Looking Back at My 2020 Goals

2020-12-29 · letter vlog · John · 3:44 · watch on YouTube

Topic: Personal life (also: Global development, Projects, Books & writing, Philosophy & meaning) · mode: Personal update · tags: calendar ritual, fundraising ask, self promotion

John reviews his January 2020 goals video, teasing his past self's certainty: he finished Crash Course European History, paused The Anthropocene Reviewed and progressed on its book, never stopped working nights and weekends, never toured, and saw Partners In Health's $20 million Maternal Center of Excellence goal reached; good goals set a path, and there will be a way forward.

What is said

The parts of the video and what is said in each (★ — how much it matters to the video).

00:00:00 — Reviewing the January goals video; stop making unqualified statements about the future

★★ John goes back to the video he made in January setting out his goals for 2020 and reviews it from the present. — 00:00:00
★ John tells his January self to stop making unqualified statements about the future like 'I will' and say 'I hope to' or 'barring unforeseen catastrophe' instead. (playful) — 00:00:17

00:00:29 — Crash Course European History finished; The Anthropocene Reviewed on hiatus; the book's release date

★★★ John did finish Crash Course European History, though the last several episodes were filmed in his basement and directed by Stan over Zoom. — 00:00:29 · Crash Course
★★ The other creative projects John could not name in January meant The Anthropocene Reviewed, which he successfully put on hiatus, though he misses it. — 00:00:37 · The Anthropocene Reviewed (podcast), The Anthropocene Reviewed (book)
★★ Barring unforeseen catastrophes, there should be some new episodes of The Anthropocene Reviewed next year (2021). (hedged) — 00:00:45 · The Anthropocene Reviewed (podcast), The Anthropocene Reviewed (book)
★★★ The Anthropocene Reviewed book comes out on May 18th, 2021, hopefully. (hedged) — 00:00:50 · The Anthropocene Reviewed (book), The Anthropocene Reviewed (podcast)

00:00:58 — Progress on his first nonfiction book

★★★ The book John wanted to finish in 2020 is The Anthropocene Reviewed; he has not exactly finished it but has made good progress. — 00:00:58 · The Anthropocene Reviewed (book), The Anthropocene Reviewed (podcast)
★★ John is still nervous about the book, his first nonfiction and largely about himself, but feels better about it than in January, unlike most things. — 00:01:08

00:01:27 — Working nights and weekends while schooling his kids; no book tour, 40 cancelled flights; small goals

★★★ John's goal of no longer working nights or weekends failed: from March (2020) he became a part-time e-learning consultant to his two young children and worked when alone and awake, which was rarely, grateful to have work. (playful) — 00:01:27
★★★ Sarah's book You Are an Artist and Hank's A Beautifully Foolish Endeavor both came out, but the touring John planned for them did not happen. — 00:01:56 · Sarah Urist Green, You Are an Artist, Hank Green, A Beautifully Foolish Endeavor
★★★ John cancelled over 40 flights in 2020 and has gone nine months and counting without visiting an airport, his longest such streak in over 29 years. — 00:02:02
★★★ Not flying made John realize that many trips he thought inevitable or necessary are in fact neither. — 00:02:12
★★ John's small goals, exercising at least 150 minutes a week and making Dear Hank and John every Monday and a Vlogbrothers video every Tuesday, were not easy, but he did them. — 00:02:19 · Dear Hank and John, Vlogbrothers

00:02:26 — Twitter; the $20 million for the Maternal Center of Excellence raised; why goals help

★★ Not losing large swaths of his life scrolling through Twitter as dread washed over him was not an unambiguous success. (playful) — 00:02:28 · Twitter · first in: 2020-01-07, Endings · Beginnings
★★★ John's biggest 2020 goal was to finish raising the $20 million Partners In Health needs to break ground on the Maternal Center of Excellence, which will greatly improve care for women and children in Sierra Leone. — 00:02:35 · Partners In Health, Maternal Center of Excellence, Sierra Leone · first in: 2020-01-07, Endings · Beginnings
★★★ Despite all the unforeseen events of the year, the goal of raising the money for the Maternal Center of Excellence was reached. — 00:02:50 · Partners In Health, Maternal Center of Excellence
★★★ Thanks to the monthly donors, at current donation levels Partners In Health has the money to break ground on the Maternal Center of Excellence next spring (2021), hopefully. (hedged) — 00:02:55 · Partners In Health, Maternal Center of Excellence
★★ The groundbreaking is not the end of the story but the beginning; still, it is a significant milestone. — 00:03:01
★★★ Making goals helps even when it seems silly, especially now: a good goal sets out what you want and a path toward it, and though circumstance can wash paths away, it is nice to think there might be a way forward. — 00:03:08

