Blasting Out of 2018 and Into 2019 with Goals

Wowowow. What a year 2018 has been.

As cliche as this topic sounds for Bookending Winter, I figured I should let everyone off the hook from Blogoween just a little. I’ll still bring great mayhem in 2019, though. 😝

Besides, rules are for breaking, just not today. I’m behaving for once.

So let’s talk about Sophia’s 2018 goals.

I made these blogging goals for 2018 in February and checked in mid-July to see how I was doing, but now we’re here! We’re here to see exactly how I failed fared now that we’re bidding 2018 goodbye. (Or you can kiss 2018 goodbye.)

✅Move to self-hosted WordPress

I moved near the end of February and took the plunge! This has been a blessing and a bit of a curse, but I’m enjoying my experience on WordPress, even though I still hate the free version with a passion. (It’s torture.)

✅Comment on blogs more

Well, more than I have in the past. Certainly not as much as I wish to, so we’ll call this an accomplishment.

✅Post more than sporadically/post at least once a week

I mentioned in my love/hate relationship with planning post that I have a habit of starting plans but then abandoning it a few weeks or months later. Thankfully, I might have found a method during the summer before my fall semester. It’s been working pretty well since I got all of my posts up through the end of the semester done by around October.

I’m slowly easing back into a planning zone, so maybe I’ve found the thing that works for me? We’ll see how long this continues to last in 2019.

Hint: I’m almost done with January. 😱

🆗Update the blog, clean up links, reformat old posts

I’m still working on this! I didn’t expect myself to finish (even with Clo’s help) with so many posts, but progress has been made. Even with my wrist indefinitely being in a support (probably until I graduate and find an environment friendly to my wrist) and giving up on some posts, I’ve still made a lot of progress and I’m happy about that accomplishment. Maybe I’ll come back to those posts.

Although let’s be a little honest: I did delete nearly 200 posts because I didn’t feel the need for them anymore. It’s not cheating, it’s weeding out the unnecessary posts. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

🆗Catch up with comments and stay on track

I would like to say I’m basically on track because I’m about 5-6 posts behind in comments. Compared to earlier this year, I’d say this is an accomplishment of sorts, but I did let myself fall back a few times.

❌Send out monthly posts and reviews

Sometimes I want to scrap the email subscription because I’ve noticed most bloggers don’t really do subscriptions? At the same time, though, I want to make it available for those who do want emails.

🆗Branding the blog

If there’s one thing I’ve learned a lot in school, it’s branding and I think this has finally carried over into the blog as well. Compared to past years, I feel I’ve been doing better at this, but I still think there’s work that can be done still to really find BWT’s brand.

❌Work on bookstagram

Hahaha, what even is bookstagram? I abandoned it for more than a month. In my defense, though, it’s been exhausting. I don’t think I have enough time in the world to do all the things, even if I take photos in advance.

Much productivity happened in 2018.

I might be judging myself a little harshly with these goals since I did accomplish something for each (aside from the monthly posts and reviews). And if you ask me, I think I did well blogging wise in the past year compared to 2016 and 2017 (a mess we don’t talk about).

But let’s talk about Sophia’s 2019 goals!

Setting goals is a great feeling to have and I found in the past year, I made myself more accountable when there’s a post. Unlike 2018, my 2019 goals include things from both in and out of blogging, and I hope I won’t forget them later.

Continue posting at least once a week

One thing I’ve accomplished for sure in 2018 is posting at least once a week continuously. In 2019, I want to continue that, but I also want to try for maybe two posts a week. One thing I’ve noticed in writing internship and job requirements is the ability to write at least three articles a week, which scares me a lot. I want to try and get to that point slowly on my own blog without any risks. But I also don’t want to overwhelm myself.

Finish formatting, updating and cleaning

I’m hoping this will finally be done throughout the break, but my goal is to finish this sometime in the summer. Winter break is dedicated to scheduling away and writing so I’m covered for the semester and maybe beyond. 😂

Continue working on branding

I think I’m getting closer to that point? I’ve changed things a little recently with discussion posts. Maybe I’ll end up finding things to work on throughout the year.

Continue blog hopping and staying on top of comments

Who’s to say I won’t fall back and have 8 months worth of comments to catch up on in September 2019? 😂

Work on bookstagram

Fewer abandonments, a little more activity. I lurk more than I post these days. Plus with a less hectic school schedule for the semester, I should be able to? Maybe? We’ll see.

