January 7, 2021 Breaking Bad: 2020 Habits

The clock ticks midnight and boom, it’s a new year. A fresh start. You are ready to make things happen.

You may think that on January 1 of every year a fresh start has arrived. True, the first of something makes it an easy sell to your inner self to start fresh but the real truth is, you can decide to start fresh any morning, or even afternoon of the year. Starting fresh is a mindset and holding yourself accountable, though hard, is definitely rewarding. I don’t know about you but crossing items off my list is so immensely satisfying!

Each of us have habits, some good and some not so good but all of which are a part of us. My goal for this year of 2021 is not only to break some of my not so good habits but start adding better habits as well. My goal of this blog post is to show you what habits I plan to start and how the Topcoder community can help YOU with new habits as well.

Habit #1: Make 15 Minutes Matter

For me, it’s a lunch break. You’d think that eating lunch is a normal behavior. 2020 turned life upside down and work seemed to run from early mornings into late nights with no concept of normal meal times or a break from work. 

This year a simple habit fix for me is to stop work and have a quick 15 minute lunch NOT at my desk. Don’t look at the computer screen or the phone and just take a break to eat.

In 15 minutes you can find a new gig at Topcoder to apply for. You can peruse our forums and say hi to the newbies or check out the approach our best data scientists take when they start a problem. You can read our blog posts to see what’s the latest or scroll through our open challenges. In 15 minutes you could earn money by doing a quick First2Finish challenge potentially. Give Topcoder 15 minutes of your time a day at least to see what kind of value it can add to your life and your career.

Habit #2: Be Positive

You know that saying, dress for the job you want to have? How about we change that to feel the way you want to feel. 2020 left many of us lonely, depressed, sad, and bored. No one wanted to feel that way. My personal goal for this year is to stay positive no matter what is happening in the world. Easier said than done but keeping a positive mindset can truly make a difference in your life.

I’ve set up an hour long chat each Monday to spend my time with the community and my community team. It’s a chance for me to get to know more members and hear from you. We can network, chit chat, answer questions you have, and have an actual connection. Most importantly, give us all a bright spot in our week. Besides my family and friends, this Topcoder community and team are my favorite people. Join me every week to have a positive hour in your life. Open to all!

Habit #3: Set a Goal

I have so many goals in life and in my career and it’s very important that when you set your mind to something, you crush it. This year, my goal is to spend more time talking and corresponding with the community. I look forward to meeting more of you and helping you reach your goals.

The amount of opportunities we are offering for our members this year is growing every day. I want you to take a good look at all we have to offer and pick something to crush. Compete in your first SRM or RDM, learn how to use Sketch, take part in every Topcoder Skill Builder challenge we run, or even apply and get a gig; the opportunities are endless! Tell me what your goal is, let me know if we can help, and join me every week and we can help each other.

Let me know what your goal is for 2021 as a community member and how I can help you reach it.