Hello 2020! New decade, largely the same old me but with a nice Aussie tan from my winter holiday.
One of my favourite things to do at the beginning of the year is make new years resolutions. I love planning things out, looking ahead at my life in minute detail and deciding how I can improve. I know, my head, a great place to be. Any-who, with the turn of the decade comes a new year and chance to look at back at my former goals and make a handful new ones for 2020. I’m going to start with a quick recap of last years goals.
Get to 600 blog followers
So apparently I started 2019 on 270 followers and I finished 2019 with 780 followers! I’m super proud of that, a 500 follower increase is more than I thought I could achieve. I’m hoping to hit the big three digits in 2020.
Use Goodreads
Oh gosh, I’m still so terrible. I started kind of ok at updating it but I didn’t keep it up at all, I ended manually adding lots of the books I’d read last year. Oops. This year I’m going to track as I go and log on once a week to add a reading update.
Not to Have any Reviews stored over a Month
Yeah this one failed, I read 37 books this year and published about 15 reviews… Woops. Another goal joining the 2020 list, I’m afraid.
Post three times a week
This honestly just got too much. I didn’t have the time to post three times a week and wanted my content to stay fresh and well written (it takes me hours to write posts!). I’ll stick with a minimum of two for 2020, although I have a new and exciting series coming up for you all that might push me to posting three times a week.
Read 6 historical fictions
I managed this one! But, honestly, I think it may have put me off historical fictions. Certainly of the YA variety. I find myself being way too critical when the plot couldn’t have happened, picking up on historical inaccuracies, and I found that a couple of these novels would explore themes of sexism at the time but allow their wealthy main character to be the exception, which grates me a bit. There might be a discussion post in this actually π€
Anyway, here’s the historical fictions I read:
- Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue
- Stalking Jack the Ripper
- Circe
- Rose Under Fire
- Huckleberry Finn
- Alex and Eliza
- Things a Bright Girl Can Do
Complete the Classic a Month Challenge
This started off really great. Until about March. I got offered Muse of Nightmares by a publisher, which was super exciting, and then had to race through Strange the Dreamer and missed a classic and then poof, never got back to the classics. I don’t think I’ll be trying this again but I am hoping to continue to read diversely in 2020.
Read 1 non fiction book
I actually did this! I read Becoming, Michelle Obama’s autobiography and I loved it! I’m hoping to read some more autobiographies in the new year so let me know if you have any recommendations.
Try NaNoWriMo Again
I was unconvinced I’d be able to win this year and I was right, I didn’t quite manage it. But I am pleased that I gave it another go and very happy to have made more progress than last year. Maybe in 2020 I finish it?
Complete the Duolingo Tree
In Januray 2018 I randomly took to learning French and, in January 2019 I had nearly completed the Duolingo Tree. Which was super exciting until they brought out a new update that put me three circle things away from finishing the tree but on only 1 crown (Duolingo people may vaguely understand this). So this update set back put me back to slowly working my way through the tree again. Grrr.
Run a Thing
I ran many 10k things! Well, two official ones and many 5ks with mates. I got two shiny medals and am hoping to do a half marathon in 2020.
Knit Something
I managed to knit my dinosaur toy a little scarf, which I’m very proud of. The goal of knitting a Weasley jumper is quite far away but maybe one day.
And nowwwww, drum roll please, my 10 2020 goals!
- Improve on my NaNoWriMo word count
- Send at least one of my NaNoWriMo 2019 short stories off to a magazine
- Get to 1000 (!!) blog followers
- Get to 2000 Instagram followers
- Run a half marathon
- Do Duolingo everyday
- Do something for muscle strength (I’m great at cardio but with the physique of a leaf)
- Update Goodreads once a week
- Reduce my food waste
- Publish a discussion post once a month
Letβs Compare Notes
So there you have it. My goals. Bring on 2020. What are your goals? What do you think of mine? If you have a goals post feel free to drop a link or opinion in the comments!
Great goals, I hope you’ll achieve all of them! I totally understand your Duolingo issue, I finished the French tree a couple of years ago and now I have to start almost from scratch π’. And wow, you increased your following so quickly, could you share some tips about that?
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Thank you! Exactly, it’s so demoralising π but at least I’m learning a language, even if I do feel I’m back to basics π thanks! I don’t actually have any tips, I take part in memes and they help but I’m not entirely sure how to grow your wordpress following π€
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I am definitely with you on wanting to grow my blog this year! I just started blogging there a few months ago, so I’ve got a long way to go!
I also want to get better at scheduling future posts.
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Ah good luck! Hopefully we both will! Oh my gosh yesssss but I find when I schedule posts wordpress often messes them up? Like posts them at the wrong time? Or back in time?
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Good luck with all your goals!
Congrats on increasing your follower count so quickly and I hope 2020 brings you some great books!
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Thank you! Ah me too! It has so far π
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