It’s October. It’s Autumn. It’s over 75% of the way through the year. It’s only 2 and a half months until Christmas. Am I scaring you with the look how far through the year we are updates yet? I’m scaring myself if I am honest! We’re at that point of the year where you’ve done a lot of what you’re going to get done and the rest of the year is quite planned, when resolutions have been fulfilled, or started, or we’re too far into the year to fix, which is terrifying. Let’s see how I’m doing.
My list is split up into sections, just like it was on my original 2018 Resolutions list. I’ve kept it like this to see if there are any areas I’m doing better or worse in, and to allow me to look back at different parts of my life separate from the others. I’m also operating a colour scheme this year too! I posted back at the end of March with an update for the first 3 months, and in June for the second quarter, so I’m following the same pattern and carrying on from there!
Completed
On Track
Failing
Amended
Abandoned
Reading
Read at least 75 books – Read at least 100 books
As of June 2018, I’ve read 55 books in 2018. I’ve already completed my original 52 book target, so I decided to amend and up it to 75 to keep me motivated. As of September 2018, I had finished 83 books, so once again, I decided to up the reading challenge and thought 100 would be a good round number. I have a lot of time off in the next couple of months which is really nice, but it will mean holidays and less reading time. I have a couple of shorter reads coming up thanks to newly released graphic novels and comics, so I definitely think this is a good mix of challenging and attainable.
Read 8 classics – Read 10 Classics
There is a little bit of a debate as to whether I have actually read classics or books of a classical pedigree, but I am pretty sure that I have now read 9 classics this year. I am not sure how many more I have plans to read before the end of the year, but I am sure I can manage at least 1 more before the year is out, I think that is doable?!
Read 6 Non-fiction
I don’t usually read that many non-fiction books in a year, so think the 6 that I have finished this year a pretty impressive and plenty for one year. I read a lot more in the first half of the year so I’m thinking that upping it again would be a mistake.
Take part and actively engage in at least 5 readathons
I’ve really embraced readathons and reading challenges this year and used them to broaden my reading by genre and author, and also to engage with new readers. It’s been fun, and at a rough count, I’d say I’ve participated in 15 to 20, definitely smashing the target set!
Review every book I read
I have realised that while I enjoy reviewing, I didn’t like writing a mini-review for each book and the 140 character review wasn’t working either. I have got a wrap post method I am now happy with, and write much more detailed reviews of books that take my fancy in a reviewing capacity, but I don’t want to keep reviewing books for the sake of it when I don’t want to write about a particular book so this challenge has gone.
Blogging
Find a balance between blogging quality and quantity that I am happy with
I still sometimes struggle with this, but, I think this will probably turn green if I can keep up the blogging activity I have been taking part in over the last few months. I am definitely getting there. I’m not yet happy enough to change it green, and think there is something to work on, but I am getting there.
Maintain blogging diversity e.g, travel, and personal, and books
I think this resolution is the one I have worked on most since the last check-in. I have definitely posted more than just book related items, I’ve posted tags, travel thoughts, personal updates, and even TV show reviews which have definitely increased the diversity on my blog.
Utilise scheduling
I do think ahead and decide what I want to post, I am just really bad at actually writing and scheduling said post ideas. I know that scheduling is a tool that I could really benefit from using, but it’s not something I use at the moment and I need to change that. I think I could really use this to improve my blogging content so I need to really try and incorporate it some how.
Engage with other bloggers and online communities
I really go try to read and comment on other people’s blogs, but if I am being brutally honest I barely find time to edit my own. I definitely have found that as much as I interact a little less with the online blogging community, I have increased my engagement on other platforms such as Instagram. I guess this goes round in circles and that we only ever have a set amount of time that rotates around different things. That said, I’d like to try and be more involved, it would help improve my online presence and I’d probably feel like I belong a little more if I engaged with more people too.
Invest time tidying up my blog appearance/layout
OK, I was going well with this a little earlier in the year. I have bought my domain and changed my theme to something more malleable and preferable, but since then I’ve stopped. It’s really stupid because I am much happier with it and know that it is just laziness holding me back. I know I am away a lot in the near future and so this is only likely to change if I make a concerted effort. We’ll see.
Personal
Lose weight
I really think that I am hitting a brick wall with losing weight. I have lost around 2 stone, and feel better for it, but I know I need to step it up and change things round and I have lost the motivation to do that for some reason. There are some impressive weight losses at work at the moment, so I have people that would definitely help me, but I’m just not in the head space to really want to pursue it right now. It’s really irritating because I have done really well at what is definitely the most important resolution I have this year.
