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It is a bit late for this post, but I'm doing it anyway. I
love New Year’s Resolutions. I’ve made them every year for as long as I can
remember. Do I usually accomplish them? No. But, it’s fun to try. Here’s what I’m
hoping to do in 2019.
My 2019 Resolutions
The Books
Resolution #1:
Catch up on The Song of Ice and Fire series by George R.R. Martin
I
read the first 3 novels and then stopped because I’m a slow reader, and each of
these books is a month-long commitment for me. I’m ready to get back to them in 2019.
Resolution #2: Read
more Newbery winners
In
my lifetime, I’ve read 28 of 96 Newbery winners. I read 13 of them last year. I’m
determined to catch up with the Newbery Award sometime in my life. I will read
them all. Good thing most of them are short.
Resolution #3: Read more Stephen King
According to my creepily obsessive Pinterest board, there are 27
Stephen King books that I haven’t read yet. I need to fix that. How does he write so fast? And why
are his books so long? He’s making it very difficult to catch up.
Resolution #4: Acquire fewer books
My 2018
spreadsheet informed me that my new books sit on my TBR shelf for an average of
143 days before I read them. That’s 5 months. I buy a shiny new book and then
wait 5 months to read it. That’s stupid. When books sit around for months, I
lose enthusiasm for them. I want to acquire fewer books so I can stay excited
about everything on my shelf.
The Blog
Resolution #5: Reach my earnings threshold
See those ugly ads over there -->? Right now,
Google keeps the money I earn from them because I haven’t reached my earnings
threshold. I really want to reach it so that I can get paid to blog.
Unfortunately, book blogs don’t attract massive amounts of web traffic, and no
one clicks on ads. I’ll keep trying to increase my pageviews.
Me
Resolution #6:
Be social on social media
Last
spring, I realized that social media was making me unhappy. I unfollowed anyone
who mostly posts about politics or whiny things. That left me with lots of
happy people. Then I discovered that happy people also make me miserable.
Everyone is getting married, having babies, going on vacation, getting
promotions and book contracts. I’m not. To escape from the happy horde, I stopped
using social media to socialize. I post blog links and then leave as quickly as
possible. Right now, my Twitter feed is just shameless blog promotion. That’s
not fun. Or classy. I want to talk to humans!
Resolution #7: I need a new job
It turns out that sitting alone in front of a
computer all day makes you fat and sad. Who knew? I’d like to do something
completely unrelated to the stuff I do now.
Resolution #8: Make a list of hikes and actually
attempt them
I live in one of the
world’s hiking hot spots. There’s a ton of wilderness around me. Why am I not in
it?
Resolution #9: Start relearning Spanish
I took Spanish classes for most of my childhood. I
quit when I was 17 and promptly forgot 90% of the language. Now I only remember
useful phrases, such as “I love dogs,” “Where is the library?” and “Please give
me more tequila.”
If you’re learning another language, what are you using to
learn it? I need recommendations.
Resolution #10: Get healthy
- I researched the American government’s guidelines for nutrition and exercise. The government says I’ll be healthier if I follow their rules. When has the government ever been wrong about anything? I’ll give it my best shot.
- Restart Couch to 5K. I was really good about running my 5Ks until last November. Then I fell off the wagon and landed in 1000 Christmas cookies.
- Give up caffeine. This will get ugly. Brace yourself.
- Cook more. If you have links to cheap/low-calorie/idiot-proof/preferably vegetarian recipes, I’ll love you forever.
Did
you make New Year’s resolutions?
These are excellent. For me (and it's just me) I'd never manage ten resolutions. Life goals, maybe. I do best if I focus on one or two at a time.
ReplyDeleteI wish you much luck with your resolutions. Who knew people could earn money from book blogs? Does anyone actually do that? I'm curious.
There are some BookTubers who make money from book vlogs, but blogs don’t seem to get a big audience, so I’m not sure if any bloggers actually make money.
DeleteAj @ Read All The Things!
