2020 didn't quite go according to plan, but it still had plenty of silver linings. I spent some time this week reflecting on the last 365 days and even though my 2020 resolutions were a bit unrealistic, I had a more productive year than I thought.

🌟 Professional Wins

Being a full-time dev and a full-time student made time management a struggle. Planning ahead consistently—and planning well—was key for reaching these milestones.

• Led a corporate website redesign and received a Graphic Design USA award for the project.
• Finished 11 classes towards my Computer Science degree. Only 2 more to go!
• Attended 3 tech conferences: DrupalCon, AdobeMAX, GitHub Universe.

👩🏽‍💻 Side Projects

With the switch to working remotely, my commute was a lot shorter and I used the extra time to work on my side projects.

• Redesigned my portfolio.
• Started blogging.
• Started maintaining my CS program's Wiki site.

⛰️ Skills Gained

Between CS classes and self-learning, I picked up some new skills. I especially loved learning AWS, Python, and React.

• Cloud Computing (AWS)
• Python
• ReactJS
• SQL
• Swift
• WordPress

📚Favorite Reads

Audiobooks made it possible to read and adult at the same time. (Laundry has never gone by so quickly. 😂 🧺)

• Digital Minimalism by Cal Newport
• It Doesn't Have To Be Crazy At Work by Jason Fried & David Heinemeier Hansson
• Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking by Susan Cain
• Scrum: The Art of Doing Twice the Work in Half the Time by Jeff Sutherland
• The Age of Surveillance Capitalism by Shoshana Zuboff
• The Bullet Journal Method by Ryder Carroll

Tip: Check if your local library has a partnership with Libby—it's an awesome platform for ebooks and audiobooks. Just enter your library card number and you're good to go!

Summary

Don't forget to take a moment to reflect on how far you've come this year. Now let's count down to 2021...cheers! 🎊

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links.