I know we are already well into January but I am finally having a chance to take a breath and take a look back at how I did in 2019 and what I want to strive for in 2020.
So first, I want to take a look back at the progress I made on my 2019 Resolutions . . .
1. Borrow More Books: I think I did pretty good on this goal, I ended up borrowing 36 books in 2019 and I really have enjoyed going to the library more frequently and taking Munchkin for that experience as well. The library is one of the few places that we both feel comfortable enough for him to browse the children's section and for me to go to the other side of the building to browse the adult books. I have also figured out their online system for requesting books from other libraries so I can get the books I really want to read. I have also been very pleasantly surprised to find that many of the anticipated releases everyone online talks about, to be ready and available when I go to the library.
2. Purchase Less Books: I failed spectacularly on this goal this year. I kind of slipped down the rabbit hole of book boxes yet again and ended up getting way more books than I had planned on and quite a few are ones that I ended up unhauling anyway. I also couldn't pass up those Book Outlet orders (though I did try to focus those orders on stock piling books for kids birthday parties). I ended up purchasing 235 books last year, which is insane and completely unnecessary (especially considering I read 268 books last year, barely enough to cover all those purchases).
3. Read Big Books: I hand planned to read 10 books over 500 pages this year, and while I didn't quite meet that goal I was still really happy with the 8 that I did read. Every time I read one of those chunkier books I am completely blown away with how much I enjoy them. I really need to stop being so intimidated by those books and just start making them a priority. I am so looking forward to reading many more big books.
4. Re-Read More: Once again, I didn't quite re-read as many books as I wanted to read this year, but I did really enjoy the ones that I did read. With so many books coming in and new releases coming out it is hard to prioritize books that you have already read. With that said every time I look at my main shelves, old favorite titles have been calling out to me. I also want to start reading some of my childhood books to Munchkin, he is definitely advancing quickly in his reading abilities and I don't want to miss the opportunity to share some older gems with him.
5. Put Less Pressure and Stress on Myself for a Hobby: I tried to get out of the mindset of having to post every day on here but it has been a struggle. It has almost gotten to the point to where I approach my blog as a business (other than the networking side and financial side) but I want it to be a fun hobby. I have missed a few days of posts here and there and while I was stressed about not having a post up in time, it was refreshing when I looked at it after the fact, nothing horrible happened. In fact, I think it would be easier for you as my followers to have me posting less often and make it easier to keep up with. The main problem here as that I read so many books each year and I want to share all of them with you! I don't want to be one of those blogs that only posts about books I like or only posts ARC reviews, I want to share all of my reading experiences with you! This will clearly be a continuing work in progress but I really do want to have more fun around here!
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So there you have a check in with my 2019 resolutions, and now it is time to look to the future. That is kind of my work of the year this year, Future. I want to start thinking about what happens tomorrow, next year, 5 years or more down the road. I have spent so much time the past several years just trying to make it through one day into the next. I want to think about where I want to take my reading and my blogging and Instagram, how I want to set things up for years to come. I am also going to be focusing on this word in my personal life with regards to taking care of my health and body, finances and figuring out where goals as a family for the future. So how about we take a look at my goals for reading and blogging for 2020 . . .
1. Read that TBR: The past several years I have been tracking the number of books I add to my shelves, and while I will continue doing that, I want to focus on the number I read on my shelves. I have nearly 300 physical, not including all the ebooks and audio books on my TBR lists. I really need to focus on reading these books! My goal is to read/remove 100 books off my existing TBR this year.
2. Purchase Less Books: I have been completely failing at this in the past couple of years so I am really setting some tight limits on myself this year (especially looking at all my anticipated releases). I am only allowing myself to purchase 1 book each week (with some exceptions). Those exceptions will be: birthday, anniversary, Christmas and gifts. I will also allow myself to purchase an extra book each time I have read 15 books off my TBR (and I am up to date with reading all my other new purchases). I will also allow myself one celebratory book each time I finish one of my really chunky series (3 or more books over 500 pages each in a series). Yes I gave myself a lot of exceptions there but I feel like this is a pretty drastic change and goal that will push me hard. I am hoping this will make me really think about the books I am adding to my shelves.
3. Read Big Books: I am getting better about this goal, each year I read bigger books and I really enjoy them. I just always seem to put them aside to read more quantity of books. So once again this year I am going to set a goal of at least 10 books over 500 pages. I am hoping with the added incentive of getting to purchase an extra book will push me to pick up more of these books and finish out some series that have been sitting on my shelves waiting so patiently.
4. Interact: Like many other bookworms out there, I am an introvert, but I realize over the past several years that I have taken this to an extreme level. I have become withdrawn not only in life but also on the internet. I have lost touch with so many friends and even failed to keep up with pen pals. I don't even consistently text friends or family. I have also taken it to that level on here, I stick to my little tiny bubble of the internet and don't venture out anymore. I am like a silent observer of others and I do want to interact but I just fail to do so out of anxiety and fear. I want to push myself to re-establish those lost connections and hopefully start making a few friends again. So I am going to push myself to comment on those posts I read, link up with readathons that I participate in and start doing more memes and tags to become more of an active member in the book community.
So those are my reading and blogging goals for the new year. There are only a few of them but they feel pretty lofty and daunting. I am looking forward to pushing myself a little outside my comfort zones this year.
What are some of your goals for 2020?
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