00:03:24 — There will be a way forward; sign-off into 2021

★★★ There will be a way forward: an unconditional future-tense statement John is still willing to make. — 00:03:30

In the description and comments

★★ The description asks viewers to become monthly or one-time donors to Partners In Health's work building a stronger healthcare system in Sierra Leone. — video description · Partners In Health, Sierra Leone
★★ The description recommends Sarah Urist Green's book of art assignments You Are an Artist and Hank's A Beautifully Foolish Endeavor, both wonderful. — video description · Sarah Urist Green, You Are an Artist, A Beautifully Foolish Endeavor
★★ The description says The Anthropocene Reviewed book is available for preorder and comes out, hopefully, on May 18th. (hedged) — video description · The Anthropocene Reviewed (book), The Anthropocene Reviewed (podcast)

Humor (significant)

John reads his January vow 'This year I will finish' and scolds his past self — 00:00:17

“you're gonna have to stop using unqualified statements about the future like I will”
January John hoped to stop working nights and weekends; 2020 John mocks his naivety — 00:01:27

“you adorable little child i want to pinch your cute little cheeks”
John's goal of not doom-scrolling Twitter is assessed — 00:02:28

“That was not an unambiguous success.”
Having sworn off unqualified future statements, John makes one more — 00:03:30

“Hank, I will see you in 2021.”

