Today’s prompt from The Broke and the Bookish is “Top Ten Goals/Resolutions For 2014” — which don’t have to be to do with books. Still, most of mine probably will be to do with books. Let’s see what I can do…
- Never impulse-buy a book. Always always wait a day or two, or make sure it’s been on the wishlist for a while, etc. I mean, geez, self: it’s very rare you’re ever going to come across a book where this is the only copy you ever have access to.
- Read every day. Even if it’s just five minutes before bed. I always feel better when I do, more like myself, and yet often I don’t make the time for it.
- Bed before midnight. I was starting to get into this habit, and then I stayed up reading. Which doesn’t contradict #2, I swear.
- Up before ten. Up before eight, preferably, but I figure I can stick to ten even when I wanna give myself a lie in.
- Buy only one book from a series at a time. Even if I know I’m gonna love it. See also #1!
- Post something to the blog every day. I’m already pretty much achieving that, but I’d like to get better at having a buffer of posts ready to go live as well.
- Comment on at least one other blog every day. It’s a nice low bar to set, and it encourages me to be social.
- Tithe 10% every month. I did this in 2014, too. It wasn’t always easy to keep up, especially when my earnings were pathetic, but it’s something I’m proud of doing.
- Do 100 hours volunteering. I should manage this easily, if I volunteer the same amount as I did in 2014, especially now I’m a committee member for the library and not just a volunteer librarian. But it’s good to pledge a solid number; makes it easier for me to keep rolling out of bed on a cold Friday morning, or walk into the clinic on a warm sunny day. If it’s not meeting the target, it’s by how much can I beat it?
- Review all new books from Netgalley/bookbridgr/Edelweiss within a month of receiving access. I’m still struggling to catch up with books I was approved for over a year ago; obviously, I’ve lost access to a lot of them, so I’m borrowing them from libraries or buying them so I can fulfil my promise of reviewing them. It would be better all round if I just reviewed them in time, though!
An odd mix of book, blog and general life, I know, but if I have a secret eleventh goal it might be “stop being so obsessive about lists”. I love lists, goodness knows, and they’re helpful, great, fun, etc, etc. But sometimes I let myself get a little too caught up in organising a list and not in doing what’s on it, or I get so obsessed about getting a list done that I neglect everything else.
Maybe the by-word for this entry should be “happy mediums”?
As for how I’m going to stick to it, I’m planning to figure out a way to fit the ten resolutions above into the habits/dailies sections of HabitRPG. It’s a great way of gameifying your life and making yourself accountable, and it’s pretty flexible for whatever goals you need to set. It’s pretty much trained me to remember to floss every day, from never flossing at all, for example — and it keeps track of when my library books are due back. There’s nothing like the cute pixel art for a reward for getting stuff done, for me, and you can set up custom rewards too. If anyone’s on the site already and interested in figuring out some kind of book related challenge, let’s put our heads together and come up with something!
Anyway, I’d love to see everyone else’s goals and resolutions, so please leave me a comment — I’ll visit everyone who comments, and leave comments back as long as technology permits.
I need to stop impulse buying books too. My tbr pile grew way too much this year! Keeping up with review books is also a great idea. Good luck with your goals!
Yep, I definitely have the same problem. I was trying to keep it to an average of a book a day, and it exploded… Thanks!
This HabitRPG thingy looks awesome 😀
I like that you included personal goals in this list – I’m too bad at keeping mine to make them public :/
It seems most of us feel some shade of guilt over our ARCs and reviews, so we all included that in our lists. It’s good to know I’m not alone in my struggles 🙂
This is my TTT for this week: http://ofdragonsandhearts.com/2014/12/top-ten-tuesday-2015-book-resolutions/
It really is, it keeps me organised, ha. And I tend to make my goals public to make me stick to them…
Le’s see. In no particular order:
Read Wuthering Heights and preferably more Bronte Sisters than just that.
Read at least one Jane Austen novel.
Read as much of the remainder of the Complete Works of Shakespeare as possible – not sure it’s realistic to say “finish them.”
Get TBR pile below 186 volumes.
Ack, I just did not get on with Wuthering Heights. Love Jane Eyre, but… And I can’t say I’ve ever been a great fan of Austen or Shakespeare, though I’m learning to appreciate them.
Someone worked mine out as over 1,000…
I’ve actually read Wuthering Heights already – but I was so ill that all I can remember is that it was set in a lonely house somewhere windy! Same thing happened when I read King Lear with the ‘flu – all I knew afterward was that there was a King and three daughters… So I don’t count those and try to avoid reading anything even remotely heavyweight whilst diseased these days.
I read Jayne Eyre and The Tenant of Wildfell Hall last year and thought the latter was vastly superior and couldn’t figure out why Jane Eyre is so much more famous. I plan to read more Anne but thought I’d give all three sisters a go before reading a 2nd one by any of them – hence Wuthering Heights back on the agenda.
My school study of MacBeth and Romeo and Juliet converted me into a Shakespeare fan but there are still some of his major works I haven’t read let alone seen performed.
I read Pride and Prejudice in 2012 and it completely won me over by the end, though I was sceptical of its greatness even 3/4 of the way through. So I got the complete novels for Christmas and promptly ignored it all through 2013…
I haven’t read any of Anne yet, but I know I didn’t like Wuthering Heights at all. Jane Eyre… I don’t know, I do love it, but I might be wowed more by Anne.
I only have Emma left to read, I think!
Oh man, never impulse buying a book sounds difficult particularly when there are awesome discounts (particular for hardcovers). They get me every time as much as I tell myself not to buy it.
Cheers,
joey via. thoughts and afterthoughts
Yeaaaah. Gotta confess, I made sure to hit the end of year sales before the end of 2014 proper, so I could snap up some deals.
I can’t really afford to impulse buy books, but I’ve also left some books on my wishlist so long that it’s a little embarrassing. I’ve been trying to take them out from the library now that we have a more reliable car, so one of my resolutions is to read more books!
Also, I’d like to do this book (and comics, now that I’ve gotten back into comics) review stuff too, but I made a journal and them promptly got stage fright, so I should actually *try*.
Good luck on your reviews! I’ve picked up a lot of books I never would have heard of otherwise because of you, and started really reading again because of the books you’ve been giving me. :*
Thank you for everything ^^ and Happy New Year
I would love to read your thoughts on books, even if you keep it private and not a public one like mine! More people talking books is good.
<3 Happy New Year to you too.
I am with you on #10, If I could do that then maybe I wouldn’t be so tough on myself with review books!