Stephen King and ASOFAI series... you’re drawn to the chunky tomes! :) I took two years of Spanish in high school. My knowledge 30 years later is counting to ten and the ability to say “the shoes are green.” Crushing it.
ReplyDeleteHaha, I wish I remembered something about Spanish that was actually useful. There are a bunch of chunky books on my TBR because I tend to avoid them. I need to stop doing that.
DeleteAj @ Read All The Things!
Those are some damn good goals! I refuse to continue reading the Game of Thrones series until he finishes them lolol I already can hardly wait a year for the next book in a series to come out. One of my goals was to become more active in the book blogging community! I haven't been that good at getting to know other bloggers and interacting with other blogs and I'd really like to do that this year! :)
ReplyDeleteGood luck with your goal! I’m really hoping that he finishes Game of Thrones. I’ll be sad if I read thousands of pages and never get an ending.
DeleteAj @ Read All The Things!
These are great resolutions! I'm hoping to read Pet Sematary soon and also exercise more. Good luck to you!
ReplyDeleteI hope you like Pet Sematary! I liked that one.
DeleteAj @ Read All The Things!
#4 - I'm the same thing, I also lost enthusiasm to read books after a while, this is probably why we should stop looking at book covers, especially those really good ones that just sucks you in - they are hard to resist
ReplyDelete#6 - this one has somehow been on my to do list and resolutions and pretty much all the upcoming lists, it's kind of hard to be social on social media when you're slow at responding, I guess that's my problem, I'm too slow & also I really don't want to read how happy other people are doing, not really...
#7 - me too, if only taking lunch breaks is an actual job...
#8 - my list of hikes is parks with bathrooms
#9 - those phrases sounds very useful. I read that listening and repeating phrases is really the only way to go, so what if you can only speak and not write?
#10 - on my list too but exercising is hard, even if that guy at the gym says it's easy.
good luck with your resolutions.
& have a lovely day.
Thanks! I have a huge problem with losing enthusiasm for books. That’s why I need to slow down my book acquiring. It’s hard to be excited about something that’s been sitting around for 5 months.
DeleteAj @ Read All The Things!
Great resolutions and goals! I read a Newbery winner this year!! I enjoyed it. Check out Budget Bytes blog for good cheap recipes.
ReplyDeleteThanks! I’ll check out that site.
DeleteAj @ Read All The Things!
Great resolutions! Well except for the giving up caffeine part. It's an impressive goal but not one that would be advisable for me to attempt for the safety of all those living with me - especially in the morning! I'm trying to acquire less books this year to in order to actually be able to read all the books that I really want to read that I already own or that are at my library. I was actually doing really good with exercising last year and had even been able to run a mile which isn't a big deal to lots of people but is huge to me! I'm doing a 30 Days of Yoga challenge with Yoga with Adriene on YouTube and am loving it. Back to running soon! Good luck for 2019!
ReplyDeleteRunning a mile is hard! I think that’s a big accomplishment. I need to try yoga again. I did it a few times and was really bad at it.
DeleteAj @ Read All The Things!
These are great resolutions, I really hope you'll achieve all of them :) I always try not to buy too many books, because it stresses me out and I lose my excitment for them after a little while, too, it is a bit frustrating :/ Best of luck for all of these, I'll be rooting for you! <3 <3
ReplyDeleteThanks! I’ve bought way too many books in January, but hopefully I’ll be more responsible next month.
DeleteAj @ Read All The Things!
oh my gosh, I'm laughing so hard at the bear/soft taco meme!
ReplyDeleteI want to read more Stephen King this year, too. I read him a lot (uhh too much) as a kid, but I know so much of it was (thankfully) over my head. It'd be cool to revisit some of his classics.
Stephen King was pretty much the only author I read as a teenager. I burned myself out on his work, but now I want to get back to it.
DeleteAj @ Read All The Things!
All the best with these. I don't really make resolutions but I still have guidelines like my word for 2019 MOVE. I once set out to read all the Newberry books but didn't make a huge dent in the list.
