My year (2018) in review

So far the year 2018 has been a great year. It also has been exhausting, challenging and demanding though. Mostly because I still am getting used to being a dad, even after one year – holy s***! I think that is because of the intense development of children in their first year. You think you already figured your kid out and the day after tomorrow a kinda different person looks at you. It is truly wonderful and breathtaking at times. I weep more easily now, either when Lilli is getting vaccinated and cries or when she is shouting “Papa!” when I’m coming home. I truly am in a rollercoaster of emotions these days.

The company I founded together with friends – diesdas.digital – grew like crazy this year. We are twenty people now and are already preparing ourselves to move into a new office early next year. It is incredible to work with people you care about and respect every day and I could not be happier about that. We also have a new partner on board and are very happy about that, too. Robert is one of the friendliest people I know, a top-notch strategist and a truly fitting addition to our team. This year was packed with very cool projects, from My Country Talks to Der Zukunftsfonds to PSW – the variety of projects and clients inspire and challenge us every day and there is nothing more we could ask for. I am especially thankful for knowing that the next year will be even better and we are about to have great start with more exciting projects coming up. We also started to look more closely at our own vision for the company and to include every employee we have. That is why we spent some time in Brandenburg to work on these topics as well and I am excited to see the results become an integral part of our company culture next year.

What else happened this year … ah, yeah – I bought a plot of land in Berlin and I am going to build a house next year! Christ on a bike! It is mind-blowing how much energy and time such a project consumes and I cannot wait for the house to be finished. My little family is moving to the outskirts of Berlin and I am desperately looking for some piece and quiet in these turbulent times. Also the perception of your area changes completely once you become a parent. Without a child I most likely would not have made the decision this quickly to move away from the vibrant and colorful Prenzlauer Berg. So, a lot of projects are upcoming for next year and I could already freak out.

I also have some New Year’s resolution ideas in mind for next year.

Social Media

Apart from Twitter I want to quit Social Media completely. I have already deinstalled Instagram on my phone and I am going to deactivate my Facebook as well. The simple truth is, I don’t need it and it consumes to much of my time that could be filled otherwise, like reading, spending time with my family (and be there every moment without looking at my phone). I am also thinking about deleting Slack from my iPhone but I guess I will have to discuss this one with my colleagues. To tell you the truth, it just puts me under a lot of stress. I have the feeling that I always have to respond and just the existence of the app on my phone results in me checking it regularly. I just don’t want that anymore and it has become a pain the butt.

Work

I want to be more selective or let’s say careful when it comes to the clients I or we as a company are working for. That does not mean, that I regret working for some clients but as a company it feels we are in a position now that enables us to look more closely into what clients we want or should work for. With that in mind I want to say ‘no’ more often when something doesn’t feel right. This is definitely easier to write than put into practice but I believe it also means fighting the good fight. This also results in me being annoying sometimes but I will try to hold on to it.

Lifestyle

I always liked the concept of minimalism. Although I am pretty sure to never be a true minimalist I want to take a closer look at my expenses and the stuff I am buying. Because we will very likely move into our own house next year it is also a good time to look at all the stuff we have right now and to get rid of some. The effect of deleting unused apps on your phone is kinda similar. Just delete every app you haven’t looked at in the last two months, it is just wonderful to get rid of that app that is just cluttering your home screen without any purpose at all.

Hobbies

Well right now I have no time for real hobbies but the one thing I desperately want to do is to read more. There were some months last year where I managed to read almost three books in a month and that not only felt awesome but it also inspired me a lot to look into more topics I don’t know that much about. I read some books about feminism because I wanted to get a better idea about all the facets surrounding the topic. What especially got me thinking was this very personal story by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie and I encourage you to read it. I also read a lot of books or articles about baking bread which is has become a great and fulfilling hobby and I am baking our own bread every week now.

In summary it is just really hard to make reading (or anything else) a habit because with a child every day is different and unpredictable. That also makes exercising regularly difficult. I used to run before work which is simply not possible anymore because this is the only way I got to spend some time with my daughter during the week as she’s often asleep when I get home.

To sum up, I am a very lucky person and 2018 has been a good year. Bring it on, 2019! Take care y’all!