2011 Personal Projects

Having spent a week off the grid and then a few more days slowly settling back in (not so much by choice as due to the blizzard in New York that left us “stranded” in Miami), I feel very much refreshed and ready to tackle 2011. Here are some of the things I want to accomplish in the coming year (in no particular order):

• More or less stop using business cards and replace them with one or more services, including Hashable.
• Finally replace our 200,000+ miles Toyota Corolla wagon with a car that’s a bit safer (the Corolla is so old that it does not have a passenger side airbag).
• Actually migrate from my Blackberry to an Android phone.  The perfect Android phone for me is not quite there yet, although several of the phones available on T-Mobile are getting close (sticking with T-Mobile because of UMA).
• Have more but shorter meetings and not look at my phone during those meetings.  That will likely require wearing a watch again (which might take some getting used to).
• Exercise more and generally take better care of my health.  I have enrolled in a gym one block from the office and will try to work out at least twice a week for 1 hour.
• Resume my blog posts about the Age of Abundance.
• Figure out something fun to do with the Kinect controller.  Currently thinking about controlling a lego robot.
• Take the kids to more events in the city, such as Broadway shows, museum exhibits, concerts, etc. as part of the plan to eventually move back to the city.
• Design a 3D object and have it printed on Shapeways.  My best idea so far is a rocket motor mount for building model rockets.  Also get the kids to design something.
• Learn more about sail boat racing by participating in more Thursday evening Can One races.  Also: practice gybing with the spinnaker up in more than 10 knots of wind.

Having read Scott Belsky’s terrific Making Ideas Happen, I will treat each of these as a project with associated action steps, references and backburner items.  I am also taking a similar approach to working with portfolio companies.

I am extremely excited about 2011 and wish everyone a Happy New Year!