Threads in this video

kept · John: edit and host 46 episodes of a new Crash Course History series about Europe (2019) — John did finish Crash Course European History, though the last several episodes were filmed in his basement and directed by Stan over Zoom. (00:00:29) → refers to Endings · Beginnings
paused · The Anthropocene Reviewed: John's podcast reviewing facets of the human-centered planet (2017) — The other creative projects John could not name in January meant The Anthropocene Reviewed, which he successfully put on hiatus, though he misses it. (00:00:37)
update · John writes his first nonfiction book, The Anthropocene Reviewed (2020) — The book John wanted to finish in 2020 is The Anthropocene Reviewed; he has not exactly finished it but has made good progress. (00:00:58) → refers to Endings · Beginnings
update · John's goal for the 2020s: do fewer things the world calls work (2019) — John's goal of no longer working nights or weekends failed: from March he became a part-time e-learning consultant to his two young children and worked when alone and awake, which was rarely, grateful to have work. (00:01:27)
progress update · John: tour with Hank and Sarah for A Beautifully Foolish Endeavor and You Are an Artist (2020) — Sarah's book You Are an Artist and Hank's A Beautifully Foolish Endeavor both came out, but the touring John planned for them did not happen. (00:01:56)
looked back · You Are an Artist: Sarah Urist Green's book (2019) — Sarah's book You Are an Artist and Hank's A Beautifully Foolish Endeavor both came out, but the touring John planned for them did not happen. (00:01:56)
update · John's regular exercise after 100 Days and its effects on his body and mind (2017) — John's small goals, exercising at least 150 minutes a week and making Dear Hank and John every Monday and a Vlogbrothers video every Tuesday, were not easy, but he did them. (00:02:19)
progress update · John: take a year off Facebook, Reddit, Instagram and Twitter, starting when P4A 2018 ends (2018) — Not losing large swaths of his life scrolling through Twitter as dread washed over him was not an unambiguous success. (00:02:28)
milestone · Maternal Center of Excellence: the brothers' Partners In Health project in Sierra Leone (2019) — Despite all the unforeseen events of the year, the goal of raising the money for the Maternal Center of Excellence was reached. (00:02:50)
proved wrong · John: finishing the Maternal Center of Excellence fundraising may not be realistic in 2020 (2020) — Despite all the unforeseen events of the year, the goal of raising the money for the Maternal Center of Excellence was reached. (00:02:50) → refers to Endings · Beginnings
thanks · John asks viewers to donate to Partners In Health at pih.org/hankandjohn (2019) — John credits the monthly donors for reaching the money needed to break ground on the Maternal Center of Excellence. (00:02:55)
predicted · John: Partners In Health will break ground on the Maternal Center of Excellence in spring 2021 (2020) — Thanks to the monthly donors, at current donation levels Partners In Health has the money to break ground on the Maternal Center of Excellence next spring, hopefully. (00:02:55)
predicted · John: there will be a way forward after 2020 (2020) — There will be a way forward: an unconditional future-tense statement John is still willing to make. (00:03:30)
restate · Is it reasonable to be hopeful about the future? — There will be a way forward: an unconditional future-tense statement John is still willing to make. (00:03:30)
reminder · John asks viewers to donate to Partners In Health at pih.org/hankandjohn (2019) — The description asks viewers to become monthly or one-time donors to Partners In Health's work building a stronger healthcare system in Sierra Leone. (video description)
reminder · John asks viewers to get Sarah's book You Are an Artist (2019) — The description recommends Sarah Urist Green's book of art assignments You Are an Artist and Hank's A Beautifully Foolish Endeavor, both wonderful. (video description)
predicted · John: there should be new episodes of The Anthropocene Reviewed podcast in 2021 (2020) — Barring unforeseen catastrophes, there should be some new episodes of The Anthropocene Reviewed next year (2021). (00:00:45)
milestone · Partners In Health maternal health project in Liberia funded by DFTBA profit (2019) — John's biggest 2020 goal was to finish raising the $20 million Partners In Health needs to break ground on the Maternal Center of Excellence, which will greatly improve care for women and children in Sierra Leone. (00:02:35)
milestone · The Anthropocene Reviewed book: announcement and publication (2020) — The book John wanted to finish in 2020 is The Anthropocene Reviewed; he has not exactly finished it but has made good progress. (00:00:58)
repeated · John: the Maternal Center of Excellence will dramatically change the quality of care for women and children in its region (2020) — John's biggest 2020 goal was to finish raising the $20 million Partners In Health needs to break ground on the Maternal Center of Excellence, which will greatly improve care for women and children in Sierra Leone. (00:02:35)

Where the stories that moved here went next

John: finishing the Maternal Center of Excellence fundraising may not be realistic in 2020 (2020) — proved wrong; last: recalled, 2022-01-04
John: Partners In Health will break ground on the Maternal Center of Excellence in spring 2021 (2020) — came true
John: there will be a way forward after 2020 (2020) — unresolved; last: predicted, 2020-12-29
John: there should be new episodes of The Anthropocene Reviewed podcast in 2021 (2020) — came true
John: tour with Hank and Sarah for A Beautifully Foolish Endeavor and You Are an Artist (2020) — changed; last: progress update, 2020-12-29
John: edit and host 46 episodes of a new Crash Course History series about Europe (2019) — kept
Maternal Center of Excellence: the brothers' Partners In Health project in Sierra Leone (2019) — completed; last: looked back, 2026-09-01
The Anthropocene Reviewed book: announcement and publication (2020) — completed; last: milestone, 2025-01-21

Mentioned

Central: Maternal Center of Excellence · Partners In Health · The Anthropocene Reviewed (book)

Also: People: Sarah Urist Green

Projects: Crash Course · Dear Hank and John · The Anthropocene Reviewed (podcast)

Works: A Beautifully Foolish Endeavor · You Are an Artist

Organizations: Twitter

Concepts: physical exercise

Places: Sierra Leone

Only in the description or credits: Stan Muller

Replies to

continues · Endings · Beginnings — “back in January I made a video setting out my goals for the year 2020”

Later videos replying to this one

2021-01-01 · In 1990 I Made a Bunch of Predictions About 2020...Here they Are (Hank) — continues — “In the last video, you walked us through what you thought 2020 was going to be like a year ago and how you feel like you did.” (00:00:00)

Part of an exchange of 4 videos, 2020-12-29 – 2021-01-12.