07 January 2014

Top Ten Goals for 2014

Top Ten Goals for 2014

1. Take more blogging breaks
After taking a blogging break at the end of 2013 after posting almost every day for 50 weeks, I realised that I should do it more often. I definitely do not need to be posting consistently all year. It's tiring, somewhat stressful at times, and I think it's one of the reasons I get into reading slumps so often. So in 2014 I'm going to take more frequent blogging breaks, perhaps four times a year or something. Just whenever I need to so that I can rest, relax, and read!

2. Read at least 100 books
I successfully completed this goal in 2013, and so I want to do it again this year. I'm not sure if I'm going to make it, considering I have a lot of stuff coming up in 2014 such as holidays, events, and of course there's always my full time job. But I will try, and I must succeed!

3. Read at least 5 classics
I attempted this last year, but only read three. Still, it's a start! It's just so hard to fit classics into my schedule, considering the amount of YA books I receive for review. There's also the fact that I don't want to review every classic I read, so that takes up a lot of time that I could be using to read something that I will be posting about. I have no idea which classics I'm going to read yet, because my list is huge.

4. Read more books from my TBR
My collective to be read pile (YA and adult novels) is over three hundred books high. Or, it would be if I stacked them that way. I end up buying loads of books whenever I go to the charity shop, and they've been slowly building up. I officially ran out of space in my room in December, so now I need to whittle that pile down and see which books I like enough to keep. I'm hoping to clear up some space this year so I can buy some more books!

5. Complete the challenges that I'm taking part in
Thanks to Mel, I have decided to take up some reading challenges this year. I haven't done any in a couple of years, but I think now is a good time to start up again. Mostly because I'm a competitive arse and this will spur on my reading. The challenges that I'm taking part in are the TBR Pile Challenge, the Review Pile Reading Challenge, the 2014 Series Challenge,  and the 2014 Bingo Challenge.

6. Stay ahead with my scheduling
Over the past couple of months, I have been about three to four weeks ahead with my scheduling, and it's been blissful. I no longer have to stay up after midnight to frantically write a post that will be going up the next day. It gives me time to relax, read books that aren't for review, and it takes a lot of stress off of me. It also allows me to be a lot more flexible with my blogging schedule, and I can move things around if necessary. I want to stay ahead this year, and possibly get even further ahead without being too ridiculous.

7. Recap more
I am one of the owners and founders of a book blog called Recaptains, in case you didn't know. I've been slacking with my recapping duty lately, and I would really like to get back into writing them. I have a few recaps lined up, so that's good. I don't want to make myself feel to pressured or stressed about this though, because 2014 is all about relaxation.

8. Comment more
I often go through short bursts where I comment on every single blog every single day. For a week. Then I come to a sudden halt and I swear you could see tumbleweed blowing in the wind sometimes. I want to make sure that my commenting is more consistent. I might try to dedicate a set time every week, or every couple of days, and go from there. How do you guys stay on top of commenting? I need tips!

9. Reach my fourth blogoversary
My blogoversary is in September, and I'm super excited for it. It definitely doesn't feel like I've been doing this for nearly half a decade.

10. Reread my favourite books
I wanted to do some rereads last year but I couldn't find the time. This year, however, I WILL be rereading Harry Potter, The Chronicles of Narnia, Jurassic Park, and others, or so help me...

17 comments:

  1. Ooooh recap more, should have taken that one myself. :L
    Also, 300 TBR lol you're cute :P I have around 3000. :L I am slowly giving up.
    I hope to read 100 books this year, too. I read around a 100 last year, some were DNFs, some novellas, but then 5 HPs that don't count on GR anymore so it's basically evened out. :)
    Happy reading!

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  2. Awesome list. Cutting my TBR list in half and staying ahead of scheduling are high on my list! All the best with your goals and so excited to see you reach September!

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  3. This is a really great list of goals, Amber! If I could get ahead on my scheduling, that would be SO awesome. I must make time to comment more as well. :)

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  4. Wow I thought my TBR was bad at over 80! Whew! I like blogging breaks and I think you're right. Taking breaks is healthy - I took an impromptu two-week break after Thanksgiving and now I'm back with a new enthusiasm I was lacking before! Great goals, good luck with all of them!

    Amanda @ i solemnly swear

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  5. I need to work on my commenting too. I seem to have the same problem as you! I also want to read a few more classics this year. I'm thinking Persuasion by Jane Austen will be one of them, but other than that, I haven't decided! And I definitely need to read through my TBR pile.... and my review books pile.... :S Good luck with all your goals!

