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Ask HN: 2020 goals and resolutions?

135 points by lookingforsome ↗ HN
Mine are to: • read at least a book off of my reading list per month. • AWS certs • Write a blog post per month • Save $X for a house per month

What are your goals/resolutions for 2020? or what have you learned in this past decade?

149 comments

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lnalx
For 2019, I had set myself several objectives but the one I have respected the most is to read 1 book/month (book or audiobook).

For 2020, I will:

- Read 1.5 books a month.

- Launch my startup while being employed (I am currently working on the product).

- Enjoy life and the people around me.

- Less time on social network.

- Travel to at least 3 new countries.

- Develop my photography (and videography) skill.

- Try to write more than I read on HN.

- Propose to the most wonderful woman.

- Save money, as always.

arthtyagi
that's pretty good, what product are you working on btw?
lnalx
I don't like to reveal my projects until I finish the MVP. It will be a product launched first in Europe which will compete with the American equivalent. I say no more, but I see far!

I hope to share it soon on Show HN.

core-questions
> Propose to the most wonderful woman.

Best of luck, and congrats in advance.

[dead] rotterdamdev
>Propose to the most wonderful woman.

Get away from my wife, you git!

arthtyagi
In this past decade, I went from being a naive 7 year old who had a vague idea of programming to a developer who is investing his time in his startup, i love doing it so im gonna keep doing it and as for resolutions, i guess i might try to get in good shape ( probably on the list of 1 in 3 people ), try out for Y Combinator Startup School Summer, keep building the services I'm building except get some more traction. :) that's probably it. simple. oh and also, get away from MacOS. I'm starting to like Windows again after that 1909 update, i just realized after years of using MacOS that Windows had simply more flexibility than MacOS while at the same time not being unsupportive of game development as Linux ( Ik i can do game development on linux with extra effort but i don't wanna do that :) ).
fyfy18
I'd highly suggest focussing time to build a routine to keep yourself active while you are still young. Either get used to working out / going to the gym, or even better find a hobby that keeps you active.

I'm in my early 30s and pretty much avoided any sort of fitness when I was younger. I cycled to get from A to B and walked a fair bit but that was it. Now my body is starting to complain from a decade of sitting at a desk.

As well as avoiding pain, I find exercise helps to reduce stress, which means you can work more effectively, so I wouldn't even consider it lost time (vs working).

147
In 2020 I would like to read more, study Japanese, and start consulting.

Also I’ll toss in learn how to swim.

shadow-banned
- Stop smoking so much weed - Read regularly every night or at least 4-6 times a night - Exercise 4 times a week (I already do, just gotta keep it up) - Remain positive - Leave Silicon Valley
gubsz
Hah I feel you on the smoking, with vape pens it's almost too easy to take a quick hit here and there. Cutting back weed is probably number 1 on my resolutions for next year.
dajohnson89
what are the main reasons for you wishing to cut back?
gubsz
I'd like to cut back due to the negative impact it's had on my sleep and general motivation. I've found that daily smoking really reduces the quality of my sleep, which means 8 hours of sleep with THC in my system is closer to 5-6 hours. As far as motivation goes, the dopamine release from THC really reduces my drive and makes me more content/complacent than I would like to be. As a note, my total intake is really low (less than 1 gram every three months), but I still feel like I shouldn't feel obligated to smoke on a daily/weekly basis.
Ididntdothis
I am in my 50s and want to start working on Raspberry Pi and Arduino fun projects. But this time do it with the mindset I had when I started out. Take the sample code and modify it without thinking too much about consequences. In many ways experience is good but I feel I have become too “professional” and worry too much about things that aren’t really important in small projects. In short, become a reckless programmer.

Also: don’t learn tech for tech’s sake but do what needs to be done to fulfill a certain task. Projects are:

- a better trail camera trigger that ignores grass and leaves

- a dog door that opens for my dog but only for her

anotherevan
The dog door one is of interest to me. I've noodled over that one a bit at times.

How do you propose to identify when your dog is in proximity? I've got a Labrador and two cats, so the size differential was such that I was thinking I could probably get away with an ultrasonic distance sensor.

Other possibilities would be a pressure mat (dog is 37kg) or RFID although I never found a suitable RFID solution that had sufficient range.

I also plan on using a car door lock actuator[1] instead of a more conventional solenoid as it can be left in either open or closed position "at rest" without needing a voltage constantly applied.

