The arrival of the New Year has made me, like many others I’m sure, sit back and take a look at how I can improve my business and also consider what might be big over the new year or so.
What was big in 2009
I think its pretty safe to say that 2009 was a really big year for the iPhone and mobile devices in general. The iTunes App Store now has more than 100,000 apps that have been downloaded more than 2 billion times!
From Authentic Style’s point of view, I certainly saw a great increase in the number of inquiries I’ve had requesting quotes for iPhone app UI design, or just advice in general. I’m certain that 2010 will continue to see the growth of applications but also be a year where more people start to realise the importance of optimising their websites for mobile devices.
Anyhow, here are my goals for the new year.
My Goals For 2010
Release a Wordpress Theme – this is something I’ve wanted to do for a long time, but not set aside the time to complete. Its high on my priority list this year so I’m hoping to get around to it.
Blog Regularly – going freelance in April 2009 was a decision which I haven’t regreted at all. Luckily I’ve had the chance to work on a number of projects with the majority of my inquiries coming through this very website without the need to do any marketing elsewhere. To ensure this keeps happening I know I need to keep things fresh, so I’ll be trying to add more posts in 2010.
Take the last Friday of each month off – whilst being a freelancer is really great, its easy to start working even harder / more often than you did when you were employed. I think towards the end of 2009 I fell into that trap slightly. A resolution of mine this year is to take the last Friday of each month as a day off and start to remember again that I am my own boss and can ultimately control how much I work.
HTML 5 – Being really busy with freelance projects I regret to say that I’ve not dabbled with HTML5 or CSS3 as of yet. I’m definitely keeping one eye on the progress these technologies are making, but I know I need to set aside some time to start getting my hands dirty.
Personal Project – I want to create a new website offering a service. Thats all I can say right now, so you’ll just have to wait and see when / if I get around to creating the website for it. I’ve thought long and hard about the idea and I think it could be interesting to try it out and see what kind of interest it gets.
Looking back over this list as I’m writing it seems a little daunting in terms of the work associated with some of my goals. But where’s the find in just sitting back and letting opportunities pass you by? I’m kind of hoping that now I’ve publically posted these goals it means I’ll be more committed to seeing them through to completion.
So, what are your goals this year?
Anyhow, thats enough from me and what I want to achieve this year. Now I’d love to hear your goals for 2010 in the comments below.
Hung Bui — January 21, 2010 @ 5:02 pm
Great entry Will. Hope you achieve your goals in 2010
My goals for 2010:
- Improve our services and focus on our expertise
- Win more projects
- Personal project: Develop more prestashop modules
- Learning HTML5, jQuery and Photoshop
BTW, I really love your designs.. keep up good works and look forward working with you this year.
Will — January 21, 2010 @ 5:28 pm
Hey, great to find you on the blog and thanks for the kind words.
Your goals sound great too and I like that there are only 4 – definitely more achievable by sticking to a realistic number. I’m starting to panic a little already as I’m no closer to achieving many of the goals I’ve set out, and January is almost up. Its been a very busy month, but long may it continue!