ReplyDeleteMove is a good word. I need to move, too. There are so many Newbery winners! I feel like I read a lot of them, but I’m barely making a dent in the list.
DeleteAj @ Read All The Things!
I want to hike more this year, too. And I could use a new job. Good luck with ALL of your resolutions. They sound amazing. :D
ReplyDeleteGood resolutions. I congratulate you for making your resolution about the time most people give up on theirs . Kidding aside, keep hiking and smiling and reading.
ReplyDeletewww.thepulpitandthepen.com
Haha, maybe I’ll have a better chance of keeping them now that most people have given up.
DeleteAj @ Read All The Things!
"soft tacos of the bear world" That's pretty awesome.
ReplyDeleteYay for more Game of Thrones. I'm kinda excited we're going to get a conclusion of the show even if we never get the book ending (hope I'm wrong??!?). And I should read more Newbery winners too. When I was a kid I used to see that little award thing and I'd think ooh it won the Newbery, but I'm trash at actually reading very many of them!
I wanted to catch up on the books before the show ends, but I don’t think that’ll happen. The books take so long to read!
DeleteAj @ Read All The Things!
I related so hard to #6, and you are making me want to read some Newbery winners. I am not sure if I have read one since grade school.
ReplyDeleteSocial media is a struggle. It always seems to put me in a bad mood. There are so many Newbery winners that it would probably be easy to find one that interests you.
DeleteAj @ Read All The Things!
Catching up on A Song of Ice and Fire is one of my unofficial goals for this year. I've read 4 so far, so I'm close. Good luck with all of your goals. I think they all sound great!
ReplyDeleteGood luck with catching up!
DeleteAj @ Read All The Things!
Oh my goodness, good luck on A Song of Ice and Fire! Those books are massive! I'm horrible at social media too, so I definitely feel you there. Good luck meeting all your goals!
ReplyDeleteThanks! The Song of Ice and Fire books are some of the longest books I’ve ever read. I really hope the author finishes the series so that I’m not putting in all of this work for nothing.
DeleteAj @ Read All The Things!
I am cracking up with all these memes. "soft tacos of the bear world", I'd be damned for sure. Definitely exercising is also one of my resolutions this year. Some of my bloggy resolutions are: be more mindful (which is a pretty vague and immeasurable goal but I'm still going for it), making my book blog bilingual, grow my blog following and stats. I'm cheering for you this 2019, best of luck! :)
ReplyDeleteJennilyn @ Rurouni Jenni Reads
Thanks! Your goals are great. Good luck with them!
DeleteAj @ Read All The Things!
I've started trying to introduce healthier eating for me and my dad this year as I'm sick of feeling tired all the time! I have plans to try new simple recipes to get different meals to enjoy. I love that bear taco picture! I was never much good at learning languages but I do have basic tourist French I could get by on. I started learning Afrikaans years ago but have forgotten most of it. I've only bought a handful of books this month and all but one are by authors I like or in a series I follow. I'm happy with that!
ReplyDeleteGood luck with eating healthy! Healthy food is challenging for me because it takes forever to cook and usually doesn’t taste great.
DeleteAj @ Read All The Things!
Oh wonderful goals/resolution here! I'm setting up a budget because yup. I'm like that Dory image LOL Good luck finding another job that doesn't make you sit on the comp all day. That way you'll achieve some of the other goals too! :)
ReplyDeleteThanks! Good luck with your budget.
DeleteAj @ Read All The Things!
Good luck with your goals for the new year - I can relate to many of them. I hope 2019 has been kind to you so far!
ReplyDeleteThanks! It’s been good so far.
DeleteAj @ Read All The Things!
We love hiking! We used to go all the time, but then he twins arrived. It's hard to hike when you're pregnant with twins, and I didn't have the energy after they were born. They're older now, so we should really get back into that! I've actually never read a Stephen King book -- gasps! I know. I'm sorry you're not enjoying your job. I've been there! It makes the days feel impossibly long. I hope you figure things out soon!
ReplyDeleteLindsi @ Do You Dog-ear? 💬
Thanks! Taking care of twins would be hard. I wouldn’t have the energy for hiking if I had two little kids.
