Quarterly Goals Recap - December 2018

Where have the three months gone!? Truly, time flies.

Just as truly, 2018 has been the year of self-discovery and definition. Between flexing my capabilities in software development, getting a better taste of project management, traveling abroad, writing, and putting pen-to-paper when it comes to what I want to accomplish in life, possibilities are both growing and solidifying.

Of the extreme danger of sounding more vague, simply put, I am.

Enough of that for now. Let's talk about what we set about to do three months ago and where we are now, three months hence.

What Were My Goals?

1. Stream 100 Days
1. Won. Verbatim, a stream didn't happen consistently for 100 days, nor did a schedule get strictly adhered to. Why? Two things: First, I liked engaging with viewers, but they weren't the reason I showed up on stream; they were a passive byproduct of me merely making public work that interested me. Second, spending two weeks in India with followup on either end of the trip put the nail in the coffin of "is streaming for me".
2. Voice Work
1. Failed. Did I learn how to voice act? Yes. Did I study, making a sample reel of voices? Yes. Did this get sent out, or myself apply to even gigs for free to try for accreditation? No.
   
   I really enjoy acting with my voice, so will I pursue more voice acting ventures? Most likely.
3. Creative Writing
1. Won. A story on my mind for awhile has been outlined. Certain fluid parts have solidified. That, and a balance-sheet of the stories I'd like to write has been put together. This sheet, which includes things other than writing, will be where future goals get drawn from.
4. Say No!
1. Failed. The (spectacular) failure here involves other people. I need to remove that weakness, being more assertive, and feeling more compassion for my future self more often than for the needs of others. Assertiveness is feedback from multiple folks in multiple scenes of my life, so there's something to it.

Despite having only four goals laid out this time, we're still 50% for success. Hey, at least I'm consistent!

What has been learned:

• Don't fear dropping an exploratory goal (eg streaming) early if it really does not click.
• Be assertive. Become more militant in protecting time.
• I like voice acting.
• I really like writing.
• I really enjoy putting together spreadsheets!

During the last three months, a balance sheet of life goals has been put together and quantitatively evaluated. My five purposes in life have been distilled into four. Four 'buckets' of enjoyment have also been defined, though singular activities from these buckets may need to be specified for time's sake.

But what's next? It's clear more 'me' time is necessary, as well as writing. Things for the day job may be considered, including scheduling time off work. Whatever happens, we'll see more in the next post. Cheers for now!

Quarterly Goals - December 2018

Getting down to business. Let's do it.

My Goals Due December 2018

Phone Lock Screen Reminder; Source unknown.

1. Stream 100 Days
1. Inspired by the likes Professor Broman and Gary Vee (both available in podcast format on Google Play), any work done ought to be documented. This isn't a new concept for a software developer like myself. However, the purpose is about the process - heck, anything that I do can be a stepping stone or learning experience for others.
   
   I'll be trying out places like Twitch, Mixer, and Facebook Live, doing things like playing games and learning how to do voice-overs. My gamertag account is RowmanSailor and will be used for all the testing, but I may move to the account GreyLibrary for broadcasting in the long term. (Can always abandon it if I don't feel keen on streaming.)
   But why 100 days? Because, on Twitch, if a person streams for 90 days, they are already in the top 20th or 10th percentile of all streamers ever. (It's a numbers game, folks.)
2. Voice Work
1. Strangers I meet will consistently comment on my voice. Can I refine that into something more? Maybe. This quarter is all about learning (I want to be a voice actor) and practice (talking while on stream, reading aloud stories and snippets, putting a demo together).
3. Creative Writing
1. Not sure if this will be followed-up on fully. However, it ties in nicely with the goal of voice work. It's always safe to read your own material online :)
   
   Whatever the case, writing is a creative fallback from both streaming and speaking.
4. Say No!
1. I've already messed this up at the time of writing as the quarter has already started a few days ago. Saying "no" is incredibly tough for me and it must not be.
   Let's see if I can do any better going forward, at least protecting a two hour time slot every morning to stream for  the next 100 days!

