This past year I accomplished a lot! I:
- Completed over 50 online courses
- Learned to play over 50 songs on the piano
- Earned 1 college credit for free
- Started homeschooling our younger daughter
- Earned 2 certifications
- Project Management Professional (PMP)
- Microsoft 365 Power Platform Fundamentals

My journey started earlier in the year when I applied to take the PMP exam. Although weekend classes were available, I wanted to reserve weekends with my family – such as volunteering as an assistant coach for our girls’ basketball team.
I decided to continue my strategy to read many books while driving and staying in shape. Two books that I used to study with were:
- PMP: Project Management Professional Exam Study Guide 9th Edition
- Project Management, Sixth Edition (Idiot’s Guides)
There is also the PDF copy of the PMBOK guide that comes with membership that is a useful overview of all the processes & can be narrated from a computer. You can also find it at Amazon.
Just note the test has just been updated for this year, so make sure you get material that is related to the latest test. Another book I hear recommended a lot:
You can check with your local library which may have many of these resources.
I also paid for a year of PMI membership & signed up for their local South Florida chapter. The membership paid for itself by discounting the exam from $555 to $405, & our local chapter had regular study sessions so we could help each other out.
While studying I also was learning the new features available with Microsoft Power Platform, which includes Power Automate (Flow) that comes with a 365 subscription.
I took this exam first, which helped me set expectations when completing an online exam. I took practically everything off my desk & locked the door so no one would interrupt my exam.
I had delayed taking the PMP exam for months, but when they announced space was running out for the year I finally paid for the exam and obsessively studied for 10 days straight. I learned the key strategy is to work to eliminate wrong answers, which increases your odds of getting the question right. For the online test I also used the keyboard shortcuts to flag, highlight, & move to the next question since I used up all 4 hours of my test time.
After I passed I celebrated at a few local breweries while socially distancing.
For the online courses I was able to complete many of them from my laptop while prepping my food. One course I really enjoyed was on Mixology, which encouraged me to work on mixers like this Healthy Lemonade Limeade Recipe.
To stay motivated through the year, I also enjoyed books like:
You can also see other great books I’ve read in 2019 & 2020.
I am also looking forward to starting this book soon:
Cheers to more Ultralearning in 2021 & beyond!
What goals are you accomplishing this year? Let us know in the comments