DeleteAj @ Read All The Things!
Daime más tequila, por favor. Not really, I don't really drink all that often. Anyway, I use Duolingo for most of my basic language learning. I even teach Spanish and German using Duolingo, once a week. Right now, I'm learning Welsh. I started learning it for the book I'm writing.
ReplyDeleteMy only resolution this year is two write for 15 minutes a day. I missed one day though. I don't have a word count goal. Right now I'm editing, so sometimes I lose words anyway.
Good luck! Or should I say, bueno suerte!
Good luck with writing! I’ll look up Duolingo. I’ve heard of it, but I don’t know how it works.
DeleteAj @ Read All The Things!
These are great goals, I'd be happy to accomplish even a couple of them! I need to make a list of local hikes, too - I don't think we'll be traveling much this year, so I need to find some spots close to home.
ReplyDeleteThere are so many trails around here. It’s embarrassing that I don’t use them more often.
DeleteAj @ Read All The Things!
I still plan on sharing my goals for the year, so you're never too late. I hope that you can succeed with all of these! I suppose if you start hiking more, that helps with being more healthy. I really need to eat better and keep up with being active. I'm in two dance classes a week right now so that's a good start. I want to find other ways to move more though. I'm never going to be a runner, but I'd like to do some of those charity walks. :)
ReplyDelete-Lauren
www.shootingstarsmag.net
I would love to do a charity walk. I always seem to learn about them after they’re over. I need to research which ones are happening around here.
DeleteAj @ Read All The Things!
I made a long blog post with the 19 Goals in 2019 for myself to try and complete. I hope you will be able to achieve these goals. I am on a buying ban so acquiring fewer books is one for me too. And I also really like the idea of fitness, eating healthy and also going hiking. I love to hike and hope you have fun doing that! Ooh, and I am trying to focus on my Spanish as well this year so if you need a learning motivation buddy, you know where to find me ;)
ReplyDeleteI'm hosting a read-a-thon so if you might be interested you know where to find me: https://oliviascatastrophe.com/2019/01/catastrophe-read-a-thon-announcement-info-tbr/
Good luck with Spanish! I’ll try to participate in your readathon. It sounds like fun.
DeleteAj @ Read All The Things!
Great resolutions!
ReplyDeleteBut I found out recently that having too many New Year's Resolutions can lead to lower possibility of fulfilling them. Maybe you should just start small? Perhaps try to focus on just ONE or TWO resolutions instead of trying to do all at once.
http://bitesomebooks.com
That’s probably true. Most of these goals I can spread out over the year, so I don’t have to do all of them at once.
DeleteAj @ Read All The Things!
Ah, Game of Thrones. I read the first in the series. But then decided to wait until the film versions were done. So on the tbr pile... for now. Good luck with your resolutions.
ReplyDeleteI've been trying to read Stephen King for years, but I never find the time to do it. I'm dying to read Misery.
ReplyDeleteLast year, I had to keep myself away from social media for some time because it was such a dark place for me - everyone wants to share their happiness, but some people seems to enjoy shoving down people's throats about their happy marriage or their new job. I went on a unfollowing and/or blocking spree (I even unfollowed some authors because their came across so conceited - being proud is okay, but there's a barrier between being proud and full of yourself).
To learn English I started watching a lot of shows and reading books in English. My English isn't perfect - every day I learn a new word - but those things help a lot.
Good luck with your goals.
Tânia @MyLovelySecret
Social media is frustrating because it makes me feel stuck. Everybody else is accomplishing things, and I’m not. When I was a kid, I used to watch Disney movies in Spanish. Maybe I should try that again.
DeleteAj @ Read All The Things!
Just remember that social media can be deceiving. People tend to post the good stuff more than the bad stuff. It can feel like everyone's life is better than yours. But everyone has bad stuff, even if they don't share it. And what do you mean not accomplishing things? You have a _master's_ degree! AFAIK, that's one more than anyone in the family. :)
DeleteI would love to try The Song of Fire and Ice again. I made it halfway through A Game of Thrones before I burned out. Now that I've seen the show, I think it would be easier to keep track of all of the characters.