For any interested, I jammed to some epic Beethoven on YouTube getting these goals down and this post written. Again, this process of goal-setting come from YouTuber Jenna Moreci. If you would like to keep up with this process, check me out on Twitter @JimmyChattin.

The principle of this quarter's goals is to be epic like Lord Vader. Wouldn't you agree this is what we can all strive for?

Original photo; Source unknown.

Quarterly Goals Recap - September 2018

This has been a tough last three months. With a huge project having dropped at work, it's exposed that I need to better protect my time and interests, though I need to better clarify what those interests are.

If you're wondering what this "Quarterly Goals" thing is, check out my previous recap or the outline for this past quarter.

What Were My Goals?

1. Get a working prototype of a game Tech Dungeon (working title).
1. Failed. As this quarter was winding down, I was running out of time. I did find programmers that could take on the task while my contribution was a design spec. The trigger failed to be pulled on getting this prototype ready.
2. Write letters to my past selves.
1. Failed. No letters written, hardly an outline. These were to be pieces of life advice, though even that is getting turned around as I type.
3. World-build the Diesel Dark (working title) universe.
1. Failed. It's unclear what I have here. World-building, story outlines, but what's different about it? Seemingly little from its inspiration Warhammer 40k. The best that can be said about it is that I've enough to use the IP as a converted outlet for any current or future WH40K fan fiction!
4. Blog twice monthly.
1. Failed. Kept up for the first month, only went half-way the second month, and here in August the blog has been neglected. I'm learning something: I prefer not to write copy! That, and what do I have to say? There's still so much to learn...
5. Clear Facebook and Reddit of saved content.
1. Won. Pretty darn clean. The best part was sparking off a huge Facebook discussion on a years-old post all because I 'liked' the thing!
6. Record all saved Warhammer 40K loglines.
1. Failed. Got started moving these hundreds of loglines for plots, characters, settings, and gameplay items. Could finish in a weekend, but would it be anything but "shuffling papers" around?
7. Let go of a bunch of material things.
1. Failed. Got rid of some, still have a lot. Could stick them all in a box for donation... Not ready to do that, so some will get donated while others will eventually be up for sale.
8. Refresh C# knowledge.
1. Won. So much covered! And so much new stuff learned in the project at the job that's been taking up attention... Plus, a lot of C++ cramming took place for interviews. (There's a story how these talks went and how I'm maybe being a little more flexible in career considerations~)
9. Visit the family.
1. Won. Got to see the cats - have to chalk that up as a win.
10. Last Will and Testament.
1. Won. This sucker is good to go! Any next steps would be sending out information packets with Will copies to a few folks for safe keeping.
11. (Two personal goals.)
1. Won (both). Some important things got done. I'm better equipped for the future because of the effort.

Phone Lock Screen Reminder; Photo by Alex Konstrad

Six out of twelve. Not too good. So what went askew? First, no timelines - this was all done 'seat-of-the-pants' style, allowing time to slip away. Second, no dedicated time to work on goals was allocated - it was all ad hoc, taking a few minutes here, a few there. Third, easy distractions that took away from goal-time weren't corrected for or made up. Lastly, some of the goals were not part of who I am - not enjoyable, not profitable.

How to make better games and other things? I'm thinking either 1) expanding the goal list to include day-job activities, but those aren't always dictated by me; or, 2) condensing the number of goals and improving the quality (fewer trivial pieces of low-hanging fruit).

Because I subscribe to 'work-life separation', the next quarter's goals will seek to reduce the number of goals but make their impact / quality much higher. This'll start with defining my 'Purpose', followed by goal brainstorming, then followed-up on creating timelines versus 'winging it' (what's been business so far). A new, massive task is on the horizon at the day-job, so we'll see how well time and attention can be protected!

Sound good? Good. Hope to have you along as I continue this trek to accomplish more :)