The first thing that happened to me this year was being Rickrolled. After the fireworks display the BBC decided to start 2024 with a troll, so obviously my hopes for this year were high.
And looking back I’ve done more than I expected! Now that 2024 is ending I’d like to look back at the highlights (and lowlights I guess?)
Social
For me I think this was the year things finally “went back to normal”. After the Covid lockdowns I developed a bad case of opening up anxiety, and leaving the house in itself was a mountain. But I’ve made huge steps. Literally. I still do a bit of anxious pacing before I leave the house, but I’m finally back to how I was before the pandemic.
Going into town and further isn’t an issue any more. This has been the year where I’ve said yes to more discomfort because I know it’ll come with new and exciting expereiences.
I’ve made friends in Guildford and we’ve done lovely things together, but I’ve also spent time with people I’d not seen since before the lockdowns. I travelled to different parts of the UK to visit friends too.
Through the Notion Ambassador community I’ve met some amazing new people. Yes we all enjoy using Notion, but I feel like we all find kinship outside of that too. And through Notion I’ve been to Dublin and London to celebrate and learn with them all. I’m so grateful that I’ve found them all and I’m looking forward to organising loads of events in London in the new year.
And in 2025 I’d love to keep going with socials in general! I want more meetups with folks I get on with, even if it means leaving my house. With my career pivot I’m also looking to join new communities, particularly some frontend ones.
Health
I went to the gym 61 times this year. Which isn’t bad considering most years before I didn’t even go once. In April my partner and I made a commitment to go to the gym at least once per week, and often would go two or three times. We had a few large gaps for holidays and sickness, but I’m happy that we made that one-per-week average. I also just feel stronger. Like I can move myself around better and carry heavy things for longer.
Mental health has been tricker though. In August I burnt out but felt like I couldn’t stop. Life keeps rolling, we have to keep moving. But when you’re going quickly in the wrong direction it can wear you down. I worked with a brilliant career coach in October which has given me a lot of good things to think about.
Since I turned 30 I’ve been rethinking a lot of my old habits. Like not sitting in my chair like L from Death Note…
My typical posture
In 2025 want to build on top of my current gym routine. 2024 was good for setting my paces and understanding my fitness but I want to kick it up a notch from there. I also want to get better with my eating; when I work from home I do so much snacking and I’d love to kick that habit.
Work
Since I started freelancing it’s been harder to keep tabs on what I’ve actually done in a year! I tend to do smaller bits and bobs for multiple teams, so milestones aren’t that common for me any more.
But I guess some of my highlights for this year are:
- Building and launching three new Webflow websites
- Setting up new design systems for two teams
- Creating custom Notion workspaces for multiple companies
- Learning how to create custom newsletter templates in Beehiiv
I’ve been a product designer for nearly a decade and I’m starting to feel dusty. Starting in 2025 I’m going to train up my frontend skills. I already have a grasp of some basics from my undergrad and I think I could be a great design systems engineer.
I also want more work. But more of the right work. In 2024 I got a lot of time for my own projects but I don’t think I made the most of it. It’s hard to know where to focus when everything is possible, but I’m definitely happiest when I’m working on things with others.
Fun
This has been a good year for fun. I’ve spent a nice amount of time just goofing around and making things for the sake of it. I’ve drawn silly pictures, made lots of shit jokes, and laughed until I cried a lot.
I love that my brainworms have made their way on to the Internet. Like that time I wondered if I could make Notion’s new AI assistant in real life and immortalised the process on video:
I shared a meme on LinkedIn (yes I know) and now I know what it means to be a famous influencer. That one post got more than 34,600 reactions, which is about the population of Didcot.
I’ve also tried out streaming on YouTube. I genuinely loved doing it, and I’d love to do it more in 2025. But I’ve also realised that I don’t want it to be monetised, at least for now. When you’re a creator you’re pressured to turn it into an income stream; I spoke a bit about this in Anete’s newsletter.
Making things for the joy of it is amazing and I want to embrace that this year.
Wrapping it up 🎁
Looking back, 2024 has been a busy year. Lots of new things, lots of stressful times. It’s the year where I pushed forward and held back at the same time, which obviously burnt me a little.
I think 2025 will be the year to recalibrate and clear out the cobwebs. I want to be challenged in the right ways and lean into my heart again, rather than trying to follow the flow. Looking back at this year my proudest moments have been where I’ve also been genuinely happy with myself. And that’s all I really want for this year too.