013 - Goals for 2021

Before we dive into my Goals for 2021, here is a recap of my goals for the 2020 year.

In 2020, I wanted to:

1. Elevate customer service, at scale

   1. POSTMORTEM: Customer service and the 1:1 interactions through social continues to be an underrated asset in a marketer’s tool belt. I found a way to build in a set time each day to make sure we were monitoring these channels and taking advantage. As always, more improvements can be made. 

   2. GRADE: B+

2. Be a good person. 

   1. POSTMORTEM: This is the most important thing anyone can do, at any time. I try to be less selfish and care for others and would like to continue improving in that area in 2021. 

   2. GRADE; A- 

3. Assist in athlete branding

   1. POSTMORTEM: 2021 is set to be a huge year of reform for collegiate student-athletes, with the rise of NIL.We’re trying to spearhead and be leaders in the space. Admittedly, though, I didn’t do enough of it this year. 

   2. GRADE: C+

4. More education

   1. POSTMORTEM: Just because we are professionals in our jobs does not mean we can stop learning. That should never happen. We need to learn, learn some more -- and then learn again. In this day and age there are a number of avenues we can use to assist with education: books, podcasts, articles, video tutorials, etc.

   2. GRADE: B

5. Putting mental health first 

   1. POSTMORTEM: I had my struggles and waves of anxiety this year. I came into this year with the main issue being screen time. In that sense, I think I improved and learned some techniques on how to balance that. 

   2. GRADE: B

6. Less, but better

   1. POSTMORTEM: One of the great theories from an excellent book, Essentialism, is to do Less, but better. Essentialism, as Greg McKeown shares, isn’t about getting more done in less time.  It’s about doing less, but better, getting only the right things done. As much as I’d like to say I excelled in this area, I still get bogged down with mundane tasks that add to quantity instead of quality. 

   2. GRADE: B-

7. New opportunities

   1. POSTMORTEM:  I’ve been looking at more opportunities to extend our brand. Coming into this year, I pinpointed a LinkedIn page and Instagram Shopping. Fortunately I was able to get both of these established for our department, which helps share the academic/professional side of the department and helps us drive merchandise sales, respectively. 

   2. GRADE: A-

Now, onto my goals for 2021:

1. Set up Notion (organize note-taking system)

   1. Notion is a website/app that allows you to write, plan, & get organized in one place in a way to boost personal productivity. I recently blogged about how I have an established note taking system for books, articles, etc. I have heard a lot of good things about Notion for six months and just need to put in the time to set up my boards and my systems. 

2. Athlete branding / marketing 

   1. In the college athletics space, 2021 looks to be a remarkable year for change re: student-athletes. This year is all about preparation for what’s to come with Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) where student-athletes can soon (Summer 2021) get compensated for a brand to use that person’s name, image or likeness. Beyond college athletics, I hope we continue (I think we will) to see a rise in this space, even though there are still skeptics when it comes to Juju’s TikToks. 

3. Take my data to another level; automate reports and share with teams

   1. I have always been someone who leans on data-driven decision making. I haven’t really updated my current processes in the last couple years, so I’d love to reinvent how I set that up. 

4. Fitness

   1. Based on the foundation of Peloton, I look to continue to spend more time on the bike. For the last 6 months of 2020, a consistent schedule of working out immensely helped my physical and mental health. Goal will be 5-6 times of intense physical exercise per week. 

5. Develop a true Personal Board of Directors

   1. We all have what I call a ‘Personal Board of Directors’, either informally or more formally. Mine has been pretty informal where I reach out to my people to catchup and to help whenever I can. I’d like to take the time to build this out more and really create a solid cadence of reaching out. 

BONUS: My One Word for 2021: INTENTIONAL 
I’d like to take my 2020 word (PRESENT) and evolve this year to be more intentional. In whatever I do, for myself, my family or for work - I’d like to be intentional with what and why I’m doing it.