2014: The Year of Doing Things
So, friends, here we are: A new year has begun, and our slates are wiped clean. I love this. The end of the year was pretty stressful for me at work and so my energy for blogging was all but sapped for a little while there, but I’m already feeling lighter and better and READY TO KILL IT in 2014.
I, as always, have big ideas for things in January that don’t always pan out as the year goes on, but I like having all the possibilities open to me. The hopefulness! It’s warm-fuzzy-licious!
There are a few things in particular that I’d like to do around the blog and with my reading and my books, and I figure that writing them down here and sharing them with you will hold me accountable. A little bit. So, without further ado, let’s jump right in with both feet!
1. Get myself on a schedule
This is something that I feel like will perpetually be on my list of things I want to do each year for my blog. I’ve tried to do this several times already and failed every time. There’s something about a schedule that just makes me want to NOT follow it. This is a problem. But I need it. For real.
2. Comment more
Friends, I love your blogs. I do. They’re fun and unique and so wonderfully YOU. I need to devote some more time to letting you know this. I WILL DO IT.
3. Stop requesting so many books from Netgalley and Edelweiss
I am so guilty of over-requesting, guys. I see so many books and they all sound so incredibly good that I just like to pretend that I have all the time ever to read them. Except I don’t. And so I wind up ending each year only having read maybe half of the books I request and download to my kindle. No good. Plus, you know what this prevents me from doing more of? Reading books that I BUY for myself. Which leads me to…
4. Read more of the books that I buy for myself
I don’t think any of us are made of money. I’m certainly not. Buying books is one of the only splurges I allow myself, and I allow it BIG TIME. But between making sure that I read the books I request from publishers and doing other things with my time, its these books that often get pushed aside. I need to either stop buying so many (OMG IMPOSSIBLE) or make more time in my reading schedule to get to these books more often. I’m hoping to read at least two of these books every month. Doesn’t sound like a lot, but when I generally only read a book every four days or so, that’s a decent chunk of time!
5. Weed
No, I don’t mean weed outside, although I do that when it’s not frigid out and things are growing that shouldn’t be. I mean I need to get rid of some books. I have a few little piles that I’ve set aside for donation to my library, but I need to do more. I almost literally have no room for my books AND myself in one room. It’s getting crowded over here.
6. Be more active on social media
My blog doesn’t have a Facebook page, which I’m not terribly bothered by, but I feel like I often disappear from the internet for days at a time. I need to do a better job promoting my blog and getting my posts out there. Hoot Suite, HOLLA! I’ve also been meaning to do more in the way of cross-posting things: on Pinterest, Goodreads, StumbleUpon.
7. Take my challenges down a notch
I’ve always participated in a number of challenges, but I never seem to finish them. Or I lose track of what I’m reading for each and I stop keeping tabs and then I have no idea what’s going on. I spread myself too thin, I think. So this year I’m limiting my participation to Adventures Through Awkwardness, the middle grade challenge Lisa and I are running, and Three’s Company, the new feature I’ll be starting with Brittany and Alyssa.
I need to be more active on social media too. This seems to be where everyone finds their blogging buddies.
I so agree with this. i see so many great bookish friendships on Twitter especially. I want some of those!
I want to comment more, too. And be more active on social media, stop buying books and read those I already have 🙂 I signed up for like 10 yearly challenges for 2014, so I guess I’m a real junkie 😀 good luck! 2014 will be great!
This is such a great list and so very YOU that I love it so much.
A schedule scares me to pieces and is a guarantee that I will NOT follow it. As is a list. I simply cannot do them and stick with them to any degree. Shun the lists! Shun the schedules! (I wish it were not so, tho. Le sigh.)
I haven’t let myself sign up for any challenges this year. Except the goodreads widget counter-thingy. I want to do ALL the challenges and I honestly DO THEM but I forget to link up and then that really isn’t completing them now, is it? NO. So I’m not even looking at challenges this year. And that ONE LESS THING makes me feel so FREE it’s stupid. Haha!
I love your goals, Amy! I like how many people are vowing to read “their” books this year. I think that’s awesome. And I want to find a good balance on social media. I think I might start using HootSuite or something and scheduling blog post tweets so I can spend more time that I’m on Twitter just interacting with people.
We have a lot of the same goals in mind for 2014. The last part of 2013 at work was incredibly stressful for me, too, and although I think I still have some stress that’s carrying over, I’m hoping I can just relax, and not worry so much. Of course, that is so much easier to say than do.
ANYWAY – I am very much a lover of schedules, but I don’t plan way ahead for my blog. I really want to plan things in advance. I even have an idea of February, but I hoping I have time to get everything together by then.
I always want to comment more on blogs. I love everyone’s blogs, and making friends. But sometimes my days are so busy, and when I get home I’m just so mentally exhausted. But I need to make time.
And seriously, I need to be very selective on what books I request from Netgalley and Edelweiss. I have gotten better the last bit of 2013, so that’s good.
Good luck!!!
I have some of the same goals. I think I can manage to stick to a blogging schedule if I keep it really attainable, like I want to do Top Ten Tuesdays and Waiting on Wednesdays, plus two book reviews and a Saturday wrap-up.
Where I start to get Schedule Anxiety is when I find myself too restricted as to which book I can read when. I really need for it to be okay if I randomly decide it’s time for a Harry Potter series reread, or if I absolutely must read something I just purchased. “I need to get around to reading/reviewing Book X in the next couple of weeks” = doable. “I need to read Book X next, no matter what” = noooooo. Not gonna happen.
So far, I am sticking to my resolution to comment more. That one is always tough because it’s time consuming, and I always feel like a jerk if I comment on one or two blogs but ignore the rest. THEY WILL KNOW! lol.