ReplyDeleteI love your Newbery goal. I would love to do that myself.
Yay for Stephen King. I have no idea how he does what he does!
I need to figure out how to acquire less books, too, just because I also like my money. Haha.
I spend a lot of time on Spanish language learning. (I need to take that Simpsons advice!) I use Duolingo, Pimsleur, Margarita Madrigal, watch Spanish TV/movies, the Spanish course on Kanopy, and I've set a goal to read a Spanish book each month this year. I'm currently making my way through the Harry Potter books which is really great since I know the story so well.
Good luck with your goals! They all seem very doable.
Ooh, I’ll check out those Spanish resources. I used to read picture books in Spanish, and I tried one novel, but I never got through it.
DeleteAj @ Read All The Things!
In general, I'm much better at generating great ideas than actual follow through, so I tend to avoid new years resolutions. I played around a bit with the One Little Word thing this year and couldn't quite get the right one, but it is some sort of be bold/try new things/dare to dream attitude. Then I accidentally ended up agreeing to host 15 schools for the regional battle of the books, despite never having participated in any capacity before, and was all, "THAT'S A BIT MORE THAN I MEANT, THANK YOU, UNIVERSE!"
ReplyDeleteI miss hiking so much. We used to be very active and do all sort of outdoor adventures, but I'm at a point in my life where taking a (short, flat) walk on Sunday means my legs are sore on Monday. It's hard to get back to it when I'm so dramatically out of shape. I guess whining about it isn't the most effective solution though. Hm.
My book buying is all for my classroom, so I can justify it, but even so, I should probably set a budget. My issue is I check out everything I want to read at the library, then end up with 43 books that I renew and renew and renew, and then half of them go back 3 months later, still unread. I'm trying now to not check out more books until I've read the ones I have out, then I might do some sort of 10 book limit for myself or something. It's not expensive in the way book buying is, but it's still stressful to have all these unread books around the house, and the hoarding aspect is kind of weird and unhealthy. You have the tidiest TBR of any book blogger I know, so I am confident you will succeed on this one.
Good luck with all of your 2019 goals.
Good luck with Battle of the Books! That sounds like a big project. I get so many books through trades that I don’t use the library very often.
DeleteAj @ Read All The Things!
Oh lord I need to do some of these myself. I became a nurse to move more and I do and haven't lost anything. I live in an area that is hike loving too and haven't done any hiking. Which I still want to do. We need to get our butt in gear!
ReplyDeleteMary
You've got some great goals AJ. Finding balance with social media is definitely a need. It can be mentally exhausting.
ReplyDeleteHave a awesome years, fingers crossed that you find a job you like!
These are such great goals. Books sit in my house for years before I get around to reading them sometimes. I completely understand how much of a commitment some longer books can be. I need to get back to the Outlander books but I know it will take me about a month (maybe a bit less) to get the audio for the next book and I can't seem to get myself to get started. Good luck with everything.
ReplyDeleteGood luck with your New Year’s Resolutions. I do the same each year too, I like to set a few goals. I don't know how King writes so much and so fast. I love his work but I tend to re-read him the most instead of reading the ones I haven't read yet.
ReplyDeleteI totally relate to #4 too, I buy books and let them sit for years. Why though?
Enjoy your week!
I don't make New Year's Resolutions because I don't ever keep them past 2 weeks. This year I made goals (made a blog post about them, woo!) Some of them include going to a book convention (got my tickets and my hotel reservation, going in April, woo!) and some weight loss goals (well on my way, woo!) I think an important part of resolutions, if you want to stick with them, is to also make SMART goals to go with them, and have an action plan. Like if you want to go hiking more, make a plan - what does "more" look like, when will go you, where? Start making plans and commitments and DO IT.
ReplyDeleteNewbery winners for the win! I am striving for ine a month. 👍✨
ReplyDelete