Love YA Books: blogging life

Because reading is better than real life

Happy New Year, everyone!

Welcome to 2015!!!

Already, I've been quite busy this year, so I apologize for the mini-hiatus I had to go on over the holiday - I do, however, have a lot of ideas for the upcoming year, and have been busy working out a blogging schedule for 2015. No more excuses!

I didn't like the fact that last year seemed so sporadic, as I focused too much on my work life to have much of a personal one - it's a resolution of mine to find a balance between the two, which is actually what this post is about, as well.

I came across the 2015 Bookish Resolutions Challenge (hosted by Michelle @ Because Reading Is Better Than Real Life and Laura @ Trips Down Imagination Road) while perusing the feed on my Blogger Dashboard, and thought I'd join in, since I was planning on creating a resolutions post, anyway. I actually have a lot of resolutions for the year, and really had to narrow my list down to something that was actually do-able. Here's what I came up with:

Blogging/Reading Goals

Read at least 67 books in 2015.

I regularly participate in the Goodreads reading challenge and aim to read 50 books, but for some reason last year and the year before, I read 67 books exactly. I figured, why not? I'll aim to beat that number, of course, but for now, I'll set that as my target.

Read the books on my shelf.

I have a lot of physical books that I hope to get to this year - I really need to start reading what I buy, as I am running out of shelf space. I plan on making more space by donating any books I end up disliking.

Post at least 3 times per week.
Review more of the books I read.

Let's face it - I haven't actually posted a book review in quite a while. I'm aiming to change that this year by aiming to review all of the books that I count towards my reading challenges.

Complete my reading challenges.

I'm trying not to overwhelm myself this year by joining challenges that are a bit more "loose" with their rules (such as: read more diverse books, or re-read some old favorites) instead of having to read a set number. I love reading challenges, but would never want to dismiss reading a book because it doesn't fit into any of my challenges for the year.

Personal Goals

Get more sleep.

I really have trouble going to sleep, and for me, falling asleep by midnight is actually early, as I tend to stay up until around 2am, though I have to be up every morning by 6:30am to get ready for work. I know, right? My goal is to fall asleep before midnight each night.

Have more experiences (or, GET OUT MORE!!!).

I'm an introvert, and a bit of a shut in. I barely got my first car last year, and was proud of myself for using it to attend as many concerts as I did, even though I went to most of them by myself. This year, I'd like to continue concert-going, but I'd also like to see a bit more of what my city has to offer, such as going for a ride on the Wyler Aerial Tramway or having a beer at Rosa's Cantina.

Lose 20 pounds.
De-clutter our home.

It's really time to let go of all the crap we don't use anymore. I think this one will be more manageable if I tackle one room at a time.

Keep a journal to track my resolution progress.

I know that I've listed a lot of resolutions, but what's wrong with having goals? I specifically chose goals that are actually obtainable due to their vagueness, and have already started journaling out my plan. As long as I do my best to complete even some of these resolutions, I'll already be having a better year than 2014.

So, what do you think? Do you have any resolutions that you'd like to share?

Please do so in the comments below!