Evaluation of my 2025 goals

At the end of every year, I look back at my past year, see how I did on my goals, and then plan for the next year.

Here’s how I did on my goals for 2025:

Work goals

• Writing: Submit 6 journal papers (I outlined the topics for these) – Of the papers I outlined, 5 were submitted, and one of these is already published. I worked also on other papers, and end the year with 21 publications in Scopus for the year.
• Research: spend 2 months in Europe, work on EU-funded project, submit 6 proposals, develop final report of load testing research – I spent my two months in Europe, worked in my project, submitted 21 proposals (12 as lead; including 2 large EU proposals) and won 4, delivered all the reports of the load testing research and got everything billed and closed.
• Teaching: improve MSc course, teach my Bridge Design class, supervise 2 BSc students, graduate 3 MSc students, graduate 3 PhD students – we improved our MSc course, I piloted a COIL in my Bridge Design class, supervised 4 BSc thesis students in Ecuador and 4 in Delft, graduated 2 MSc students and no PhD students
• Service: outline steps towards indexation for ACI Avances, work on committee documents, role as IABSE SEI vice-chair, tasks with IABMAS, attend at least 3 conferences in person – We traced the path for Avances, I advanced committee documents, started as SEI chair and IABSE VP, worked on my IABMAS tasks, and went to TRB, ACI Spring Convention, IABSE Tokyo, IABSE Ghent, a research trip to Chile, and organized a national IABSE Ecuador event.
• Admin: maintain inbox zero – kind of
• Blog: restart podcast, give 2 virtual lectures – nothing of that

Personal

• Get more regular sleep – not at all, although it could be because I am getting older and need less sleep?
• Read 75 books – 2025 was not a good reading year. I’ve read only 26 books this year.
• PR my big lifts and get into the advanced category – PRd em all!
• Take online courses – I took some good courses in Spring and Summer and then my motivation tanked.
• Participate in creative writing competitions – Yes, I have been less afraid of sending in my work, and got my poetry published in the literary magazine Katern as well as in a museum in Tongeren and accepted for another magazine.
• Go hiking every other month – No, we have been wrapped up with other things.
• Have a summer holiday in Europe as a family – Yes! I got to take my family to Belgium.