2019 goals – reading and otherwise!

I did a lot of things in 2018 – I finished my Masters in Publishing, I moved in with my boyfriend, and I finally got a proper job! However, throughout the year I found myself abandoning many of my goals due to bouts of depression and anxiety/stress. This was pretty disheartening, as I really wanted to do things such as bookstagram and booktube, but I just found them a real chore to do when I wasn’t feeling 100%.

SO this year I’m going to be a bit more relaxed with my goals. I’m going to try to achieve these things, but if I don’t, that’s totally okay.

Personal:

• Go on holiday – I’ve got a holiday to the States booked for April, which is very exciting! I’ve not been abroad since 2016, and I’ve missed travelling.
• Continue with therapy – In 2018 I finally found a therapist that I liked, so a goal of mine is to continue to see her when I need to.
• Move house – This is pretty much set in stone for after my boyfriend graduates med school. We’re moving closer to London/my friends, so that will be great.
• GET A CAT! – If the finance gods are merciful, we should have a bit of cash left over after we move to get a cat! I can’t wait to have a little furry friend scampering around.
• Plan at least one exciting thing a month – I find that with something to look forward to, I find it a lot easier to be hopeful about the future. It doesn’t have to be a big thing – I think my exciting thing for January is seeing my friends (we’re going to the Taco Bell in Croydon!).

Professional:

• Go into full-time work – I’m starting proper full-time work tomorrow (!!) and I could not be more pumped to have actual money/a purpose for weekdays. I’m hoping that the company I work for is a good fit for me.
• Continue with occasional freelancing – What it says on the tin. I’ve enjoyed writing for different blogs/publications.

Reading/blogging:

• 100 books – I read 150 in 2017 and 108 in 2018, so I think this is pretty manageable. If I start getting stressed out about it I’ll lower it.
• Continue to read diversely – I’d like to read more about neurodivergent and physically disabled people, as there’s a real gap in my reading there. Linked with this goal, I am going to attempt to track my reading again this year. I’d really like to have some stats about the types of books/authors I tend to read.
• Read more independently published/self-published authors – I started doing this for Mookychick and I really enjoyed reading non-hyped books!
• Try to read more genres – I read a lot of different genres in 2018, including horror and romance (areas that I’d never really tried before!) I’d like to continue this, as it made me discover tons of authors I’d never heard of before!
• Try to re-read a childhood favourite once a month – I’ve been feeling nostalgic, and I think this will be fun.
• Try to read one graphic novel a month – Linked to the different genres idea, I’d like to read different formats! As I’ll be making a bit more money now as well, I can finally afford to buy more graphic novels.
• Try to post three times a week – a mental health Monday, a random post such as a review or tag, and a top 5 recommendation.

I’m thinking about maybe trying out little mini-goals throughout the year, that last 3 or 4 months at a time. Like making a real dent in my backlist books, reading more translated fiction, and that sort of thing.

What are your 2019 goals? Let me know!