In 2022 I read 20 books. This was 8 more than the goal I set in 2021 and the second-lowest number of books I’ve read since I started keeping track back in 2018 (you can find the list here). I had originally set a goal of 12 books, a modest increase from the 9 that I read in 2021. A big reason for the increase was regaining a commute into the office in mid-2022 as well as a vacation without kids for the first time in several years....
In 2021 I read 9 books. This was 21 less than the goal I set in 2020 and the lowest number of books I’ve read since I started keeping track back in 2018 (you can find the list here). Some of this had to do with working remotely for the full year and losing out on 3 hours’ worth of reading time during my commute. Some of this had to do with burnout and honestly not having any energy left at the end of the day to read....
In 2020 I read 25 books. This was 5 less than the goal I set in 2019, but, as everyone knows, 2020 was a doozy. I often use my commute to read and with Covid happening, I started working from home which reduced my reading time significantly. In June I also switched companies which reduced the time I had to read even further. Overall I’m happy with the number of books that I finished, including some really good ones....
Being a manager can be extremely hard, it can feel isolating at times especially if you don’t have a good support network of peers. But how do you cultivate this team of peers when your days are filled with 1:1s, meetings, code reviews and other things you need to get done? Earlier this year I was struggling with this question. I needed to expand and nurture my peer group but was too busy with the day to day tasks of leading multiple teams to do anything regularly....
In 2019 I read 26 books. This was 9 less than the goal I set in 2018, this was due to a busy personal life (I had a second kid) and changing roles at my company. I also think I got a little burnt out from reading after a fairly quick start. Favourite Books Reset: My Fight for Inclusion and Lasting Change — Ellen Pao I followed along as Ellen’s lawsuit was happening against Kleiner Perkins so reading about it from her point of view and all of the events that led up to it was very interesting....
In 2018, I read 42 books. This was the first time in over 15 years that I really set out to read a lot of books. I used to curl up on a couch or hang out in my bedroom all day reading until my parents forced me to go outside or come to dinner. Then high school, university, work, parenthood and numerous other things got in the way and I never got back into reading....