Well that’s it. 2018 is all but over and it’s been a mixed bag. I’m not going to lie to you, I’ve found 2018 hard. Some of that is circumstantial, some self-inflicted, but either way, it’s not been one of my best years. I do however feel like there are things that I can learn from 2018 that will put me into a better frame of mind to attack 2019 and make it my year! Let’s see how I’ve done with this year’s resolutions.
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, in June for the second quarter, and in October for the third 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
At this point, I have read 96 books this year, and even though there is a high likelihood I won’t hit the 100 books mark, I am really pleased that I have made it to this many books, without re-reading as well. I had two major reading slumps this year, so this is an amazing target whether I hit 100 or end the year on 96.
Read 8 classics – Read 10 Classics
D’you know what, for someone who proclaims to dislike classics on the whole, this is a bloody impressive achievement to have managed 9 classics. It means almost a 10th of the books I read are considered to be classics/reputable and I am really pleased with that.
Read 6 Non-fiction
I’ve managed to hit 7 non-fiction books and I once again ecstatic because the rate at which I read non-fiction books has been really low in the past so reading this volume in a year is good, really good, and something I am very pleased about.
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! I adore a good readathon, even if I struggle with actual reading challenges, and this year has been a great readathon year!
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. I have reviewed a lot more books this year properly than I have in previous years which is something I am very pleased about.
Blogging
Find a balance between blogging quality and quantity that I am happy with
I am only just marking this as green, but, I am overall happier with the balance that I have achieved this year. I find that the more I post the more I enjoy posting, so I think that throughout the year I have maintained the balance I needed at the time and have most definitely realised that sometimes it’s OK not to post if you don’t have as much to say!
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. I enjoy the variety that changing the content gives, it definitely makes think that variety is still the way forward, especially if I want to post more often.
Utilise scheduling
I really should learn that scheduling is a friend and that it helps maintain blogging consistency. I don’t use it at all, other than to time a post on the next half hour, and know that this is something that would really help me progress my blog, raise the quality of the content, and make me happier with my overall blog.
Engage with other bloggers and online communities
OK, right, this is not something I am really good at or something I am bad at. I almost always reply to comments on my blog, and if a reply is not necessary I usually like or acknowledge it in some way. I seek out tags and I am trying to get better at tagging people in the ones I do so that I am engaging other readers and bloggers. I am actively involved in Bookstagram and engage with people all the time on Twitter, but if I am honest, I don’t seek out other’s blogs. I follow friends and other members of the community, but actually reading blogs isn’t something I do so I don’t comment as much as I like. I am going to try and address this a little, but I’ve actually decided that investing too much time in something I don’t enjoy isn’t the best way to engage with other people.
Invest time tidying up my blog appearance/layout
D’you know what, I am really annoyed with myself that I haven’t invested more time, or if I am being honest any time in my blog appearance and layout since I bought my domain and changed the interface back in March. I want my blog to be successful, who doesn’t? I know that investing some time, tidying things up, linking to what I want to link to and updating indexes will make me feel better about my blog and make it better to use and read as a visitor.
Personal
Lose weight
I was definitely making some serious progress with losing weight, and then things went awry badly and I have put a bit back on. I need to start again and without doing the whole new year new me thing, I think January is a great time to start. I am disappointed in myself for losing track, but I’ve lost the weight before so I can do it again.
Exercise more
I was doing well with this, and then I went away and hurt my back and the second half of the year has been activity void. I feel pretty crap about it, physically and mentally, but there have been points in the last 2 months where physically getting out of bed has been painful and a struggle, so I need to ease this in, work up to full classes and just generally improve this next year.
Broaden healthy eating/recipes
I’m eating more again, and snacking on unhealthy things, and all round doing the things that are not conducive to losing weight. We definitely don’t eat a huge variety of food in our house, and I’m starting to realise that the cooking we do isn’t always unhealthy so a lack of variety is not necessarily a bad thing, but even so, I need to improve things in the New Year.
Travel more in the UK
I have actually travelled quite a bit this year, just not so much in the UK. I definitely would like to change this, I want to see more and do more in the UK, but it’s actually quite expensive and even though there is a lot to do, I can often do more abroad, so I haven’t pushed it. I’ve done bits, like theatre in London and Harry Potter Studio tour in Watford, but it’s not new things, it’s things that I already know I like.
Complete 5 things from my Bucket List/30 Before 30 list
I haven’t done too much more on this list, but I’ve crossed off NaNoWriMo and a French Classic this year. I think having this in mind when I am planning things is stopping me from completely failing at these lists. I just need to sit down and think about them, and then things will change quickly (I think/I hope).
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. I have managed to save my savings account from looking spectacularly rubbish at this point, I think saving is hard and I have had a blow out year and need to think about things seriously again in 2019 if I can.
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. I also know where almost everything now is, so even though it’s not all filed away, I’ve built the drawers and have the shelves and know where they all are at least.
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 am using the excuse of my bad back for a few weeks and even though it is somewhat genuine, I need to sort things. Mentally I have been a bit low over the last 2 months and I know this is 100% contributing so hopefully sorting it ready for the new year will be massively helpful.
Tidy, sort, clean, and maintain the house, and do the decorating odd jobs I have been meaning to do in 2017
I am a little frustrated with myself if I am being honest because I have made huge strides with this resolution this year and then it fell away in the last 6 weeks. I built and changed the back room in our house, but then when I moved things around didn’t put them back. I absolutely changed our front room/dining room, and then it was battered after out trip from Disney and I still haven’t sorted it since. The house is definitely further forward than it was at the beginning of 2018, but there is still a way to go in 2019.
Don’t waste time
OK, I am guilty of this and really need to learn to stop a little bit. Even if it’s reading a bit, writing a bit, sorting a jigsaw, tidying little bits, I just need to do more and stop wasting quite as much time.
Overall
I think this year has been a really mixed year when you look at this list. I definitely have made strides with reading and blogging, and have made significant progress with organising and saving which has been great. Personally though, the year has been really hard. There have been knocks and blows, there has been some mental struggles, and there have been huge events that have made bits of the year really difficult. It is definitely something that has affected some of these challenges, but actually looking at them, I can see that doing some of these would have helped my mental state and that working hard towards these is something that needs doing in 2019. Keep you eye out over the next couple of days for my 2019 resolutions!
How was your 2018? Did you have a good year?
Have you made any goals or resolutions for 2019 yet?
Travel in Retrospect 
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