To continue the tradition of reflecting on the past year and sharing my plans and aspirations for the next year, in this post I will contemplate closing the chapter of 2023 and the goals of 2024. I have done the same reflection for the 2022/23 transition, which has proven to be a valuable tool for planning and strategising. But why do we need to reflect on the last year’s goals you might ask? It is all in the past, all done and dusted, and we all are eager to start the new year with a clean slate and dream big.
However, reflecting on goals when planning for the future is crucial for several reasons. Firstly, it allows us to gain a deeper understanding of our past successes and challenges, offering valuable insights into what strategies have proven effective and what adjustments may be necessary. This introspective process aids in refining and setting more realistic, achievable goals that align with personal values and aspirations. So, instead of making the same mistakes in planning and goal achieving, reflecting on how everything went can help to fix those mistakes. No one is guaranteed not to make new ones but this is something to reflect on at the end of 2024!
Additionally, reflection fosters a sense of accountability and motivation, as we can acknowledge and celebrate our achievements, reinforcing a positive mindset. Ultimately, the practice of reflecting on goals ensures a more informed and intentional approach to future planning, enhancing the likelihood of success and personal growth. I find this aspect particularly important when working in academia, as many projects take a long time. Publishing an article can take a year, book publishing takes even longer, and job searches and grant applications vary greatly in time. It is often hard to immediately see what goals have been achieved, how, and what worked and what does not without a proper reflection routine.
Closing the chapter: my main goals for 2023:
1. To find a publisher for my book, Terrorism, security, and power in Russia: domestic, regional, and international dimensions. This goal has been successful, as I signed the contract with Routledge in December 2023. You can read more about it here. I plan to post about my experience of writing a book proposal and securing the book contract (spoiler alert – it did not happen overnight!).
2. To publish. This goal has been achieved too, as in 2023 I published Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine: What Did We Miss? (a special forum for ISP and it is open access too!), Counterterrorism policy in the Russian Federation: Furthering the needs of the regime (SPSS), and my paper “A pivotal event narrative in critical terrorism studies: COVID-19 and the threat of terrorism” was published as a chapter in the book titled 9/11 Twenty Years On Critical Perspectives (Routledge). I also wrote The New Great Game Continued? How the West Is Trying to Get (Back) to Central Asia together with Dr Stefan Wolff, which has been touching on the important aspects of major world powers reconsidering their commitments in Central Asia (The Foreign Policy Centre, 20 October 2023).
3. To post more on Unlimited Politics. I feel like this goal has been somewhat achieved, as I worked hard on being here regularly. I am yet to launch a series of posts on academic writing – hopefully, more useful posts to come in 2024!
What am I leaving in 2023?
Overall, I am happy with achieving my 2023 goals. Not everything went smoothly, as life rarely goes according to plan, but I was still able to do what I planned to do. What did not work in the planning as I reflect on 2023? Mostly two things: timelines and expectations. I always budgeted for projects’ turnaround time to be faster than it was and I expected that roughly, projects would run according to the intended timelines. But all the projects fell behind and I had to work around that. I will attempt to remedy that in my 2024 planning, with a buffer of 3 months added to major project deadlines.
What am I taking into 2024?
What worked in 2023 that I will continue to do in 2024? First, moving from reviewing my goals every 6 months to doing that quarterly and readjusting my goals and plans accordingly has proven to be a superior method of goal and time management. Getting rid of projects that are draining too much energy and time without yielding enough to compensate for that resulted in me being able to commit to other projects. Second, moving my goal-setting and project-planning routine online has been very helpful in capturing as much as I need to on the go. Although it is sad to keep my bullet journal for the quarterly reviews now (I still like to write it down by hand) using software for my busy life is just easier (shoutout to all my fellow parents out there!). I use Notion for planning and scheduling tasks and will make a post about it! Third, I cannot commend mentorship enough. As both a mentor and a mentee in different programs, I have learned so much that it needs a separate post. It is worth doing both or either if you get a chance.
Unveiling the Canvas of 2024: main goals
In 2024, I mostly plan to focus on my teaching and the book. I am happy to share that I have accepted the position of Associate Lecturer in Security Studies at Aberystwyth University. I have got a busy semester ahead but I hope to keep writing for Unlimited Politics. I plan to keep a journal of my book writing and share it here, as well as my time in Wales. Meanwhile, for smaller updates, pictures of my travels, memes, and much more you can find me on Instagram and Bluesky and Twitter. I hope to see you there! And of course, you can always buy me a coffee to support Unlimited Politics. Thank you for reading me in 2023!
Happy New Year!
