Halfway Through the Year: How Am I Doing on My 2018 Goals? (and Making Goals For the Coming School Year)

We’re halfway through 2018.

I feel so old thinking about my January 2018 self even though it was literally… six months ago. Six months ago doesn’t seem that long? It’s just half a year? Kind of?

Since we’re halfway through the year, I’ve decided to check in on my goals for 2018 and see how well I’m doing! I totally forgot some of the goals here so it’s good that I revisited them so I can do my best to accomplish them by the end of the year (I’m very competitive).

And because I’m taking a vacation in July* and won’t have time to post them, I’m also making a few goals for my 2018-2019 school year! I go back in 5.5 weeks and I’m crying inside.

*SURPRISE! I’ve literally never talked about this trip before oops. More details in my June wrap-up!

READING

• Read 100 books. Well I’m supposed to have read 50 books by now to be on track for 100 books but GUESS WHAT!! I’ve read 45. I hate everything.
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• Read more diversely. I’ve only read two non-diverse books (one was for school, and the other didn’t mention any marginalized characters but I feel as if there were some POC in it) so I’m REALLY HAPPY ABOUT THAT. Last year I read just over 50 diverse books… out of 100. So I’m doing much better than that.
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• Keep track of reading stats in a… spreadsheet. Little did Fetus May know that my spreadsheet tracking would get out of hand.
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• Read more ARCs! Yes!! I’m so happy this year to have gotten more ARCs from publishers, especially the ARCs of books I’m really anticipating. I know we shouldn’t measure self-worth based on ARCs but it’s a good feeling when a publisher sends you a free book (for review), you know? But now I’m feeling stressed from all the ARCs I have to read why can’t I be happy.
  

  

• WRITE. MY. REVIEWS. Did I actually think this would happen or was I deliriously optimistic about my abilities.

WRITING

• Rewrite Glittered Ghosts. Oh my god no please no I can’t even look at this piece of trash anymore.
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• Write another novel! Novel? Who?? Have not heard of her. (I seriously want to achieve this by the end of the year though, most likely for NaNoWriMo, but I have NO INSPIRATION.)
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• Brainstorm and develop other plot bunnies. I thought I could develop my Peter Pan Sapphic Gender-Flipped Retelling idea but I apparently completely forgot that I SUCK at plotting so there goes that.
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• Write 5K in one day. …Yeah so no.

BLOGGING

• Reach… 1500 followers??!?!? It’s kind of discouraging to know that last year in June I was getting more than 1,000 monthly views than I am this month, and I’ve been getting followers at a slower rate this year… but that’s because I’ve put my health first in 2018 and I’m really, really happy about that. (ALSO THANK Y’ALL FOR ALMOST 1.4K FOLLOWERS!!)

• Finish up my new blog design! I did and it’s gorgeous and I’m still in love with the look of my blog. (Another huge thanks to Madeline for all the designs she did!!)
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• Take all the breaks I need. I’m so so proud of myself for putting my health before blogging because that is the most important thing, and I didn’t do that last year. I’m still a mess and at this awkward stage of posting-things-but-not-really-interacting-with-other-blogs and I HATE it but… I’m getting there. Thank you all for continuing to support me even if I’m not supporting you. It means everything.
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• Make a new blogging/internet friend. This is such a weird goal looking back on it but I TRULY want to get closer to all of y’all!! This community has some of the best, sweetest, most supportive people and I adore all of you. But I definitely have to say that I’ve become friends with Mel @ Mel to the Any and Lily @ Sprinkles of Dreams and they are both precious precious people and I will continue to boost them forever.

LIFE

I literally have no life but okay ← this is a still true comment from half a year ago and I hate it

• Exist more in the real world. Uhh not really? I kind of went into a depression period for most of the year so far and that pretty much prevented prevents me from doing much more than just “existing”.
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• Drink more water. THIS IS SUCH A HARD GOAL but I’m proud to say that as I’m writing this post, a water bottle sits next to me and I’ve drank (drunk???) almost all of it. I’m going to say that I accomplished this though, because self-esteem.
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• Learn more things about myself. This is such an odd goal but YES I’ve finally figured out my sexuality and kinda my gender and I’ve also found out that I definitely, most certainly have depression.

I know I use this for everything I talk about but it just fits me so well

• Take care of myself, not get so anxious, and de-stress. That did not work but we’re going to pretend it did.

OVERALL

Reading: 3/5 accomplished!

Writing: 0/4 accomplished (this makes me cry)

Blogging: 3/4 accomplished!

Life: 2/4 accomplished!

Total: 8/17 accomplished!

The “you can do it!” part of my brain is saying “well 8/17 is pretty much half of the goals and we’re halfway through the year so you can still accomplish all your goals!!!” while the “lol you’re going to fail” part of my brain is saying “you think too highly of your own abilities”.

GOALS FOR THE 2018-2019 SCHOOL YEAR

Because I’m That Person, I need to make some goals for the school year. I just know that without any sort of goals or some SEMBLANCE of motivation, I’m going to flop everything. So here we go.

Also someone please cry with me I can’t believe it’s halfway through my summer break I really really don’t want to go back to school.

• Use SOME method of organization. I tried using a planner, it didn’t work. I tried making to-do lists, it didn’t work. But I swear that this year I’m going to use SOME method of organization to stay on top of my work because I’ve gotten anxiety attacks over homework I’d forgotten was due and it wasn’t pretty.

this is my 2017-2018 planner and as you can see: nothing

• Please, for the love of myself, do homework early. I remember nights earlier this year where I just stayed up finishing homework or promised to wake up early and finish it and end up completing it at school in the morning the day it was due. It brings me SO much stress and I really, just really, want to do anything that keeps me from being overwhelmed again.
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• Schedule blog posts ahead of time. This is kind of a weird goal, but if I’m going to balance blogging and school HEALTHILY, I can’t neglect homework to write a blog post that’ll go up that day. I really want to get in the habit of scheduling posts (regardless of school) and I think this will help me be less stressed!!!
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• Go to sleep earlier!!! This is an issue I’ve had regardless of school, but with school, the problem is definitely worse. I need 8 hours to kind of function, 10 to fully function, and some nights last year I got 6 hours. (Or I would try to go to sleep early, panic when I wasn’t falling asleep, and then end up staying awake longer.)

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has 2018 been good to you so far?? anything you want to gush or vent about in the comments? if you’re heading back to school, what are your goals (if any)? what do you still want to achieve in the last half of the year? i’m wishing you the best last six months of 2018!!!