Tuesday 16 January 2018

Bookish Goals for 2018

I am not normally a fan of setting myself yearly goals or resolutions. But there is something about these early days of 2018 that make me feel motivated to do something with my year and achieve things. It will probably fail, but as long as it doesn't fail dramatically, I will be happy.

1. Buy fewer books
In 2017 I bought almost £140 worth of books, and 20 out of 39 of them are still unread. Some of these were for university, and I know that I am very privileged to be able to afford books at all. But I do want to cut down on my bookish spending so I can learn control and motivate myself to read the books I already own and to go to the library more often.

2. Read the books on my shelf 
This links back to number 1. I have 17 unread books on my shelf at the moment, and I really want to read them all, so I don't know why I keep brushing them aside. There aren't a lot of new released I'm excited for this year, so I think getting through my shelf will be a lot easier.

3. Borrow from the library more often
Linking back to number 1 again. I have made a separate TBR shelf on Goodreads for books/ebooks/audiobooks that I want to read that I know are already in my library or on Overdrive. That way I'll know what books are right on my doorstep and I don't just go off and spontaneously buy them. 

4. Read my current eARCs and stop requesting so many
My Edelweiss and Negalley requests piled up a little at the end of last year, so I want to power through them in 2018. Right now I have 8, but hopefully by the end of the year there will be 0 (or at the very least I hope to have read the original 8).

5. Reach my Goodreads Challenge of 60 books
I read 62 books in 2017 and 72 in 2016, so I'm pretty sure I can reach this, if not exceed it. My passion for reading has been back stronger than ever in January, and I've already finished one book in a day and another in a couple of sittings. More than reaching 60 books, I just want to keep my reading love up.

6. Get my TBR to 0 
I'm a little odd in that I have several TBR shelves on Goodreads. But my main TBR currently has 38 books, and I want to read them all this year. With my goal of 60 books it's definitely possible. I'll probably add to my TBR throughout the year, but I want to have allo of those original 38 books read by the end of the year.

7. Get back into bookstagram
I've already made a start on this one. I'm probably not going back to daily posting any time soon, but I do like taking book pictures and seeing everyone's amazing photography skills.

8. Write more
This is the tough one. I call myself a writer but I rarely go beyond the planning stage. If I do, I never finish anything other than prologues or short stories, which was maybe 3 last year. I want this to be the year I write a novel. I don't know which story idea I'm going with yet. All I know is that I want to have a week entirely to myself where I write a full novel, non-stop. I have such little confidence in myself when it comes to writing, and I think it'll be really good for my self esteem if I finally complete one of my stories. Writing daily hasn't worked for me, and the second I get scared to ever go back. But if I write a full novel in a week with no breaks I think I might finally overcome my writing anxiety.

9. Draw more
I have cheated with this one because it's not actually a bookish goal. But it somewhat relates because when I started drawing again at the end of summer I was listening to audiobooks at the same time, and it felt like I was being doubly productive. I stopped drawing a while ago because I didn't feel I would ever be good enough, but I finally feel like I'm in more of a mindset to not compare myself to others. Plus I just really enjoy it, and deep down I know I could be really great at it if I didn't give up on myself so easily.

10. Learn more
I read a lot of fiction, but this year I want to get book smart in a different way. I want to read more non-fiction and learn more about the world and its history. I also want to take some summer courses to learn new skills, watch more Crash Course (particularly History and Politics) and start learning Spanish again with Duolingo, which I started the summer and got really far before the semester started and I totally neglected it. Also maybe take up one of my instruments again? Basically, I want to develop my knowledge of everything. 

11. Blog more
When my mood was really low last year I neglected this blog. But I am already back to my regular 2 posts a week (ish) blogging schedule and my motivation is up again. I want to keep that up for the rest of 2018.


What are your bookish or non-bookish goals for 2018? I wish you luck in them all!

This post was inspired by the prompt 'Bookish Resolutions/Goals' on Top 10 Tuesday, hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl.

12 comments:

  1. If only I could get my tbr to 0. The moment I read one, someone will recommend a book I want and wham, up it goes again! Good luck with all your goals.

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    1. I'm exactly the same - I'm not sure getting a TBR to a perfect 0 is even possible! But at the beginning of the year I listed the 38 books on my TBR and my plan is to get those 38 down to 0. Thanks Olivia!

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  2. Yes, I couldn't agree more with visiting the library more regularly. My library is fantastic. I spend so much free time there. :)

    Here is our Top Ten Tuesday.

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    1. Libraries are fantastic spaces! Mine closed for refurbishment a few months ago and was meant to reopen soon but it has been delayed until Spring which is very annoying. But hopefully I can spend more time there as soon as it reopens!

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  3. Good luck with all these! I've tried the buying less books ones before, and completely bombed it, so I hope you do better than I did. I also want to read more books off my shelf and read more of my e-arcs.
    My TTT: https://jjbookblog.wordpress.com/2018/01/16/top-ten-tuesday-142/

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    1. Thanks! I've totally been there haha! I'm hoping this year I'll take myself more seriously and buy fewer books, or at the very least don't spend as much money on them. I hope you get through your e-arcs and books on your shelf this year!

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  4. I so need to read the books on my shelf, rather than buying new all the time. And I really should use the library more *nods*

    Good luck with the writing! I like to write too and it can be hard to get past the roadblocks. Hope it goes well for you this year. :)

    http://gregsbookhaven.blogspot.com/

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    1. It's so difficult to not neglect the books on your shelf when the bookstore has so many shiny new books to buy. I'm hoping by using the library more it will mean I borrow the books I want to read rather than buy them.

      Thanks! It can be tough, but I hope it goes well for you too!

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  5. This are pretty much all of my bookish goals as well! Especially with book buying, even though I didn't actually spend that much on books last year. I also want to blog more (though that might be hard), and also read so much more than last year!

    Good luck on all of these Helia!!

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    1. Even on years I don't buy a lot of books I still like to keep my book buying to a minimum too, just so I can get through all the books I own. Blogging more is so tough - I feel like the second uni starts again I will disappear from the internet, and not have time to read more. But hopefully it will still be a productive year for both of us!

      Good luck to you too Valerie!!

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  6. I hope you will be able to achieve all of these goals! I really like the sound of buying and requesting fewer books, and getting around to the ones you already own. It's something I am trying to do as well. I also like the sound of more creative works like drawing, writing and photography for bookstagram. It all sounds so good. Best wishes with it <3

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    1. Thank you I hope so too! Buying fewer books was definitely a big goal for me this year, and I've already totally failed for January 😂. But I'm hoping to stick to it a little better for the rest of the year. I hope getting to the books you already own goes well for you too! Thanks again Olivia <3

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