Another T-SQL Tuesday has rolled around, and for once I was prepared for it. This month’s topic, hosted by Jen McCown (blog|twitter) is on the topic of Resolutions. I spent a week rolling around ideas in my head for this topic, hit upon some excellent angles, and then had fate completely change the direction of my post.
I’m not a big believer in "New Year’s Resolutions", mostly because they’re so clichéd and popular opinion is that you’re doomed to fail if you have one. Instead, I appreciate the holiday period as a time to reflect and set more general life directions, as opposed to the focussed task of "exercise more".
In terms of SQL Server related goals that I want to accomplish this year, a quick brainstorm came up with the following:
- I really should blog more often, say once per week. Something 95% of SQL bloggers say every few months.
- I really should post a bit more on my favourite SQL-based forums. Two quality posts a day sounds feasible. This one mostly comes down to time.
- Wow, that MCM certification looks awfully interesting, challenging, yet achievable. Let’s do that!
- 2011 will be the year where I get my head around recursive CTEs!
- Can I please, please, please use the MERGE command in production code?
- Denali, I’m playing with you. Get ready to be swept off your feet!
- I’m going to slow my handwriting down, and write legibly and neatly for the first time in 15 years. (Not a technical wish, but still important!)
That third point, the MCM should be enough to keep me busy for the first half of the year at least. I’ll need to do the MCITP 2008: Upgrade from 2005 DBA exam (70-453), and then the MCTS 2008: Developer exam (70-433) (I’ve already done the 70-451, back when it was in beta).
I have already planned for these in a more serious way. I changed different things in my life in November, December and January, so there’s nothing particularly significant about January 1. Do it now – don’t wait until some arbitrary date!
However, it is important to consider the non-technical side of your life, which is something that hit home to me again last night as I received news of my wife’s family in flood-ravaged south-east Queensland. Don’t be so fixated on SQL Server that you dilute or lose connections with your loved ones. No matter how warm SQL Server may be (especially when you’re standing next to the server during business hours!), it’s a very poor substitute to family and friends.
“I’m going to slow my handwriting down, and write legibly and neatly for the first time in 15 years. (Not a technical wish, but still important!) ”
I started using a pulse pen last year, and it’s actually done wonders for my penmanship. Learning to write more slowly costs you the ability to record everything. That’s where pulse saves the day, you can record the audio while you write, and it indexes the audio by your pen strokes. All you do is press the pen to the paper next to your bullet points, and it starts the audio that was played when you wrote that.
It really has helped me, especially during technical meetings, and SQL Saturday events.
I recommend it to everyone who I meet! I’m sure it could help you with your resolution too!
Let me know if there’s any way I can be of assistance!
[...] Jim McLeod [...]