By Karen
Written on December 31, 2020
2020 Year in Review: Taking stock of my life and moving forward to the next phase
Key accomplishments this year:
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Transformed cross-disciplinary book club into subscription model: increased frequency from once every 8 weeks to 6 times per month
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Collaborated with Fresh Time Books team to launch "High-Efficiency Writing" online course on Pressplay, with 450 students enrolled
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Published my first book "Life is Not a Multiple-Choice Question"
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Invited to speak as opening keynote at Taipei Education Expo
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Completed 31 cross-disciplinary book club sessions
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Joined SET News: exclusive coverage of alcohol vending machines, followed CDC, traveled with Chen Shih-chung, reported news, produced documentary series "The Look of Adults"
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Independently worked with government agencies to officially transition XChange into a registered non-profit organization
【Timeline】
January Completed a 60-person cross-disciplinary book club mega-event. Lacking team collaboration skills, I took on everything myself. As a freelancer for eight months, the pressure was overwhelming—I was on the verge of collapse almost daily, spending late nights either sighing or crying.
February Finally joined #SET News facing a severe pandemic, supporting medical news coverage through June.
In between, I completed the book manuscript in March and interviewed Taiwan's mask national team, achieving over 1 million views in a week—the first in my department.
April Started book proofreading and began hosting #疫情說分曦, my own online show, experiencing my first time at a TV station makeup room.
May Supported CDC on-site work and traveled to Tainan with Chen Shih-chung.
June Achieved another week over 1 million views. Moved book club to Pressplay with subscription model, and decided to launch an online writing course after one casual dinner.
July Transferred to the feature department, began producing my own documentary series #大人的模樣. Completed third round of book proofreading and began cover design; started writing for the Youth Development Administration. I was commuting between Taichung and Taipei almost weekly.
August Began preparing the online writing course, including surveys and brand positioning. The subscription-based book club took off dramatically. Started preparing podcast 曦式讀物. Completed Daily updates, feature videos, hosting, and radio hosting tasks in just half a year.
September Confirmed book publication date, cover design, and pre-order methods. After multiple meetings, finalized "High-Efficiency Writing" course with early-bird pricing. Started podcast recording. Completed all writing for my second book as a contributing author.
October 15th — "Life is Not a Multiple-Choice Question" published; spent two full days filming the online course the same day.
20th — Agile Girls speaking engagement
24th — Career Lab speaking engagement
28th — Fu Jen Catholic University campus speech
Beyond starting as a lecturer at National Taiwan University of Science and Technology, I was grappling with questions about role transitions, organizational leadership, and scaling. I was fortunate to have great mentors offer valuable guidance. What troubled me then now seems merely part of the process. I even got direct answers to questions I'd been puzzling over for nearly two years.
As for my full-time work, I hadn't shared much about my exclusive news stories. Thanks to my network developed while covering pandemic news, I collaborated with colleagues to break the "Gali mask scandal." What I thought would be a simple story about mislabeled packaging snowballed into a nationwide issue and actually changed policy. The scale of the event earned me a group commendation—the first reporter in three years to receive one. Meanwhile, I produced one feature story per week.
I also assisted with marketing for "My Son" animated series, including text translation and content handling. I gained a deeper understanding of how original IPs transition from essays to animation, musicals, music videos, and documentaries. Through interviews with accomplished professionals across industries, I was moved by the stories within each text.
November Connected with content creators for next year's online courses (please allow me to keep the details confidential). Realizing I was overextended, I began learning to let go, delegate, and accept that things won't always be as perfect as I imagine—they might exceed my standards. "Principles" electrified me with this realization: "You hope that when you're not there, they'll succeed, because you know if you don't do this, you will fail." My heart gradually let go, and I increasingly look forward to channeling my energy toward helping those worth investing in.
December Early-bird sales for "High-Efficiency Writing" ended with 450 units sold. I became an online course instructor and completed the entire process from knowledge extraction to sales. I also gave talks in Kaohsiung and Tainan. Simultaneously, I began planning next year's mega book club, which somehow hosted 31 sessions in total.
In closing, detailed annual reviews like this are meant to give myself a complete accounting—checking whether I've worked hard in each moment, whether I've transformed and improved. More importantly, I want to express that rewards never fall from the sky.
2020, though it brought pain, loss of loved ones…also brought abundant harvest. Each reflection and transformation paves the way for a longer road ahead. I've learned to manage my desires and emotions.
When every aspect of life becomes something I love and value, efficiency naturally increases, and I work hard toward what I seek.
Finally, a new realization for 2021: some tasks align with your competencies, but alignment doesn't mean necessity. You always have your own path to walk.
