Today is my third annual brainstorm day. So far, all three have taken place at the EPCOT theme park. My wife has spoken at a conference here those past few years, and so close to the holidays, I kind of needed a break day that first year and so many he tradition was born.

Louis with Spaceship Earth at EPCOT over his right shoulder.

This year is the first in a while that this isn’t part of my primary job, which in some ways makes this more needed. Since I am back writing code, writing and editing blogs is back to hobby/side work. And as anyone knows, that means blurry lines in work-life balance. When side work is a hobby, is doing more of it better balance, or worse? It is something I think on regularly.

Truth is, it is little of both perhaps, but work-life is only one spinning plate you need to balance. If you don’t want to destroy your body, you need exercise-sleep-sitting balance too. Which is really hard when your hobby involves a keyboard, or interlocking bricks, or just watching TV.

Enough introspection, let’s go.

1 – Realism

To start out, I promise to make these resolutions 100% doable. Success fosters success. Once you veer a bit from a large goal, giving in is too easy. So these resolutions will be completely, if not somewhat, achievable. Probably.

Not getting off to a great start.

2 – Prioritize getting physically stronger

When I had my hip replaced a third time in 2024, I let myself believe it would be better faster than the previous two times. I had forgotten that it took me 4 or 5 years to get away from ECVs at theme parks and such. I had also forgotten that I was never quite able to stand for 5-10 hours a day.

Like anyone, the more time I spend outdoors walking and indoors at the gym the better.

3 – Coordinate my DRSQL efforts

When I was brainstorming ideas for new conferences to submit, I had an idea. And that idea gave me ideas.

Conference(s)

Create and do a practical SQL session on techniques that every person writing SQL ought to know. (T-SQL to start with, but who knows)

Every section would be a different technique, and I will eventually have more than a pre-con worth of topics.

Blogs

Each one of those conference topics would make a nice blog. So every week I or so, I will put out a new piece covering that topic (and include links in the presentation of course). I will also do what I can to consolidate my two websites down to one because it is all a bit confusing at this point.

Editorials

A lot about learning the basic patterns is also about unlearning different or bad habits. So many procedural programmers want to treat SQL like it is C#, or just a bucket for holding data.

The reasons behind a lot of the techniques we need to know as SQL programmers makes great fodder for editorials!

4 – Do as much side work as possible

My favorite so far are the pieces I am working on about Redgate’s SQL Prompt AI features (this is the first, but also other things I will reveal later. Not using the tool for 3 years meant a lot of my old articles were out of date, and I wrote them to be used again when I needed them.

5 – Establish Reasonable Priorities

As I reread these things, and think of the other things I have going on (like my Dollywood vlog, 12 Months of Dollywood, Figments in Time Instagram, not to mention conferences I want to go to/speak at…well, fact is, I have to prioritize so I don’t forget to take care of the most important thing in my life. My life.

So exercise-sleep-sitting balance has to be first, for basic health reasons. Next up are the things promise I will do professionally or speaking/conference management like Scenic City Summit.

In conclusion

Writing it all down like this each year has a way of pumping you up and filled with ideas. It also has a way of reminding you what js important.

It can also make you go “Wow, that is too much to attempt this year.” Not that we ever listen to ourselves when we say it. That is mostly done the next year when you look back at how stupid you were. But setting goals helps you to have a direction. At least when the year starts if you are pointed in the right direction it is a good start.

Now, as I am writing this in an amazing theme park, off to head off to space, or soar over the world, or travel through time. Or just get lunch and brainstorm more ideas. (Which is pretty much all I actually ended up doing as I sit here at the end of the day making sure I get this posted. Next week, the posts start flowing again, and all the holidays are over. Other than pro and college football championships… and then the Olympics and March Madness.