New Year’s Resolution: 2nd Quarter Check-In

At the end of last year, I decided to compile a list of resolutions for 2017 in the hope of improving various aspects of my life. I set myself some rather large goals, and as I have a tendency to set them and the completely forget what they are, I have decided to check in with my progress over the year. At the end of March, a quarter of the way through the year, I posted a quarterly check in (which can be found here). I wanted to check back in and see how I was getting on with them, and it’s safe to say that it’s not exactly going to plan. Just to recap, my New Years Resolutions can be found here.

Lifestyle

• Exercise: Failing (ish)

OK, if I am honest, I have lied a little with the brackets. Emma and I had got into quite a good routine of going to the gym, and although there were attendance peaks and trough, we were going. Then I had my car crash, and the broken bones and aching body parts have ruled out the gym entirely. I’ve been on a few longer walks over the past few months, but it’s not really enough. As soon as I get this cast off and feel a bit better, I need to get back to it.

• Eat Healthier: On Track (ish)

Emma and I are pretty healthy in terms of the way we eat. Yes, we snack and we do go out for breakfast semi-regularly, but we cook pretty much nightly, and don’t eat to badly at every other meal. I have also started making my lunch on a semi-regular basis for work, which is helping eat healthier, eat less, and also save money. OK, I’ve not really changed this because this is pretty much the same as it was 3 months ago. The only real update is that I have realised that I like salad (thanks to the discovery of a nice dressing) and that I can easily store cereal at work for a cheap and easy meal.

• Lose Weight: Failing

OK, this is probably going to be the most disheartening, and if I am honest upsetting, failure on this list. I really wanted to lose weight this year, and so the fact that I am failing spectacularly is rubbish. It is probably the thing that I need to, and want to, work on most for the rest of the year. Again, sadly, this isn’t changing. It’s getting me down periodically quite a lot. I know I could do more, and felt like I was making a little headway, but no, overall this is a sad fail. If I only succeed with one resolution from now until the end of the year, then I would like it to be this one.

• Tidy Room: Failing

My room is somewhat bipolar. It’s sometimes very tidy. It’s often very messy, and it’s rarely at a bearable median. I know I should be more room proud, and keep it tidier, but I am rubbish at it and always have been. That said, it’s stressing me out at the moment, so as soon as I get my cast off, I am going to tidy it.

• Tidy Car: On Track and Failing simulateously

OK, so there is a reason I have written the above answer. A few weeks ago, I thoroughly cleaned and tidied my car, and it was still like that weeks later. But then, well, I had a crash and my car was written off, which technically means I don’t currently have a car to keep tidy.

• Bullet Journal: Failing (abandoned)

Guys, I have to admit, I have pretty much given up on using my bullet journal. I didn’t find it very useful, and found myself back tracking and filling in for dates gone by and not dates to come. I am gutted because I like the idea, but in reality it just doesn’t work for me.

• Bucket List: Failing

I’ve ticked off maybe one or two of the things on my bucket list, but I’ve added as many to it if not more, so I’m not sure I can actually count it as progress. I need to have a look at my Bucket List and see if I can knock anything off before the end of the year.

Travel

• Liverpool: On Track (ish)

I have definitely not succeeded with this resolution, but I have also not failed that badly either. I have begun to show Emma some of the city’s sites: the waterfront and the chinese festival gardens, Sefton Park and the Liverpool Food and Drink Festival, Reynolds Park, and also the Museum of Liverpool (which I think Emma technically showed me actually).

• The UK: Failing

Haha, this is going spectacularly badly. Emma and I went to the Lake District earlier this year, once, and also have a plan to go to London at the end of the year, but yes, this is not going well.

• The World: On Track (completed)

I know, this one I have completed but I can’t even visit places in my own city. I went on a cruise with my Mum last month, and we visited the USA (Miami and Fort Lauderdale) and 5 Caribbean Islands (British Virgin Islands, St. Kitts and Nevis, Dominica, Antigua, and St. Maarten). Technically, the last one is the Netherlands, but either way it is a separate country. Since the last post, I have visited the USA again to see the new cities (to me) of Pittsburgh, PA; Columbus and Cincinnati, OH; Louisville, KY; Indianapolis, IN; and I returned to Chicago, IL, for the first time in 2 years. I think I have seen more of the US this year that England, and Emma and I are going in September to visit Washington D.C. and New York City.

