2020: Old Goals and New Goals

Hey everyone!!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Today’s post is the ‘I must plan the new person I want to be‘ type. I am not really a fan of ‘The New Me’ phrase as I think it puts too much pressure to be perfect and to be productive. Plus it seems to discard who you were when you could never be ‘The New Me’ without who you used to be but maybe I am reading too much into it!!

Anyway, I do think the New Year can have a good impact as you can set yourself goals and there is a sense of ‘I have lots of motivation let’s do this’ and I like to cling on to that energy for as long as I can. It usually lasts two days!!

But let’s focus on 2019 to start with…

At the beginning of the year, I wrote a post where I talked about what I wanted from the year and set some goals so it is time to reflect because now I have lived 2019 I can say that it was at times it was horrendous and other times it was pretty darn good so like every other year basically.

2019 Goals:

Two blog posts a week

Umm… if you are being kind.. yes because I have done 104 posts this year but it hasn’t necessarily been spread out evenly with 2 a week and I did have a hiatus in August and reduced it to once a week in October so I broke this goal but I prefer to see it as adapting to the situation to benefit productivity. So I am saying I succeeded!!

Finish writing a book

Lol. No.

But I did alter this goal in my writing post to write 40,000 words by the end of this year and…

I did it *dance party* which I definitely didn’t think was going to happen near the end (I saved all my words for the last 2 months) but I’m pretty proud of myself for that. I also love that it is an entirely different book than the one I wanted to finish at the start of the year. I don’t follow plans. I destroy them. But still, I’m calling it a……. SUCCESS

Read 35 books

YES. I have undoubtedly achieved this goal. Hallelujah. I’ve read over this amount and it feels good. I was surprised by how much I read this year (61 books *gasps*) and I’m very happy that I achieved this and more importantly, I’ve read so many good books! A grand success.

New Job

I’m afraid to say I was lazy and procrastinated the important things so no I didn’t do this. I’m scared of change but this will change very soon. PLEASE! Here you can insert a kind way of saying failure. 

 

Learn to drive

Hahahahaha *laughs through tears* No I haven’t. I am channelling my inner Lara-Jean and being afraid of driving so nope, I’ve saved some money for it but I haven’t done it yet. *continues to laugh through tears* Another kind way to say failure is needed here. 

 

Learning how to do basic digital art for fun

No… but I changed this goal to regularly drawing on paper for fun because I didn’t buy a new laptop but I think I prefer drawing on paper. I like drawing, not because I’m very good but because it is relaxing and for once I am not thinking about how to make it the best but just enjoy it. And I get to release some creative energy. I have drawn every month at least once, so I have achieved it. It counts okay. Boom, success. 

Well, that was a mix so slightly disheartening but I have achieved some things… I have made progress on my writing, maybe not as quick as I want but progress is still progress. I am happy with how blogging has gone this year and I am very happy with my reading so let’s focus on that.

I have things I still need to work towards but that’s why we have new beginnings after ends.

Okay looking forward, this is my favourite part!! 2020, will it be by year?!?!

So I want 2020 to be exciting, full of new opportunities and fun. I would wish it to be a truly positive year but I don’t want to get stuck in the mindset that this means that it has to be perfect or else I’ve failed. I like to be open to mistakes but always trying to improve.

I hope some big things can happen though so let’s see what my goals are….

2020 Goals:

1. Finish writing one of my books (yes this again)
2. Maybe participate in NaNoWriMo (properly for once)
3. Learn to drive (I really need to do that)
4. Read 40 books (I know this is less than I read this year but I’m pretty sure that was a fluke)
   • Read more adult fantasy
   • Read more under-hyped books
   • Finish book series (they’re waiting, Sophie, c’mon)
5. Post more discussions and writing posts on my blog (once every month at least)
6. Redesign my blog
7. Be open to new things
8. Find some kind of activity/keep fit to do regularly (I’m getting way too lazy)

The main goal of every year is to be happy, to be healthy and to be kind. To live it to the best of your ability and don’t be too hard on yourself.

The New Decade

It is the start of the 2020s’s so we are saying goodbye to the tens and I didn’t really realise this until everyone was tweeting what they had achieved in the past decade causing me to have an existential crisis over ‘what have I achieved?’ *cue lots of crying*

So I thought I would make some light-hearted decade-length goals/bucket list…

1. The British Museum in London BY MYSELF.
2. Go to Iceland
3. Finish writing 3-5 books (not including editing, that’s in the 100-year goal)
4. Go to Greece
5. Go swimming in the ocean in the UK (yes it will be cold but that is what coffee is for)
6. Go to a bookish event (you know the ones IN PUBLIC)
7. Try to use a Bullet Journal for a year
8. Move house
9. Get one of those fancy advent calendars that are really expensive/overpriced
10. Get a coffee machine (I am hoping it will make me feel like an adult)

 

How was your 2019? Did you set goals for 2019? How do you stay motivated?

What are your goals for 2020?