I cannot believe it is a new year already! I’m not going to lie, 2012 kicked my butt in more ways than one. School burned me out, work stressed me out, and my lack of blogging/reading time seriously bummed me out. But being the optimist that I am (ha.ha.), I have decided I am not going to let 2013 do the same thing! Work is already looking up, I am starting a brand new school, and I’ve had a lot of time to really think and plan out how I want to approach reading and blogging in the new year. Since I like to poke fun at myself, I thought I’d talk about some of my more ludicrous goals from last year and how I, in most cases at least, failed them miserably. I also want to lay out my expectations for 2013 because as I’ve hinted at, 2013 WILL ROCK HARDCORE!
Last year I set up my goals into separate categories: Books, Blogging, Home, School, Friends, Myself. I am going to set it up EXACTLY the same way this year but that’s a little bit later, first let’s see just how crazy I got with my goal making for 2012:
Books:
I actually succeeded at only one goal and that was to keep my bookshelf organized. Honestly, with my OCD tendencies, this one was a given. When it came to my reading challenges, reading over 100 books (I came close-ish with 85 books read), not accepting more review books than I can handle, and completing a read-a-thon, I failed hard-core. I can’t say why exactly (perhaps school, perhaps general busyness, or perhaps pure laziness) but I am determined to make it in 2013!
Blogging:
Again, I really only completed one goal on this list and that was to post more often. Technically I still had fewer posts in 2012 than in 2011 but considering I was without a computer for 2 of those months, I’d say I did pretty darn good. Pages were out of date 90% of the time, I didn’t really join in on any new features, Life As Kate posts were all over the place, writing up blog posts in advance lasted for about one week, vlogging became out of the question when my computer broke, and don’t even get me started on how craptastic of a blogger friend I was this past year when it came to commenting (seriously guys, I can’t even tell you how ashamed I am of my commenting skills).
Home:
When it came to home stuff this past year, I must say I am really proud of myself. I have learned to keep blogging/reading time separate from family time (for the most part!), I think I was a nicer person for my family to be around (This is my opinion at least. If you ask them it may be a different story…), and I kept my room & basement fairly clean(okay, you caught me there, but I really tried)!
School:
School goals were 50/50 this past year. Like I said above, school kicked my butt. It seemed to drain all my energy, physically & mentally, but luckily I made it through! I didn’t study as much as I would have liked and I certainly didn’t stop falling asleep in class but I did show up for every single class and I turned in every single assignment. Considering my penmanship still looks like that of a 5-year-old boy, it’s safe to say that is definitely one goal that is carrying over to this next year!
Friends:
This past year with my friends has been a whirlwind of crazy! With Stacey’s accident last winter, it is safe to say that Kati, Stacey, and I have definitely grown closer as friends. I still suck pretty bad at texting/keeping in contact with them but in general I think we had more fun, crazy, unforgettable moments this past year than we ever had in the past!
Myself:
Looking back on these goals, I couldn’t help but think I was on drugs while making them up. Did I honestly put “exercise more” and “watch a full TV series” on the same list? In all honesty, I didn’t do so hot on my personal goals. I definitely want to stress less, eat less, and exercise more in the coming year.
As for goals this coming year, I want to keep them pretty basic and simple. I am trying my hardest to be optimistic in 2013 and that just wont happen if I over-do it with the goals. So without further ado, my goals for 2013 are:
Books:
-Read 80 books. I considered trying for 100 for the third year in a row but I want to feel accomplished. So if I just so happen to make it to 100 this year, I will look like an overachiever (good plan, I know.)
-Seriously, seriously, seriously limit the amount of review books that I accept. Near the end of 2012, I became quite good at saying no but I still need to get a lot better. There are so many books I want to read and a million and one awesome indie/self-published authors I want to help promote but there are just not enough hours in the day to do it for everyone. I want to try to set a limit each month for the amount of review requests I accept (maybe 4 per month/48 for the year) that way I can still leave time for the rest of my books.
-On that note: read more of my “old books”! There are well over 300 books on my shelf/on my nook that still need to be read and it hurts my heart that they are just sitting on my shelf, being oh so lonely.
-Open up my reading branches! I have fallen head over heels in love with the NA/Mature YA genre and that has led me to Adult novels and people, I don’t think I will eve be the same. I cannot believe I refused to read this stuff before. I think it’s safe to say I will be pushing my reading boundaries a little more in the coming year!
-Limit the amount of challenges I participate in. As of now I am signed up for 2 challenges: The 2013 Debut Author Challenge & The 2013 New Adult Challenge. I am so very excited for both of these so I feel that it’s best if I just focus all of my attention on these two!
Blogging:
-Be more organized in general! I have calendars printed out that will allow me to plan out what I want to do each month. I am hoping that with this and my constantly changing & updating “to-do” list, I can keep my blog running smoothly!