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  6. I want to get better at pre-scheduling, most of the time I just publish my post the same day and it's way more stressful than pre-scheduling. I want to comment more, too, and I'll start re-reading Harry Potter this month I hope :)

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  7. I hear you with reading more books from your "TBR" list, which is why I have a TBR Jar that I've put different colored slips of paper into each having the name of a book and the author on it, of a book that's already on my shelf or on my Kindle and I'll be picking two out each month at random and reading them, along with my review books/eGalley's/ARC's to be read. *g*

    I also need to get better at scheduling blog posts ahead, keeping up with my reviews (like writing at least one a day or every other day and not waiting until the last minute and having 5 or 6 of them piled up), and also commenting more to other blogs that I follow regularly. :)

    These are some fantastic goals, I'm hoping that you are able to meet them all.

    Suz @ A Soul Unsung
    Blogging Goals for 2014
    Book Gossip for the Soul: December (Christmas) Book Haul

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  8. I've been working on scheduling too. I'm not sure if it will work out in the long run since I have had a lot more free time in the last 2 weeks than normal. Right now I have two weeks scheduled =) Hopefully I can keep it up! Best of luck with your goals.
    Our TTT

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  9. I am impressed that you were able to post everyday for fifty weeks. I am a strictly twice a week blogger. That's what works best for me. I have also committed to commenting more- I am not sure what that will look like or how to accomplish this, but I am hopeful.

    Good luck with your goals Amber! I am sure you can do it!

    ~Sara @ Just Another Story

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  10. Blogging breaks seem like such a great idea! It's really stressful trying to make sure you've got a post every day, and I can't even begin to imagine how stressful it must have been posting every day for 50 weeks! I set myself a goal to read 5 classics last year and I only read one, so you managed to read 2 more than me!
    I totally suck at commenting as well. I do the exact same thing as you: comment a lot for a couple of days and then I can go like a week or something without commenting because I'm lazy.
    Ooh, lots of great books to re-read this year!
    Good luck with the goals, Amber! :D

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  11. Blogging breaks are only fair because you need your time for you too. I also think that you might want to think about not posting so much each week to relive stress. I hope you find that healthy balance. I'm also participating in the series challenge. I'm hoping to tackle many series this year.

    My TTT: http://rachaelc94.blogspot.com/2014/01/top-ten-goals-for-2014.html

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  12. Well, I finally got the prove that you're human, Amber. You also need a blogging break, ha ha.

    I just suck at getting to 100 books. Humph.

    The last classic I read was Frankenstein back in 2012 (or was it 2011?) and I loved it. But then YA distracted me so I need to read more classics, too! Maybe we can motivate each other.

    Not 300 but I've a lot of books I need to get to and I do want to.

    Good luck with the scheduling! I never seem to succeed at it for long...

    High five to recapping more!

    Yes, commenting at least once on a different blog is also one of my goals. I force myself to comment by letting the tab stay open until I've read and commented on the post. So yeah, that's the only tip I have. >.>

    OMG, help me in re-reading Harry Potter! Sigh... Also, I figured from one of Ula's goal that I want to read Lord of the Rings (or Game of Thrones) this year.

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  13. I love that we are doing most of the challenges together! I'll be your motivator if you ever need it :D Re-reading favorites is great and wow, 4 years of blogging already! Reading more books from my own TBR pile is definitely needed.

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  14. Woah at the amount in your TBR pile, I have about 50 kindle books and then about 20 other books and I am finding it a bit annoying as I keep trying to get it down but then I'll buy more. I am going to have a little sort out of the books I have read and the ones I didn't really love I will donate to the charity shop, its hard though, I am a bit of a book hoarder!

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  15. Good luck with your goals! I hope you manage to keep ahead of your scheduling. The overwhelming TBR is every bloggers nightmare!

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  16. 1. I've never actually taken a blogging break, aside from vacations when I literally could not blog. I think it would actually stress me out more in the long run, but you should definitely take them if they help you. The internet will not go anywhere. Probably.

    3. I should probably read more classics too. I'd really like to read Rebecca this year.

    6. Never have I been ahead in scheduling, but I'm running about a week ahead now, and I'd like to wrestle my schedule into my complete submission in the next couple of months.

    8. Commenting is hard.

    9. My fourth blogoversary is in August. We're the same age! Woo!

    10. More rereading. YES.

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