My 3 #goals for 2019

January is the perfect time to make new year resolutions..and the remaining 11 months are to either achieve or break them :) I truly believe that when you truly want something, the universe conspires to make it happen. The truth is when you share your goals with the world, you feel more accountable and are more likely to make them come true. In that spirit, I’m sharing some of my goals for this year.

• Explore new things

The marketing landscape is constantly changing - 2019 is the year we will try new ways of branding and providing exposure for Fusemachines. I am excited about ramping up our PR & social media efforts and trying new communications avenues. I’m also looking forward to sharing unique and quality content focused on the thought leadership of our team as well as industry insights regarding Artificial Intelligence. [NOTE: More info on this in a later post. If you’d like to collaborate and work with us, send me a message!!]

On the personal front, I want to learn technical skills, specifically coding and AI. These items have been on my wishlist for a few years now and I hope this year I will be able to cross them off. My plan is to attend a bootcamp this summer. Please feel free to suggest online or in-person ones in NYC. For Artificial Intelligence, there are tons of paid and free courses available, including the Columbia edX one we used for our AI Fellowship program. I am excited about AI4ALL’s soon to be launched course and AI for Everyone course provided on Coursera by Andrew Ng. As a part of our Global Scholarship initiative, Fusemachines also provides quality AI education through our proprietary platform fuse.ai and my plan is to fully utilize it.

• Stick to a routine

Writing:- Writing has always been therapeutic to me and in the new year, I want to continue writing frequently. The themes I am drawn towards are: technology, branding, communication, women, leadership, culture etc. It doesn’t matter what industry you’re working in, in the end, it’s ALL about the PEOPLE. How people interact, what makes employees motivated, how do you define a good leader, how women can succeed, what makes a brand stand out...these are all topics I am interested to explore and share about. My goal is to write a short post each week on these varied topics.

Remote Work:- I am lucky to be in an organization that allows for flexible work but I don’t use it WELL or CONSISTENTLY. I keep saying that I would like to work from twice a week, but I change my mind since there’s ALWAYS so much happening in the office. I usually end up working from home when I have a sick family member. Being able to work remotely is a PRIVILEGE and I want to stick to a schedule and honor it.

Health:- In 2018, I was able to go to the gym twice a week, over 80% of the time. For 2019, I’m hoping to add one more day to the mix. I feel I am better at work/home when I go to the gym for 30-60 mins depending on my schedule. This “me” time helps me become more productive, focus better and stay calmer.

• Do intentional networking

On average, I attended about two events each week last year. In hindsight, these events (mostly about tech, leadership, startups, and marketing) were either GOOD or EXCELLENT. None of them were BAD, esp since I ALWAYS learned something. I learned about marketing tools, work hacks, use cases of disruptive technologies, management. I heard amazing speakers, storytellers & connectors and got to observe up close what makes a sensational event. I had incredible conversations with complete strangers and found friends, mentors & supporters. I met the coolest women that I will cheer for from far & near. I discovered more than I could ever learn from a textbook or just sitting in an office. I became BETTER!

This year, I want to be more INTENTIONAL in the events I attend as well as the people I network with. With this goal and everything else in life, I want to say NO and choose how I invest my time. Occasionally, I become almost greedy to learn and want to do EVERYTHING. I want to attend every event and learn every subject. Now, I want to make conscious choices between ‘GOOD TO ATTEND’ and ‘MUST ATTEND’ ones and be more focused. Being less obsessed and having clear expectations will also free up some time for other goals.