Yearly Goals Check In Pt. 1 [2021]

Image by Gabrielle Henderson

There have been changes recently in my personal life (happy changes) that made me think back to my yearly goals. I am in a place now where there is a sense of relief and a belief that I can actually achieve some goals again. But first I have to take a look back to see what I thought I would be able to accomplish.

I had quarter goals which I completely forgot I was doing.

Genre Goals

I have now almost completely eliminated my goal to read books from certain genres and challenges in general. I'm terrible at reading series so I don't know why I even attempted that. I would still like to read more horror, sci-fi, own voice books by Latino/Hispanic authors, and reading the Bible. But do I want to set these as goals? 

Diverse Book Goals

I also wrote that I wanted to read more diversely without forcing it and actually that has been working out. I've just added a bunch of diverse books to my tbr that I am really excited about and picked them up naturally which has made me happy.

Unread Books Goal

I had the idea that I should read books on my shelf that I haven't read before but I don't want to force my reading in any way anymore so that goal is gone. 

NetGalley ARCs

I am currently at 79% feedback ratio with 11 books yet to read. I ended up getting too many ARCs at one time (shocker) so I am very behind. 

Special Projects

I wanted to do at least one Special Project each quarter based on a theme or genre I am neglecting. I have done a few reading experiments, resource guides, and fun discussions. I have technically only done two Special Projects based on my description (Giving Horror a Chance and Do I Like Poetry Books?) but overall I think I've done a good job creating a balance of reviews and projects.

Top 5 List

I have stopped doing a Top 5 list of books I wanted to read in a month. I'm not sure whether I should bring it back but I took it away because I didn't want to have a set tbr. However, I always create one on the side. I finally decided to pair down my reading to a list of four to five books so I can mood read the rest. I think I do have good ideas for Special Projects but then that makes my reading a chore. I think I had it right before to limit myself to one Special Project a quarter. 

New Goals

My new goals have to focus on taking the pressure off reading certain books even when I want to do interesting projects. If I do want to do interesting projects or read specific books I have to read them right when I am excited about them. For the end of quarter 3 I want to:

• Read and review 2 NetGalley ARCs
• Read and study Spanish vocab from Un Finde Terrorifico by Silvia Abril (3 to 4 Chapters)
• Have 1 Special Project (Reintroducing the Hispanic Book Discussion)
• Read up to 60 days of the Bible
• Read books with mom

I have been so focused on the quantity of books and what I need to read. As well as thinking others are reading so much more than me and that I won't have anything to write about on my blog. But reading is ultimately my favorite hobby. And although I want to do cool things on the blog, I rather have a short list of goals and books to read. That way, if inspiration strikes I can mood read and not feel like I have to complete a long list.

My anxiety has been very up and down but I feel like I still have pressure from work, but it's not as much as before. I finally was able to transfer to another branch where I don't have the pressure to do absolutely everything. I have been talking to someone and have been taking small steps to be a happier, healthier person. As a result, I've really loved blogging this year. I caught up with commenting for a while but need to get back on it. I don't feel a crazy amount of pressure to post all the time (only a small amount 😅) so I am doing well on that end.

Commenting

I have created a list of bloggers that I think have some really great thoughts on books. I plan on going through them and commenting when I can. Giving myself 15 minutes here and there so I don't feel overwhelmed with having to comment all in one go.

Fixing Three Sections of My Blog

I have fixed two out of three tasks I set for myself which were to fix my about me page and adding a genre drop-down menu. I also have a new profile pic, blog header, and background which I am really happy about.

View Count

This was a silly goal that I knew I was close to but I did hit 400,000 views. I am now at 425, 911 views which is a lot for me. 

New Goals

By the end of this quarter I would like to:

• Visit new and old blogs at least once a week
• Hit 429,000 lifetime views

Running/Walking

I have stopped running since June but I did train and complete a 5k with a PR. I walked so much during the first half of this year. It's really hot now and I don't know where to find it in my schedule to walk all the time.

Strength Training

I did about three to four weeks of strength training in March and then stopped. I've picked it back up again. I didn't realize I only put myself to do only one workout video a week. That's actually very kind of me. I am strength training again but don't have any consistency.

New Goals

• Reach at least 5,000 steps average a day
• Complete at least two walking exercises or walk outside
• Complete a strength training video twice a week

I wanted to make 6 new dinner recipes and three new dessert recipes in the first quarter of the year which is laughable. I need to change my goals completely. For the end of the quarter I want to:

• Eat a set number of calories every day
• Have at least one healthy food a day

I tried sewing and didn't really do anything with it. I really want someone to teach me how to use a sewing machine. I also finally drew a bunch of characters during a span of like two weeks. Surprisingly, I've made four tie-dye shirts, delicious popsicles, and lavender soap. I've been doing crafts with my mom and it has been nice to do it with another person. I think moving forward I need to keep this in mind when I am doing a creative project. By the end of this quarter, I want to simply make a candle.

Um... Okay, I am not consistent with the cleaning. Only in small spurts. But in those small spurts, I have been able to have my bedroom relatively picked up which is a win for me. And I finally reorganized my drawers. To become consistent I really need to buckle down but also be realistic. By the end of this quarter I want to:

• Do one load of dishes every other day in the morning
• Do my laundry every Saturday night
• Vacuum once a week on my day off
• 5 min. cleanup at least three times a week

I routinely put on some sort of skincare in the morning but I haven't been perfect. I have set new goals regarding the care of my skin and teeth. My nails are fine and my hair I will get to later. I've been keeping a habit tracker lately on important healthy habits I want to work on. My goal this quarter is to be consistent with tracking my habits.

How are your bookish and personal goals going?