Sunday, August 05, 2012

New Year's Resolutions - How am I doing so far?

Spoiler: I'm not doing very well at all!

Below is the list of New Year's resolutions that I came up with at the beginning of the year. After each goal/resolution, I have written in italics how well/badly these have been accomplished!


Reading goals in 2012:


-Read 200-225 books. I read 209 books in 2011, and I'd like to keep reading more, though this is of course the least important goal ever. I am aware of that.  

---According to Goodreads, I am currently a whopping 7 books behind my goal for this year. 

-Complete the British books challenge. The British books challenge is the only reading challenge that I've signed up for this year. I think it's very important (and fun!) to read and support British authors. I read 68 books by British authors in 2011, and I hope to read possibly 75 in 2012! Bring it on.

---I have read 32 books by British authors so far this year! That's nearly halfway to 75, and I think if I did a push of books in the upcoming months, I could totally manage this particular goal!

-Operation Read Own Books. This is something I started last year and had varying success with. I think every book blogger I know has a towering pile of books to be read and I'm really keen on reducing the books on my unread shelves. I have a list that I mark off, but it quickly becomes out of date. I hope to do my very best to have a more manageable TBR list at the end of 2012.

---There's no possible way I can manage this, unless I give away all of my books on my TBR shelves.  My shelves are completely out of control and I really, desperately need to reign myself in when it comes to acquiring new books!

-Be caught up on review books. My stacks of review books has become slightly ridiculous of late. And while having several regular guest reviewers has helped, I really need to stay on top of this. Including e-books from netgalley, which I have a tendency to ignore.

---AHAHAHAHAHA! There is NO WAY I will ever be caught up on the review books.  None.

Reading goals: 1/4
Blogging goals in 2012:


-Get caught up on reviews. This is always something I fail at. I'm usually in double figures behind and it makes me feel slightly anxious and panicky sometimes, so I'd really like to do something about this.

---Oh dear, oh dear. Not a chance, I'm afraid.  Last count had my list of books to be reviewed at somewhere near 50.  Eep. Luckily I haven't been doing much reading lately, but still. Be hard to get 50 down to a more manageable number!

-Love Month/British month. These two themed months were quite fun and popular in 2011, and I've decided to make them yearly events.

---I managed Love Month, only just. But had to give up on British month two weeks into it.  Shame.

-Create blog buttons for regular features. I have quite a few regular features that appear on Fluttering Butterflies and I'd like them to become more visible and recognisable by creating blog buttons for them. I've really been dragging my feet with this one.

---I'd actually forgotten entirely about this goal.  I still think it's a good idea, I'm just not sure I'll get to it in the near future. I'm struggling enough as it is with just reading and blogging let alone anything extra!

-Better content and reviews. I'm always on the lookout for ways in which I can bring you a better blog. I'd like to recommit myself to my Awesome Women feature as well as talk more about things that matter to me, especially mental illness. I'd like to change up the way I review books. I'd like to bring you more guest posts and interviews with authors and bloggers. If you'd like to take part in anyway, please do let me know!

---I have sort of rebooted Awesome Women.  And I've tried on the others.  I need to rededicate myself to this goal for the rest of the year, I think...

-Reach a wider audience. Of course I'd like more followers and readers on this blog, but I've always maintained that I would do this by providing good content and by reaching out to other book bloggers, as opposed to giveaways or blog hops. So my goal for this year is to continue supporting the blogs I already read and to widen my blogging circle and looking out for other great bloggers that are currently unknown to me!

---Nope, I haven't really accomplished the widening of my blogger circle, really.  Do you know of any decent book blogs that are fairly newish? Particularly if they are based in the UK? Much appreciated.

Blogging goals 1/5

Personal goals in 2012:
Bold

-Be kind to myself. This goal has a very wide reaching meaning. I feel as though I need to take better care of myself in different ways and 'be kind to myself' covers just about everything!

---Hard to measure this one. But I thinking I'm doing very well so far!

-Do well in my university course. In February, I'm starting the course I've been most worried about. It combines the subject I'm studying and really enjoy, with a subject that I'm almost terrified to cover. I'm really scared that I'll do abysmally with this course and will be really concentrating on it once it begins.

---It feels a bit of a panic sometimes, but I'm so close to finishing this year's course, and I've passed everything, so success!

-Doing Things Differently Project and Random Acts of Kindness. These two projects were started in the past, and mostly forgotten. I still believe in them though and I hope to do more with them in 2012.

---I've since begun the Doing Things Differently Project over the summer! 

Personal goals: 2.5/3

So that's it. It's clear to see that I'm pretty rubbish at accomplishing the goals that I set out for myself.  I can be happy that the most important goal of all (Be kind to myself) has been achieved, so I feel as though the rest just doesn't matter in comparison...

How are you doing on your New Year's Resolutions?

11 comments:

  1. I reckonbeing kind to yourself includes not beating yourself up over arbitrary goals :-) So win-win, really.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

      Delete
    2. Yes, exactly Rachel! I achieved the most important goal.

      Delete
  2. I still think you're doing really well!
    According to Goodreads I'm a whopping 13 books behind schedule for my reading goals this year, and I'm way behind on all the themed reading challenges I joined up for!
    You're still too hard on yourself- your blog is awesome and you work really hard. You rock!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh thanks so much for saying that sally! :) And I've just had a look ... GR says I'm now 11 books behind target. Oh well.

      Delete
  3. I agree with Rachel, being kind to yourself beats *everything*. I think you're doing very well so far, and your content is absolutely fabulous! :)

    As for love month/British month/feature's, we are all pretty busy with Actual Life and stuff, so don't beat yourself up over the stuff you haven't been able to do. If what you have done is quality (and it is) then you don't need to think about anything else ;)

    Doing Things Differently Project sounds awesome! I will have to look out for that.

    GO YOU!!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Iffath. There is a very minimum of beating myself up around here :)

      Delete
  4. Gulp. You're doing better than me! ;)
    You are doing pretty well on your reading goal, considering mine is only 50 this year! Good luck on your uni course, what subject are you studying?
    And I'll look out for the Doing Things Differently Project, that looks fab!
    Enjoy the rest of 2012! :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Zoe. I'm studying for a degree in psychology. I'm doing it parttime which means it's a 6 year course. I'm nearly at the end of my 4th year.

      Delete
  5. You look to be doing not-so-bad to me. :)

    I only really set myself 2 targets this year. To read 125 books which I'm on target for (just about) and to read a greater % of non-ya stuff, which I'm not doing so well on (but is about the same as last year).

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Those are some pretty good goals! Congrats on being on target with both of them :)

      Delete

HI! Thank you for leaving a comment, you've just become my new best friend :)