2018 Goals

I have always loved the start of a new year.  I don't really subscribe to the whole "new year, new you" mentality (mostly because I'm realistic enough to recognize that I'm not going to adopt a bunch of wonderful new habits overnight), but I do like the idea of attempting a fresh start at the beginning of the year.  (Or, more accurately, a fresh-ish start.  I'm still me, but that doesn't mean I can't make an effort to be a better version of myself.)

With that said, I'm determined to make 2018 a productive and exciting year.  There are a few more personal goals that I'm not comfortable posting here, but, for the most part, these are my 2018 goals.

- Set a reading goal of 70 books.

I struggled with that amount last year (I ended 2017 with 69 books), so I'm not going to bump it up unless it becomes "easy."

- Spend more time writing.

Obviously this blog will help with this goal, but I'd also like to work on my creative writing on a regular basis.

- Get (and stay!) organized.

As I mentioned in my previous post, my mom gave me an Erin Condren planner for Christmas, and I intend to put it to good use.  Last year I realized how embarrassingly disorganized I'd become as I struggled to remember appointments, almost forgot to schedule a couple of bill payments (thankfully that was just an almost!), and generally just had trouble keeping up with everything I needed to do.  If I had been blogging last year, it would have been a disaster.

- Be more mindful of my food intake and workout habits.

I basically just want to be healthier.  I'm not unhealthy, but I wouldn't mind dropping a few pounds and getting back into shape.  The ultimate goal is to get back into the habit of working out three to four times each week, cut back on my caffeine intake, stop drinking alcohol completely, and make healthier food choices.  This will obviously be a work in progress, but hopefully I can be in a better, healthier place by 2019.

- Save more money and work on creating a household budget.

Pinterest has a lot of "savings plans" or "savings challenges," so I'm utilizing a couple of those this year.  One plan is for our joint savings account and the other is for one of my personal savings accounts.  As for the budget, I've never really done one before.  (I know, I know.)  The thing is, while we're not rich, we're comfortable.  And, unfortunately, that means we're more likely to just buy stuff whenever we feel like it.  I don't want us to feel like we can't buy things we want ... I just want us to both be a little more aware of our spending habits.  More money in savings and less spent on random shit is all I want.  I think we can do that.

Those are my very general goals for 2018.  I plan to also set smaller goals each month to keep myself on track and (hopefully) also push myself to get out of my comfort zone once in a while.  I'll probably post those at the end of each month to share my progress (and failures).

I hope 2018 is the year I actually stick with all of my goals.  (Or, at the very least, the year I become more mindful of my habits and start making some positive changes.)

Good luck to all who are also setting some goals for the new year (or month/season, if that's your thing)!