Exercise more
I was really quite active through the first half of the year, and around the last check in had really upped my exercise game. Then it all stopped and fell away. There are lots of things I blame, injury and work schedules, but it is ultimately laziness. I am starting to feel quite lazy and crap again, and know that fixing this would go a long way to curtailing those feelings…
Broaden healthy eating/recipes
I am definitely snacking a bit more than I was again. Our meals are definitely still reaosnably healthy but we haven’t broadened the recipe base that we used and haven’t explored new foods and meals like I thought we would. That said, I have found some new and interesting snacks over the past couple of months which are a little healthier which is great, it just needs to filter into my full meals now too.
Travel more in the UK
The little travelling around the UK that I did this year was only just qualifying a yellow/orange status last time round and I am not entirely sure I have visited anywhere else or done much since if I am honest, certainly not enough to qualify as travelling more in the UK. This might increase a little bit if we do things in the lead up to Christmas, but I fear that this will be a fail this year.
Complete 5 things from my Bucket List/30 Before 30 list
I was a little annoyed that I wasn’t actively doing anything off the list last time round, and I am happy to report that I have completed a 30 before 30 challenge and have started to visit places and book holidays that will move me closer to crossing off another few things. Yep, visiting Barcelona and starting writing prep and doing a bit of knitting is only small steps, but they’re better than no steps!
Adulting
Save at least £100 every month
I have completely wiped out my non-house savings in the past month buying a MacBook and paying off the majority of my Disney holiday, but I have been saving a lot this year and have definitely exceeded the £1200 that would allow me to pass this challenge. I am quite pleased that I have really established a good savings pattern and I am really beginning to notice what it can mean and what it allows me to do.
Sort my papers, bills, and important documents into a file
I haven’t completely sorted out the papers and documents in my life but have built a something into my Kallax that will house this sort of thing, and have had a bit of a cull of superfluous documents and duplicates in the hope of decreasing the amount of needless crap in my room/life. There is still a long way to go but I have started to do this.
Tidy, sort, clean, and maintain my bedroom
I have to admit that I just find this really difficult for some reason, and my parents will tell you that I always have. It has started to really annoy me again though, I feel uncomfortable and just want to blitz it all. I genuinely think that might be a weekend task this weekend, I’d really like my room to be done before we go away so that it’s nice to come home to.
Tidy, sort, clean, and maintain the house, and do the decorating odd jobs I have been meaning to do in 2017
The front room/dining room is definitely a dumping room again, but there have been some major steps taken elsewhere in the house. The bathroom has definitely been improved with a mirror (I’ve said we should put one up for 2 and 1/2 years, it was time), a small shelf, and a new toilet seat. We’ve also changed the spare room around the include shelves that came from Emma’s bedroom bookshelf upgrade and finally thought about where we were going to put the clothes that were living on the bed. The living room also now has the lamp I bought over 2yrs actually in place, and we have a new mirror on the wall that brightens what can be quite a dark room. We still have things that we want to do and say we will do, and the front room needs blitzing again, but it’s all progress.
Don’t waste time
Yes, Emma and I are doing more things in and around Liverpool and are saying yes to lots more things. I’m also sitting on my backside and doing nothing a lot more as well. I am probably actually wasting a lot more time than I realise and really need to fix this. I think everyone always does more things in the run up to Christmas so I am quite sure that I will start to use my time more wisely over the next couple of months, but right now…yeah I waste too much time doing nothing.
Overall
There’s lots of red in there for this point of the year, a lot more red than I was hoping for that’s for sure. I think I may have over-aimed at the beginning of the year, and it’s now meaning I haven’t done quite as much as I hoped I would have. I think I can probably save some of those that are yellow/orange, some are definitely on track and some are floundering trying to stay relevant. The things I am pleased about are pretty much book and blog related, and while that’s great, I feel like my personal and adulting resolutions need a lot of work and to be the focus of the coming months.
Have you made any goals or resolutions for 2018?
How are you finding them, and have you achieved any yet?
Travel in Retrospect 
I think you’re doing well 😊 At least you’re keeping track and you know where you need to focus!
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Thank you 🙂 I think keeping a track of my goals and checking in every now and then has definitely helped me this year.
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