Reading/Books

• Readathons: On Track

I love a good readathon, and that hasn’t changed throughout the year. I’ve taken part in a few readathons and reading events over the past year, and have two more planned for the following month. The Book Riot Read Harder challenge and the Around the World in 52 books challenge is proving a little more troublesome, but, i’ve read that many books already this year that I should hopefully be able to finish them.

• 52 Books: On Track (Completed) 100 Books: On Track (ahead of schedule)

I’ve absolutely smashed this. At the time of writing, my books read total is already at 74. I’ve actually re-set this on my Goodreads page to 100, which is what I am trying to now aim for. I think I can do it. Definitely. (To follow on Goodreads, click here)

• Old and New Books: Failing (spectacularly/abandoned)

So, well, yes, I think I’ve bought in the region of 75 books, and as you can see I’ve read about that too, so I am still averaging a book read for a book bought. I think I might abandon this, as I will have to read approximately double the amount of books I already have and absolutely definitely not by any more for the rest of the year which is not going to happen.

TV/Film

• IMDb Top 250: Failing

I am still spectacularly failing this, probably even more so that I was at the last check in. I recently got some of the films for cheap online, so I might watch them over the next few months, but I also probably won’t. We’ll see!

• TV Shows: Failing (spectacularly)

I am up to date with almost nothing. Well, I am up to date with a few new shows, but that defeats the point of getting up to date with shows I watched prior to the start of 2017. I have started some new shows, and then I have decided that I was just going to marathon Friends with Emma again….well…so I am failing. But I am enjoying failing. Hahaha, this just hasn’t changed. I haven’t even finished Friends yet. I am going to try and become more disciplined over the next few months, before all the shows start back up again in the fall.

Blog/Social Media

• Twitter Chats: On Track (ish)

I really need to start remembering that twitter chats are a thing! That’s not to say I don’t take part in some (JAChat/CultureTrav/PassionPassport/BoutofBooks/GirlGangBooks/UKYAChat to name a few), I just don’t do them with any form of regularity. It’s a shame because I really like them. (To follow on twitter: twitter.com/LizHannah25)

• Instagram: On Track (ish)

I definitely, absolutely take more photos than I used to. I think a lot more about the aesthetic of the picture, and I have started to edit my own pictures (with limited success) rather than using pre-programmed filters. I probably don’t include as much variety or pictures of myself as I would like, but I like my Insta a lot again. I also discovered Instagram stories, which I didn’t know was a thing until I bought my phone. In fact, my new phone has a lot to do with me liking Insta more if I’m honest!(To follow on Instagram: instagram.com/lizwhitehouse25)

• Blog Posts: On Track (ish)

I am going to be frank and say that I was doing much better in the first quarter than the second quarter. I got into a blogging routine that I have lost somewhat, and now as I am in a cast, I am struggling to get out of the blogging funk. I’m getting back to posting more regularly again, but there is only so much one handed typing and talking to google docs that you can do before you go crazy, and it hurts to type with two hands a lot at the moment. I am hopefully getting my cast off this week so once i do I am hoping that I can get blogging more regularly again.

• Blog Diversity: On Track (ish)

This is pretty linked to the previous post, and I was relatively happy with the balance that i had struck before my writing funk began, It’s very easy to do posts about books to fill gaps because there are so many awesome memes and tags out there to help you along, so I need to try and get back to a winning formula again to balance what I am writing about, and what I enjoy blogging about.

• Comments: Failing

I have just, erm, not really done this. I feel really bad, because I really enjoy it when people comment on my posts, and I enjoy it when I comment on other people’s posts. I really should try harder to do this more. I might try and schedule a time in to do this so I get in the habit, and then yes, do it just because rather than because I scheduled it in. This, just this. This is still spot on and has not changed. It needs to change.

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We’re over half way through the year, and I think it’s safe to say at this point, I’m failing overall on my resolutions. Something has happened over the last few weeks that makes me feel like I really want to change. Maybe it was the car crash, maybe I am finally growing up and adulting properly, but whatever it is, I’m going to try and improve my progress over the next few months!

Did you make any resolutions this year?

How are they going?

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