-Post more reviews, like for real.
-Continue with the fun features I am hosting/participating in and perhaps join a new one! I love fun memes and I think it is an AWESOME way to stumble across more blogs!
-Be a good friend and start sharing the comment love. If I lock myself out of Twitter & Goodreads for an hour a day (it is going to be tough, let me tell you!) I will have free time to start commenting!
Home:
-Clean more regularly not just when intense moments of stress hit.
-Look for my very first apartment! I turned 20 a few months ago and I’m moving to a new college, I just feel now is the right time to move out and be on my own. This will quite possibly be the hardest thing I have EVER done but if I don’t do it now I will likely be the 40-year-old crazy cat lady living at home with her parents.
-Spend more time with the family! I sometimes let friends, work, and heck even blogging get in the way and I really, really, really want to remedy that this year!
School:
-Take classes geared towards what I actually want to get into! I have finally decided that I want to go into the publishing industry as a career choice. I love books and I am so incredibly interested in every facet of it from the marketing to the promoting to the behind-the-scenes thing. I have taken basic classes up to this point so I am pumped to take some “real” classes!
-Get good grades! I want to study more, be more alert in class, be on top of my homework, and hopefully excel at my new college. I only have a few years left and I really want to make them count!
-Get a scholarship because let’s face it, school costs all sorts of money!
Friends:
-Make it a point to hang out more with Kati and Stacey. We each have school and our own jobs to deal with but I still want to put forth an extra effort to hang out with my two favorite ladies even more this year!
-Go on some type of trip with just my friends (no parents allowed!) We haven’t really done this before, so I think a road trip is in order!
-Make new friends! Now that I’ll be at a college with a significantly less creepy population and with more students my actual age and not the age of my parents, I will hopefully be able to find some people who don’t find me too socially awkward.
Myself:
-Stop being such a lazy ass. Excuse the language but seriously people, I need to get my butt in gear. I did absolutely NO exercise in 2012 and that is pathetic to say the least.
-Eat better. I improved slightly this last year but I still need to be a little lass carb-a-holic and a little more fruit-and-veggie-a-holic.
-Be a happier person. I think this one is rather plain & simple. I just need to complain less, appreciate what I have, learn to deal with the stress, and smile as much as possible.
-Have fun! This is a silly goal but it is one I feel I need to do. I need to worry a little less and let loose a little more! I want to make this year memorable so that means LOTS of fun is in order!
So that’s it for goals this year! Are there any good goals that you feel that I missed? Are there any goals that you want to add to your list now? Let me know what some of your new year resolutions were in the comment section; I’d love to see if I need to add anything to my list!
Hi Katie! These are all some really great goals! With all of the blog’s that I have read I think 2013 is looking to be a year for the TBR books. I know that this is one of my main goals is to get to all of those poor books just sitting on my shelf waiting to be read and loved. And good luck with your adventure of finding your own apartment. That is definitely a huge step I am working on being more interactive with other blogger’s. I have built myself into this corner bubble all on my own and 2012 was definitely a lonely year for me. So good luck and keep up the great work!!
Kristen,
I feel you about the TBR books! I get so excited when I buy them or they are gifted to me and it makes me sad that they just sit there unread. So here’s to 2013 being loads more awesome than 2012!
Love the way you look at and organize your goals. Might have to do that for myself! I did meet my good reads challenge the past two years (50 two years ago and bumped it to 60 by end. 60 last and made it to 66). I upped to 70 this year. We’ll see! But 80?! Wow!!
Also, if you move out, where will the little monsters sleep? :-)
Go Mandie! Two years in a row is awesome. I have confidence you can make it to 70 this year!
And I am sure the monsters can manage without me. If not, I foresee quite a few sleepovers in the future lol!
Ya know, Kate, I may have to borrow your idea of a calendar to plan out my posts. Such a good idea. It’s really hard for me to stick to a deadline if I don’t have it written out in front of me. It’s like an objective doesn’t exist for me if it’s not written down in planner pages.
Good luck on finding the apartment! Even though I had to share it with one of my college buddies, having my own space away from family made college more enjoyable. It made me feel more connected with the environment. I loved it!
Jackie,
I started using the calendar last year and it really seems to be helping a lot! I may still need to work on doing the review part of it but as far as features, memes, and blog tours, it certainly helps me keep organized!
And thanks! My first two years spent at a community college really made it so I couldn’t have that “true college experience” so I am excited!
Don’t be too hard on yourself! Keep your eyes on the prize in 2013, Kate! oxo
Aww thanks Lisa <3
Come back to NYC and hang out with meeee. I miss you awkward twin. And I do think the goals you set for yourself in 2013 are pretty darn awesome. You can TOTALLY do this!
Trust me Alexa, I want to visit NYC and hang out with you so bad! I miss you too <3 And thanks for the confidence booster; I am hoping I can accomplish them!