Since I’m already in the mode of reflecting on the past year, now’s as good a time as any to start planning for the upcoming one. While I’m going through a more detailed personal reflection and planning process offline (which includes specific goals and milestones so it’s not quite so hand-wavy), I thought the high-level conclusions were worth sharing in case they inspire you!

I will choose creating over consuming. When given the choice to read a book or to write, I’ll choose writing more often. It’s too easy to get stuck in read-only mode and to try to inhale information. There’s effectively infinite information, and at a certain point you hit severely diminishing marginal returns. Plus, consuming information is only one mode of learning; another mode is learning how to use that information to create something new. If you never practice the creation side, are you really doing anything? Progress is only made through creation. Since my trade is one large of people, memes, and ideas, writing is one of my most important tools for creation. Therefore: more writing this year.

I will choose in-person over virtual. We all spend so much time in front of little glowing boxes. It was true before the pandemic, and for the past two years I’ve spent more time in front of screens (large and small) that ever before because the alternative was either risky or unavailable (depending on the state of lockdowns). Now that COVID-19 is better understood and I’ve seen the impact greater isolation has had on me, I’m going to make a conscious effort to spend more time with people (friends, family, coworkers, and more) in-person rather than on calls, Zoom, etc. I feel physically better after having spent time with people physically — whether it’s working, playing, or just hanging out. It certainly takes more effort to see people, but I know it’s worth it.

I will choose relationships over entertainment. In the waning months of 2021 I realized I spent a lot of my non-work, non-productive time engaging in somewhat solo entertainment: reading books, watching movies, playing video games. There were some complications in life — the spread of the omicron variant, worse weather in December — but I definitely overcorrected into solo mode. So, in 2022 I will invest more conscious effort into building relationships and not let my relaxation time happen passively. That means more dinners with friends, more seeing people to do things, more trips with people, and just more connection in general.

I will choose experiences over routine. A lot of my favorite parts of 2021 were when I chose to eschew my normal habits, comfortable and productive as they might be, and did something out of the ordinary: random trips to NYC, LA, and Miami; a festival in Mexico; and so on. While it’s great to be home and have all its conveniences and comforts (my home gym, my Bay Area friends, all my productivity tools; and it’s cheaper, to boot, since I can’t Airbnb my place), having unique experiences has been all too rare the last 2 years. So, I’ll invest more in them while I can.

I will choose letting go over holding on. Whether this means getting rid of old clothes, letting go of relationships that no longer serve me, letting go of narratives I have about myself or other people, or letting go of anger or negative emotions, having fewer attachments is a major goal of mine for 2022. Attachment makes anything worse, whether it’s attachment to something that feels good (addiction) or attachment to something that feels bad (suffering). Attachment clouds decision-making because the outcome you’re fixated on might not even be the best one for you — it’s just the one your mind is stuck on. Letting go of what “should” happen or what you “should” do is freeing. You’re no longer blinded to what is possible by what your mind has convinced you is “correct”. 2022 will be the year of letting go.

So there you have it. My five core goals for 2022. What do you think? What are yours?