2021 Goals

New Year Resolutions

2020 was not it. I think we all get a free pass from our goals because last year was not anyone’s year. However, that is not going to stop me from making goals for this year. I like to make resolutions that I’ll promptly forget by the end of January, but it’s still fun to think of what I did well the year before and what I can improve.

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Book Goals

1. Bring my physical TBR to zero (for real this time)

I made a goal last year to get my physical TBR down to zero by the end of 2020, and that did not happen AT ALL. In fact, I think I have more books in my physical TBR now than I did last January. I didn’t make a lot of effort to read the books on my shelf, and I want to change that. In order to help bring down the number of unread books on my shelf, I need to change my system of buying books. Which brings me to goal #2:

2. Edit my book-buying “ban” rules

I’ve been on a book-buying “ban” for a couple years now (I put “ban” in quotations because I don’t actually stop myself from buying books). In the years past, I had to read three books to buy one. It sounds great in theory, but the books I ended up reading were graphic novels borrowed from my library. That didn’t help my physical TBR situation at home. So… I’m changing the rules. From now on, two out of the three books I read will have to be from my physical TBR in order for me to buy one book.

3. Ask myself whether or not I NEED the physical copy

I have the privilege to go to a university in a large city, meaning the public library has a crap ton of books available, including e-books. I’m running out of space on my bookshelf because I always buy the physical copies of the books I want to read. If I’m only going to read the book once, there isn’t a use for me to buy the physical copy. I can always borrow it from my library or buy the ebook to save space and money.

4. Be more critical of the books I read/review

Yeah, I think this one is pretty self explanatory. I want to be more thoughtful of how authors present their stories and the real-world impacts they could have.

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Personal Goals

1. Take more breaks

I took a month and a half break from blogging, and man oh man, I wish I took that break much earlier. Like, several years earlier. I’ve been in this weird rut for a couple years where I didn’t have the energy to do anything, and it was awful. Taking that break made me feel much more rejuvenated, and it has made me realize I need to rest more often. So yeah. I aim to take at least one break this year to help my mental and physical health.

2. Sleep at a better time

I used to be pretty good at sleeping at midnight, but during quarantine that went down the drain. Lately, I’ve been sleeping between 2 and 4 in the morning for no reason at all, and that needs to change.

3. More art!

Art makes me happy. I love to draw and paint, and lately it’s the only thing keeping me sane during this weird time. I want to dedicate more of my free-time to making art. There are so many things I want to improve on/try, and if it keeps me happy then I don’t see why not.

I have one very specific goal for this year in terms of drawing: I want to draw a piece of fan art that 1) accurately shows what a character looks like (from head to toe) in my mind and 2) is something I’m proud of. I was happy with my drawing style up until high school, and I haven’t been super satisfied with how I draw ever since. Every artist I’ve talked to basically said that I need to experiment and practice, and that’s what I plan to do this year.

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I’m not even going to say I hope that 2020 was a good year for you (it was not a good year for anyone), but I truly hope that this year will be (at least) a little bit better. Please take care of yourself and other around you, and stay happy and healthy (yes, I’m taking that phrase from Dr. Mike).

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Stay awkward and amazing! ❤