Send out those monthly posts and reviews

One day I might be doing this for a job and my boss is very much not okay with me missing email deadlines. Better get into a good habit when I can’t get in trouble before I really do in the future. 😂

To be honest, I’m sure I’d make those deadlines as a job.

Create a Patreon and Ko-Fi

There have been a few people who have asked if I have Patreon and Ko-Fi, so I’ve considered it throughout the past month. I’m likely launching this in early 2019, and no one is obligated to support me through monetary means. Your comments and visits already make my day. 😃

Find an in-person internship

I’ve been doing a remote internship for the past few months and it’s been an interesting experience. I’ve learned a lot about time management and my internship has given me a good excuse to read a lot. It does, however, suck when I’m in a reading slump or need a mental health day/week.

But I do want to find an in-person internship since I would like the experience of that as well rather than remote. I love doing remote since I get challenged in a lot of ways and find some handy skills, but in-person will be different for sure.

Post more reviews at The Arts STL

Since July 2017, I’ve been a contributor at The Arts STL, but I only wrote one review. With my internship, scholarly commitments, work and other issues, I haven’t submitted any others beyond my review for The Heart Forger. Thankfully I’m not required to commit myself on a regular basis, but I do want to create more content there.

Stay more on top of ARCs

I’ve been bad at this since 2016, ranging from not reading ARCs (because I’m not interested years later) to being too busy to read them (and being late). I’m not going to pressure myself to read and review ARCs in a timely manner, though. I also won’t be stressing out over them if I don’t make the publication date, though it’ll be nice if I do.

Convince Lupe to join the New Bloggers Discord server

She’s missing out on a grand time with Kal, Sam, Clo and everyone else. Plus since I’ve shoved This Mortal Coil by Emily Suvada at her, she’s going to need the moral support when her brain gets poofed.

And let’s not forget about Lupe’s goals for 2019 as well.

Hello! Long time no see!

2018 was rough. I’ve learned so much from my downfalls this year. I have decided to make some of the goals based on the lessons I’ve learned this year.

Take better care of my physical and mental health

In October, my health went downhill. My finger got severely infected. I had MRSA and was given antibiotics for it which damaged my kidneys. My kidneys are back to normal. Thank God.

This year, my doctor diagnosed me with mild anxiety. Anxiety explained why I ended up in the hospital in the first place. So taking care of my physical and mental health is a big goal of mine.

Start Bullet Journaling Again

I’ve always loved to write and plan out things. I started out bullet journaling in early 2018 but gave up halfway through the year. My doctor recommended drawing as an outlet to help my anxiety. Bullet Journaling seems like a great answer for it!

Bookstagram or Booktube?

I smashed this into one because I am not sure whether I want to accomplish one or both this year. All I know is that if I do start one of these, I will do it in the way that will keep me inspired and creative.

Read at least one book per month

Do you know how many books I’ve read this year? I’ve only read three books this year! I need to find the motivation to read again because three books are just unacceptable.

Read more genres, autobiographies, and books that aren’t YA

When I started to read religiously, I started off reading romance and horror genres. I want to dive back into those genres and slowly get me back into reading.

I’ve read an autobiography from a Youtuber I grew up watching. The book is called A Sucky Love Story: Overcoming Unhappily Ever After by Brittani Louise Taylor. I loved it so much that I want to start reading other autobiographies!

I feel stuck in the young adult genre. I want to branch out. I want to read new adult, children’s books and so on. I want to seek out more stories that interest me and not feel obliged to read only YA.

Read what I want to read and forget what’s popular at the moment

Life is too short to only pay attention and solely read best sellers. There are plenty of books that need some love out there. I don’t want to feel like I have to read a book just because of everyone else in the community is raving about it.

Reply to comments more often on Fandom Friday posts

I do reply to comments, but not always. I seriously need to work on this. I want to chat with you guys! It doesn’t have to be book related at all!

Play more video games on the Switch

I bought a Nintendo Switch last month. I love it! I’ve been playing it whenever I get the chance. I’ve always loved video games. The current game I am obsessed with is Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. I can’t wait to buy more games to play!

Happy New Year, bookwyms! Let’s talk: Tell us about your goals for 2018! How did you do? What are your goals for 2019?

Toss your links with your goals for Bookending Winter in the comments below (or ping me, tweet me, etc.)!