and allowing me to fall head-first into the words and images printed on the page.

I’ve even found my brain hankering to create music once again, something which I’ve not done since the age of 17. My guitar currently sits within its case in the coat cupboard, and I’m itching closer towards getting it out of the case, tuning up and learning a song, or writing something new. Now I feel settled, I feel the creative juices flowing in a way they haven’t for quite some time – perhaps that is why I have taken to blogging once again!

Where Do I Go From Here?

The concept of having a Yearly Theme has certainly worked for me so far, and whilst I haven’t achieved all of my goals for the year thus far, I believe I’m on the trajectory to do so. Simply having the Commitment theme in mind has changed my critical thinking in various situations, and having it to fall back on when undecided has helped massively in making both micro and macro-level decisions, which I believe is, in turn, making me a more productive, considered and well-rounded person.

Even with the COVID-19 pandemic having a major impact on all of us, I refuse to allow it to be an excuse for not reaching the intended goals of my Year of Commitment. The biggest aspect of my theme that I’m yet to be working towards is to have a side-project that I enjoy and contribute time to on a regular basis. Although I have other ideas in the pipeline, if I can simply keep up with writing to this blog on a consistent schedule, I feel like that will go some way to achieving this, and to achieving the goals of the theme as a whole.

This is not to say that I will focus on blogging over the other ideas I have in mind – I feel motivated now more than ever to see if I can turn those squiggles and notes into something real. Will they all work, and all lead to success? Certainly not, but in amongst all the fog, there could be one hidden gem in there. Or… there couldn’t. But the journey in giving them all a go and learning from each experience is where the real value lies, and ultimately, the knowledge, personal growth and experience gained is always the truest goal to strive for. All it takes to accomplish this is… commitment.

Published July 31, 2020.