2021 is getting to the end and it’s a good time to reflect a bit on what happened during the last 12 months. So did I with the help of my coach and want to share a couple of interesting bits of it.

Energy

I worked hard this year at my job along with many fantastic people around me. But hard work takes energy, which consecutively affects the quality of life outside work and threatens the balance between the two. What I found out though is to maintain that balance and live a happy life I need not only effectively use my energy during the workday but also effectively restore it. Rest is as important as the work I do. Taking rest is necessary to do the work well and should be planned accordingly. 

As part of the reflection with the coach, we were also looking at my activities giving the most energy. So here are the two winners of mine: solo trips (like the one I had this year) and skiing (my new hobby). They work differently to some extent but have at least one thing in common – they create a space where I am alone without access to daily routines. Sort of escape from busy days.

We also talked about how to apply that discovery on a daily basis in 2022 so I can always have energy, but those are only ideas yet to be tested, so not sharing them for now.

Surprises

The second part of the reflection was focused on things that surprised me most this year and two things popped out of this: my personal journey at work and how well the team has coped with all the challenges.

Without going too much into internal and private details I think if somebody would present me the plan one year ago with all the things which actually happened this year, I’d say with confidence it’s not realistic or at least too optimistic. Looking back I can say that constant learning, iterative approach, and the culture built within Automattic were the key elements of that success. That’s why for 2022 I’m not trying to make any precise plans, but want to stay ambitious, adjust as the situation changes, and enjoy the journey.

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That’s it, now it’s time to apply those learnings – try to stay ambitious with keeping a good energy level and avoiding burnout at the same time. I’ll let you know how it goes in 2022.