This is the 11th year of running my Groundhog Day Resolutions! The kickoff post will give you an overview of the GHDR concept if you’re not familiar with it.
Note: we are not running a Google Plus group this year, but you are all invited to join the virtual coworking chat room where I am at practically every day. We are a friendly and encouraging group!
The Story So Far…
This summary helps me remember the “narrative arc” of the year, so I can spend more time thinking about what comes next.
For the original source thoughts please read the original posts listed at the bottom.
1. Meta Goals and Desired Outcomes
My ultimate goal is to be “happier” than I was last year. These “meta goals” are my best guess at how I will become happier in 2017:
- Doing fulfilling creative work that pays for household expense and research interests.
- Have regular energizing connections and collaborations , so I don’t get bored or lonely.
- Share what I discover, learn and create with people who have compatible values, principles, and research interests.
2. Specific Goals for 2017
I next defined specific directives that I thought would help bring my meta goals (i.e. happiness) about.
| DIRECTIVE | DESCRIPTION |
|---|---|
| G01 | Continued from 2016: Grow my “neat side business” (meta goal 1). |
| G02 | Continued from 2016: Cultivate and curate a community that gives and receives (meta goal 2). |
| G03 | New for 2017: Develop a system for “mindblowing productive synergy” (meta goal 3). |
| G04 | New for 2017: Commit to and successfully reboot the blog (meta goal 3). |
As the year goes on, I add additional directives that I feel are necessary. These are described in SECTION 3 below.
| DIRECTIVE | DESCRIPTION |
|---|---|
| G05 | Added in JUNE: It is entirely acceptable to pursue mastery in billable work (meta goal: reduce frustration). |
| G06 | Added in JUNE: I can reduce frustration/isolation levels by de-emotionalizing my reactions to triggers (meta goals: reduce frustration, self caring). |
| G07 | Added in JUNE: It is entirely acceptable to apply effort toward not be bored or isolated even if there is work to be done (meta goal: avoid depression and guilt, because there is ALWAYS work to do). |
| G08 | Added in AUGUST: Start habit of going to gym regularly for cardio (meta goals: increase energy, self-caring, get out of house more for variety). |
| G09 | Added in SEPTEMBER: Dare to be “me” in public by unapologetically showing my inner self to the outside (meta goals: be true to myself, have leadership mentality). |
| G10 | Added in SEPTEMBER: Develop conviction about who I am and what I am doing, because without it expression challenge G9 can not be achieved. |
| G11 | Added in OCTOBER: Seek “life chapters” that need to close for good (meta goals: reduce frustration, reassess what is important to improve focus and efficiency). |
| G12 | Added in NOVEMBER: Take on the leadership role of being an active source for what I believe in and make it possible for other active nodes to become part of my network. |
3. GHDR Report Summary
This is a summary of the monthly Groundhog Day Resolutions reports, which are linked in the next session. The descriptions here are to help me remember what insights I had, followed by any decisions I made.
| REPORT DATE | SUMMARY |
|---|---|
| 2016 | I started the Virtual Coworking Chat, Patreon, and YouTube channels in 2016. |
| FEB 02 | Start of GHDR 2017. Defined directives G1-G4. |
| MAR 03 | Identified visceral happiness gut tests to help determine what is worth doing: I don’t want to be bored or feel isolated; I want to have money and feel useful. |
| APR 04 | Started doing “Objective+Key Results” (OKR) daily reports in the #accountability room in Discord. I thought this might lead to improved daily pacing by tackling more specific and measurable tasks that were directly related to my directives. |
| MAY 05 | Made a critical distinction between my “peer community” and my product marketplace. The peer community is an outlet that sustains me. I then supply the marketplace with what I’ve done for the community. However, the two groups are not the same, and carry different expectations. |
| JUN 06 | Launched new ETP products. Felt frustrated by lack of progress on G1-G4. Added new directives G5-G7. Dropped OKRs because they did not provide sense of reward, just imparted feeling of never-ending unrewarding work. Considered dropping the 2024 Long Term Strategic Goals permanently. |
| JUL 07 | Second month of frustration. Sought more radical approach to productivity after extensive self-analysis. Updated the 2009 “Master Vantage Point” maps for 2017 (drawings), then hypothesized a way to be rid of traditional “time and task tracking” approaches in favor of gathering-style productivity and problem-based work units. |
| AUG 08 | Restarted regular gym cardio habit, and kept to it (G8). To support the “mastery” directive G5, added G7 to prempt guilty feelings of being too slow. Reduced the number of active projects. Declared directive G9 to dare to be myself more truly and publicly (supporting G4), which was a source of personal frustration. |
| SEP 09 | Started wearing nail polish on one finger to see what people say (experiment for G9). Grappled with depression and long-deferred personal projects due to contract work. Decided that to be confident in myself, I would drop hope that other people will provide positive energy with any reliability; accepted responsibility for doing this myself and declared intent to develop “conviction” (G10). Began Atkins-style weight loss diet, switching to slow carb later. |
| OCT 10 | Contract work in lull, so returning to personal projects! Noted: lost 15 pounds on diet! Renewed focus on conviction (G10) and declared new directive to closing “chapters of my life” that have lingered too long (G11). “Killed” my desire to connect with people; instead become a “self-anchored” source of joy myself. |
| NOV 11 | Decided to have conviction about being the leader of this message: be one’s best self, and be a self-affirmed source of “daveness” for a network of like-minded people (G12). Reframed ALL of my past work under the G12 banner, which is a worthy mission statement that gives my work a renewed sense of purpose. Website and revenue generation are still necessary technical challenges, but I can now see that my daily efforts are part of G12 and therefore of value. |
| DEC 12 | Chose course of action: combine “community building + not working alone” with “gathering style productivity” and “happy bubble time” as my anchoring “job description”. Still working on it. The hard boring stuff can be converted maybe to shared goals, and also seen as a smaller percentage of the job. |
2017 Groundhog Day Resolutions Posts
| POST DATE | DESCRIPTION |
|---|---|
| 2017 February 2 | Kickoff |
| 2017 March 3 | A Simplified Restatement of Goals |
| 2017 April 4 | Introducing OKRs |
| 2017 May 5 | Community Making to the Fore |
| 2017 June 6 | Staying the Course |
| 2017 July 7 | Reviewing where I am with personal maps |
| 2017 August 8 | Emphasizing conviction in what I like and believe |
| 2017 September 9 | Doubling down on conviction, battling through frustration. |
| 2017 October 10 | Giving Up Hope, Becoming More Myself. |
| 2017 November 11 | Redefining Mission, All Systems Go. |
| 2017 December 12 | Shifting to Gathering Model. |