[1] https://www.jaycar.com.au/slave-door-lock-actuator/p/LR8813

Ididntdothis
I hope to do something with PIR Sensors and then image recognition. This would also be useful for my trail camera idea. Maybe I am totally off but I hope with two or more sensors with small field of view that all have to trigger I can reduce false detects. Once they have triggers then fire off image recognition to see the dog. No idea if that will work :(
exikyut
Hmm. I thought about this for a minute, it's a good question.

First of all I realized that audio processing is at a really awesome point right now: you could train a system to capture your dog's voiceprint when it barks! I suspect that would be sufficiently unique to only match your own dog in your neighborhood. But this could be attacked by recording the barks and playing them back, means your dog is making noise every time it wants to be let in, and also depends on the dog learning new tricks ;)

Then I wondered about GPS tracking, then realized that would be stupid since this doesn't require absolute positioning.

So then I thought about Bluetooth LE. I think this is reasonably short-range(?).

Then I thought about those tiny 2.4GHz 2Mbps radio modules you can get on eBay, and fiddling with one of those to set the output power weak enough so it only works when really close. But that might be so close to "not transmitting at all" it might be very flaky.

But the above 3 ideas all require battery replacement in a collar.

Image recognition does sound like the way to go. One thought that does come to mind though - capturing a wide view of the environment and requiring both "dog within small perimeter around dog door" AND "empty environment with no additional objects in it", for additional security (especially if the dog door is positioned such that it's not too hard to reach up through the hole to the doorhandle). Some tweaking would probably be needed to make the system resilient to birds and objects moved around the environment.

rgovostes
I have a cat door that reads the cat's microchip before letting her in. The brand is SureFlap. You could probably find out about the antennas they are using through FCC filings: https://fccid.io/XO9
jenkinstrigger
In 2019 I

* became a father

* gained a lot of Python/Devops/AWS skills, another AWS cert, and a Linux cert

* finished one OSS project (Terraparty.com)

In 2020 I'd like to

* Gain a Pro-level AWS cert

* Learn ML and React Native (like Not Hotdog)

* Try to build a solution, or a dozen solutions, that finally appeal to real markets

* Finish learning to crochet!

* Play less video games, though we live in an Indie golden age imo

DrNuke
Lesson from past decade: use new technologies for profit within your applied / industrial domain instead of searching suitable domains for the profitable use of any new technology.
mtreis86
My goal for 2019 was to keep learning Common Lisp.

My goal for 2020 will be to build something with it.

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iammiles
I have a few goals in mind:

1. Get more flexible. I'd like to be able to touch my toes. Stretch goal (pun slightly intended): palms to the ground

2. Finish 3 (BotW, Doom, and Celeste) of my Switch games. I've done a good job of playing a few hours of some great games, but I'd really like to see some of them through.

3. Deep dive into Clojure. For someone that uses it daily at work, I really feel like I ought to know it better.

4. Complete the Rust book and explore some ideas using WASM and WASI.

5. Another triathlon. I did one (slowly) 3 years ago. It'd be fun to train again and try to better my time.

Swtrz
On touching your toes > hamstrings, work on them liberally but try not to make them too sore.
hanniabu
What do you mean by work on them?
Swtrz
Any action taken to mobilize or stretch the muscles of the hamstring.

Or were you asking for methods specifically?

hanniabu
I'm not really sure lol, I took "work on them" as meaning either work them out or stretch regularly. Didn't think you meant both.
ipodopt
I will spend less time browsing reddit and hacker news to spend more time focused on my interests.
abootstrapper
Last year I deleted my Reddit account. Now I just browse r/all. facepalm But at least I don’t spend hours commenting. We won’t discuss Hacker News habits.
cosmodisk
Substantially reduce alcohol consumption. Quit Smoking. Bring 20-40% of my income from initiatives not related to my current work. Build profitable side project. Join Toastmasters.
throw51319
Alcohol is a killer. I'm thinking more and more that without cutting it out after you realize you've "been there done that", a person will never reach their potential.
dvh
Not to publish another game.
oAlbe
May I ask you to elaborate? I'm curious what's the story here.
dvh
The story is always the same. I get an idea for game or app, work on it for month or so full time, plow through hardest last 20%, publish it. Even if it's free it have few installs and that's it, in the worst case scenario I now have to moderate it, do updates. So I said enough!, no more of my own games in 2020. I'm bad game developer, I will never make a hit. I don't want players I want customers. Paying customers. I need $3700 per year and despite 10x increase in income from my games ($180 in 2019 vs $17 in 2018) I'm still in red and people don't want my games. I will do games as a freelancer but not my own games. I may do quick demos for myself but I will not publish them because going from barely working demo to publishable game is the hardest and most time consuming part with no reward for me.
cjbprime
Extremely here for this answer.
dvh
See comment above
janee
2020 resolutions: ween myself off chrome and improve my online privacy + learn basic vehicle maintenance
nyrulez
1. Learn Go for building my startup.

