QuarkWorks Resolutions — 2020
With a new year and a new decade just around the corner, we all know we have grand ideas on what we would like to change, and goals we would like to reach both personally and professionally. To properly ring in the next year we asked our team what would be a few improvements that they would like to make going into 2020.
Cheers and Happy New Year!
Bryan Pratte — CEO
Continue building up my machine learning skills. Catch up on all the home projects I have committed to doing. Get back into yoga. Focus on the positives more. Be a better leader. Finish rebuilding my wrecked motorcycle.
Brett Koonce — CTO
Eat better, work out more, and spend time with my family!
Jacob Muchow — Engineering Manager
Training my cat to let me sleep. We’re at war. I want to go to the gym more frequently and play in a few more tennis tournaments. I did two last year!
At work, get better at management, both with teams and individuals. I would love to help raise some other leaders up at Quark.
Zach Doster — Web/iOS Developer
Work on learning cross platform mobile development with Flutter, and try to work on architecting an application that has more emphasis on the development of backend work and interaction with the cloud. In non- technology related goals, would be to finish one book per month.
Miranda Reese — Lead Product Designer
So while I can speak Mandarin Chinese, I was a bit of a brat when I was younger and refused to learn how to read. I’ve come to regret that decision, so the last couple of months, I’ve really been focusing on learning new Chinese Characters each day. (There are about 4,000 or so…easy, right?) Lately, I haven’t been consistent. For my resolution, I want to learn 5 new characters everyday, so that by this time next year, I can get through a fairly easy chapter book or newspaper! I’ve been using this awesome app called Mochi that uses spaced repetition to help me memorize my flashcards, which I highly recommend for anyone that’s studying or learning a new language!
Chao Shi — Software Engineer
I have two plans in the next year: physically and mentally
Physically — Need my 6 packs back:
Try to avoid deep fried food, try eating more crude fiber food. Keep doing some core muscle training — deadlift, squat, etc. Keep with diet and work out every day. Get up earlier — try 6:00 am. Do some more cardio exercise.
Mentally — Expand my skills range:
Learn and do some more work on iOS, and eventually become an expert in iOS hopefully. Learn more about the architecture stuff. Try learning some web development knowledge, hope I can do some web work as well. Final goal is to handle full stack work well.
Cameron Barker — Software Developer
Eat more veggies. Go to bed earlier and wake up earlier. Take either dancing lessons or some kind of fighting lessons. Keep working towards getting out of debt.
Devun Schmutzler — Native Mobile Developer
In 2020 I think it’d be great to get into better morning and nightly routines. It’s pretty sporadic currently. One thing would be getting up earlier as opposed to barely enough time to get to work. On the same token, getting to bed at a decent and consistent hour. This would hopefully leave more time in the mornings to take care of things that I’d rather not spend me evenings doing like working out or picking up around the house.
Hannah Pratte — Marketing Lead
Sadly, the amount of recreational reading has been non-existent for me the past year or so, and I am wanting to change that. For my 2020 resolution, the plan is to set some time aside to start reading more books instead of being on my phone. I don’t want to get too overly ambitious, but reading a book every other month would be a good goal for me to set. Also, maybe start drinking less coffee, but knowing my track record, it probably won’t happen!
Jakob Daugherty — Lead Software Engineer
For the year of 2020, I would like to focus on increasing my financial literacy and stability, along with a healthier approach to my day. This means educating myself on the perils of my current financial situation, and finding ways that I can increase the amount of disposable income that can be saved in my daily life. As well as finding the time and motivation to get to the gym and complete my workout before work as opposed to after work.
Abdul Eldarrat — Software Engineer
Take more extreme ownership for my life by getting excited for the unexpected events of life, being proactive instead of reactive, putting 110% into my work, having an open mind when it comes to obstacles, and looking for creative solutions to challenges posed at work, home, and in life in general.
Decrease time spent on consumption of media and products, and instead focus on the many experiences life has to offer, the multitude of good people, the grandeur of great ideas, and the beauty of giving to the world around me.
Increase the time spent in meditation.
Start playing piano again.
Alex Gompper — Software Engineer
I want to start running 5K’s again and running regularly. I used to be much better about this but lately I’ve fallen off and have gotten out of shape. I need to nip this in the bud before my metabolism slows as I get older!
Also, I want to learn Go next year.
Shawn Stewart — Software Engineer
Eat more pants.
Jason Morris — Software Engineer
Only watch my college football team on game day and stop following off the field stuff (recruiting, news, etc.) Get a hunting license / go hunting. Do more fishing (go ice fishing?)
Brock Gibson — Software Engineer
Drink less soda. Read more books. Wake up earlier. Lose 5–10 pounds.
Joy Park — Product Designer
It’s alarming how little water I drink throughout the day, so this new year I would like to be more intentional in carrying around my water bottle and hydrating! I also want to get in the habit of reading a book before bed instead of being on my phone.
Cassie Ferrick — Office Assistant
Wake up earlier. Not a morning person. I woke up for work today at 8:50. Supposed to be here at 9. To say the least — I MUST start my mornings earlier.
Be more social. I’m lucky enough to live with my partner and good friends..however, this means I don’t take the time to meet new friends or go out much anymore. I want to embrace my love for socializing.
Do 5 unassisted pull ups. I’ve never been able to do pull ups before and I’ve been working on them with an assisted weight machine at the gym and I’ve been bouldering once weekly.
Gregory Bryant — Software Engineer
I want to chicken-proof my garden, chickens think pumpkin flowers are delicious. Make a robot that plugs itself into a power outlet. Make a YouTube channel to help get free music gear to demo.
Moy Zhong — Product Designer
Physically, I am incredibly weak. It’s laughable how useless my arms are — the most they can do is type on my keyboard, write, and lift up my eight-pound dog. I’ve been exercising more lately, and I hope that a daily workout regimen will improve my strength.
I want to make more art. It’s something I’ve always loved to do, and I’m lucky to be able to have incorporated it into my job and future career. However, I don’t make much art for myself anymore; I feel like I’m losing art as a passion and treating it more as a product I can monetize. I want to make art for art’s sake; I want it to be fun again.
I also want to gain a deeper understanding of cultural consciousness and worldview. I’ve been privileged to leave topics such as policy, ethics, and mindfulness on the backburner thus far, but I’ve grown ignorant of many of the issues facing our communities today. I hope to improve as an active citizen moving forward.
I’m working towards maintaining connections. I’ve isolated myself a lot these past few months with school, but people and personable relationships are part of what makes life so beautiful. I’m working towards being a better friend.
