As in the past years (2010, 2011, 2012) I am posting a list of things that gave me a sense of accomplishment in 2013. It is often all too easy to loose track of all the different things I’ve done, and just bear in mind the unfinished, the yet to achieve, the not-quite-up-to-standard, that make up the lists of things-to-do that rule my normal routines. So at the end of the year I look back at my calendar and note the things that I think were pretty cool in the last year. In no particular order, and roughly chronologic 2013′s (mostly work related) ‘Tadaa!’ moments are:

  • Contributed to an Austrian/German MOOC on MOOCs, formulating some observations on the necessity and limits of openness
  • Presented to the group of EU national representatives for public sector information
  • Co-organized an international conference on open data for some 300 people in Warsaw, Poland
  • Did an international workshop on the value of open data for the public sector itself with my colleague Frank (also in Warsaw)
  • Spent time with my dad, visiting Barcelona together, taking the time to talk for the first time in years really
    Accidental shot Explore Catalunya
  • Presented at TEDxTallin in Estonia, as well as at TEDxZwolle, the town where I grew up, on Open Data
    Tallinn
  • Saw the Copenhagen Data Drinks I started in October 2013 grow to almost 200 people, as well as spin off into the Aarhus Data Drinks, which I visited in April
  • Joined the advisory board for Luxembourg’s first FabLab and presented at its opening
    FabLab Luxemburg Belval
  • Worked and working with the Dutch High Court of Audit on Open Data, an organisation that is impressive in terms of professionalism and integrity
  • Got billed as a “futurist” for the first time, giving the key-note at the ARAS Community Event Europe, on digital disruption
  • Having the chance to meet up with dear friends at home and abroad, cherishing the sparse face to face time we get
  • Finding better footing to work with colleagues on complexity management and landing several projects in this area (although still struggling to balance my time with the open data work)
  • Launched an Open Data program for 10 local governments (taking place in 2014) in which opening data in the context of specific policy questions is done, while also stimulating stakeholders to use that data
  • Spent a month working in/from Cambridge and London with Elmine (see week 1, 2, 3, 4)
    P1050353 Design Museum
  • Aimed to reduce my work pressure by restructuring my rhythm to setting 3 months goals with weekly reviews, and by using two 90 minute focus blocks per day to get good things done, next to 10 minute efforts on all that is fringe (and normally ignored until it gets too big to do so). Importantly, also learned to increasingly regard my day productive and well spent, if I do just those two focussed blocks
  • Going from an empty portfolio in early August to one that is basically full until the end of 2014, in just 10 weeks
  • Getting to the point where The Green Land will be incorporated in the next few weeks, and where we are looking to hire a first employee
  • Speaking at the Swedish Internet Days on Open Data in a fun panel together with ao Daniel Dietrich, Cathrine Lippert
  • Organized ‘Unperfekt Inspiration’ meet-ups in my home town with Wiro Kuipers, to connect inspiring people and stories across the city, to counteract the general mood of gloom and whining
  • Spent 2 days at a conference full of lawyers while having a lot of fun, providing the closing remarks, followed by meeting Paolo and Monica in sunny Ljubljana
    Ljubljana Ljubljana
  • Started a project with a big city local government to push their open data efforts further, where (once again) I get to translate my strategic open data notions into actual operational steps, and get to deal with all the practical obstacles that entails. To me this is of huge importance, connecting the strategic and operational directly without any intermediate stuff: in terms of impact for the client, but also in terms of energy and learning for myself
  • Hearing great feedback on my work from several clients
  • Hiring an illustrator to make otherwise dull open data lists more palatable and thus more likely to be used
  • Doing a FOIA request for financial data from my home town, and asking them to publish it as open data
  • Deciding with Elmine on organizing a next Unconference BBQ, and announcing it
  • Feeling better and more relaxed in the last few months, while also more productive, in comparison with previous years.

I think, in summary, 2013 was a bit of a transitional year. After finishing up a European project in the spring I was in need of some serious down-time but did not take that time until the summer. The second half of the year, after taking a proper rest in the summer months, was more about creating new activities and opportunities, which was quite successful, but which will mostly bear fruit in 2014.

At the start of 2013 I had thought to travel less. That didn’t really happen, as I was abroad for 104 days in 12 countries (compared to 112 in 16, in 2012). The upside is that a lot (some 2/3) of those 104 days were together with Elmine, so it was less disruptive than last year.

Thankfully I also succeeded in reducing the amount of hours worked, from 2400+ in 2011 to 2200+ in 2012, to 1937 in 2013. That is some 300 hours less than last year (and 500 less than 2011), and for the first time actually under the amount of working hours a year has in total. It means I did take some time off, in July, which was needed as I was pretty exhausted after the spring.