2. Learn everything I can do build and run a decent software startup.

3. More regular and well-defined Strength training, intermittent fasting and meditation practice.

4. Be less distracted by video games and focus on self and professional development.

5. Higher quality time with my partner and family, more mutual and outdoor activities, less screen time.

6. Write/start a blog to share my ideas on focus and productivity. (A hobby of mine)

gonzalocasas
Assuming you already know another programming language, learning a new one to build a software startup might not be the optimal option, as you'll be competing with others with more experience than you. Instead, build it on what you currently use (unless that is PHP, in which case, I back your decision 150%!)
gunnr15
1) Research + decide on a GTM strategy for our Open Source Project

2) Develop and launch a progressive ‘employee-first’ ESOP

3) Join a local tech community

saagarjha
I learned how to program in the last decade, and it’d be nice to find a full time job in 2020. I’m have a bunch of smaller nice-to-haves but I’m fairly sure they’re not as important ;)
Havoc
Learn French.

Set up a blog w/ something more sophisticated than WP. (Probably wagtail)

Improve my webdev skills on Python/CSS/Regex/Docker/Azure.

Run more. Drink less. Sleep more consistently.

throwaway8879
Really want to push my bass playing into "primary instrument" territory this year. Will probably just spend a lot of time learning Gary Willis/Tribal Tech songs, and other great jazz fusion players.
dejv
- keep improving my flexibility: after 25 years of sitting in front of computer my back is a mess. I've started stretching during 2019 but progress is slooooow

- get back to doing more independent development after one year of working for an agency

- rewrite my SAAS. Right now it feels like it hit plateau and I need to change few major things to get it to next level and hopefully get it to the stage to sustain me full time

- build new building for wine production: it took me 4 years to get all paperwork done, now I hope construction is going to be faster

ratsimihah
Yoga would be great for your first point. Dynamic vinyasa is a good workout for the mind and body, and it can be complemented with yin yoga to focus on flexibility even more.
dejv
Yeah, yoga is something I am going to do, not sure which kind yet or if I want to attend classes or just do it solo.
Swtrz
I cant recommend Omstars enough for solo work. They have tons of material to help develop fundamentals, though Id encourage you to use the videos to build a habit and then seek out a teacher.
srik
What kind of stretching do you do. Is it just yoga in general or are there specific routines you started. After finally feeling the first tangible effects of extended bad posture, I'm looking to get ahead of this.
dejv
I didn't follow any system, just tried stretching exercises I remember from my days of doing karate as a kid and another exercises I was taught on physiotherapy.

You know basic stuff, trying to touch my toes while standing. Some hand stretching. I guess it was totally ineffective, but number of nights with migraines are down a lot.

I want to start exploring yoga during 2020

jm547ster
Careful with the toe touch, can aggravate certain back issues. Try diagnose with what you suffer and target the weaknesses.

Generally cobra stretch type manoeuvres are a good starting point. Don't neglect some strengthening of the upper/mid back, even if it's just some resistance bands etc.

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jvln
I improved my flexibility whithin 6 months by visiting a physiotherapist. I visited her once per month. She checked my angles and muscle strenght then gave me a custom routine of exercices and streches each time.
nunodonato
* Start (and finish) another hobby game dev / app dev

* Finish cutting my ties with Google services

* Finalize my solar offgrid system with a tiny bit of home automation

* Focus more (professionally) instead of spreading myself thing over so many areas and interests (so hard to do...)

* Read/study the Bhagavad Gita

victorkab
In 2019, I

- Grew the startup from 3 to 15 engineers

- Learned a ton about systems and people

- Failed on my resolution to read more books than before

In 2020 I hope to

- Write one blog post per week (or more realistically per month)

- Mentor 3 to 5 people or startups

- Become even better at cooking

- Continue growing the team and hire more amazing new people

Cheers

lookingforsome
looking for a mentor, what are your areas of expertise?
Vargas
Escape from my golden handcuffs
zrkrlc
That's an interesting problem. Maybe keep launching side projects until you can recoup what you can live on?
hn3333
* become skilful with C++