2021 in review: What happens next?

Change is in the air.

It's been a while since I published the last blog post. But the time at the end of a year is a special time: it gives you a chance to shut down and take a fresh look at things with some distance. Unfortunately, the importance of distance from everyday life only becomes apparent when you've already gained that distance.

In summary, the year could be described roughly like this: the short-term decisions have won. With all their consequences. They are a sweet poison that too often seduce you but at the same time pile up more debt in a hidden account. The reasons are perfectly clear to me:

The year 2021 started like the 2020 had ended: Corona ruled the day. And this was reflected in all aspects of life. The kids couldn't attend school for weeks and we as parents had to spend a lot of time homeschooling. At the same time, my work was determined by many urgent jobs that had to be done at short notice, which also had to do with Corona. Lockdowns dominated the daily routine and made the topics monotonous. TV shows, news, social media, and conversations with friends and co-workers: they all always revolved around the topic of Corona in some way.

The monotony and simultaneously demanding demands of homeschooling slowly seep into one's mind over time. The days become the same. Once you realize you can't remember the last week, it's actually too late.

Nevertheless: despite the challenges, 2020 was also the best year of my life.

Children make you rethink the ways permanently. Everything seems harder at first: spontaneity becomes more difficult, worries increase, and even the smallest outing requires a lot of preparation. A straight path is actually no longer conceivable. Children force you to sit down or turn around even though you want to go further. But this is exactly where the magic lies: getting involved, sitting down instead of walking on, makes it possible to stop time for a moment and rediscover the play with the moment. I then inevitably ask myself whether the path I am taking is the right one at all. Aren't there alternatives? Should I perhaps simply turn off? Or maybe I'll just sit tight and move on tomorrow. Questioning myself every now and then and looking at my own path with distance is something I have rediscovered for myself this year. The will to change has never been so strong.

A lot of family time together has cost us a lot of friction but has also welded us together tremendously. We have learned to be more considerate of each other's needs. We have improved our communication and learned to formulate our needs more clearly.

What I want to tackle in 2022:

Include SaaS products in my company's portfolio

I want to transform my company Kommune3 from a pure service company to a product provider. Currently all projects are pure service projects where we sell our working time. Service will remain an important factor. But our offer should be supplemented in various areas by SaaS products.

In 2022, I will work with Kommune3 to generate at least 5% of revenue through licensing fees.

Relaunch of Kommune3 website

The Kommune3 website is getting on in years and no longer reflects the state of our services. The site is to be completely reimagined and in doing so I want to put everything to the test. The design, the brand and the way we communicate our services should be fundamentally realigned

I will relaunch the Kommune3 website by mid-2022 at the latest.

Evaluate my own productivity & develop an online course

For some time now, I have been monitoring and questioning my own productivity. I want to get more things accomplished in less time and with less stress. I do this by applying different techniques with which I can increase my output. In doing so, I have realized for myself that the targeted use of leverage effects in particular is the most effective for me. I am therefore looking specifically for leverage effects that allow me to grow far beyond my own size.

In 2022, I will develop and launch my first small online course on rational growth and productivity enhancement.

Get me in a position to run a half marathon anytime

In 2015, I completed the Rhine-Ruhr Marathon in Duisburg. A year later, I participated in the Amsterdam Marathon. These were my greatest sporting achievements to date. But a sports injury at the end of 2016 forced me to take a longer break and I have not managed to get back on track since.

But especially in my job with a lot of time in front of the monitor, sports is enormously important. I have firmly resolved for the new year to make regular exercise a regular habit again.

I will exercise at least 2 times a week for at least 1.5 hours in 2022.

Sharing knowledge & building an audience

I started this blog in February 2021, and a month after that I started tweeting. It's a lot of fun, even though I sometimes have a hard time developing consistency. I've firmly resolved to make regular writing a new habit. Writing helps me clarify my thoughts and reflect on things. At the same time, it allows me to build an audience for my topics.

I will write one publishable text a week in 2022. 52 texts in 52 weeks. I will also tweet daily and have reached around 2,000 followers by the end of 2022.