Happy 2021! Here are some goals I’m going to work toward this year.
reading goals
Read 52 books. I’m keeping my reading goal consistent with 2020 and aiming to read one book a week. I typically lowball my reading goal because I like to make sure it’s achievable and doesn’t pressure me to read when I don’t want to read. I surpassed my 2020 goal by 12 books, so I’m confident I’ll be able to achieve this goal in 2021.
Read more diversely. I’d love to expand my reading in 2021 to read stories from new authors, non-white authors, LGBTQ+ authors, and more. I’d also like to try out new genres and think of reading as an exploration, seeing how far and wide I can look.
Participate in more readathons and buddy reads. I’ve joined a few readathons and book club discussions as 2020 came to a close and would love to continue connecting with other readers in 2021! I love talking about books just as much as I love reading them, so I think this will help me keep up with my Goodreads goal.
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content goals
Post every three days. Starting today, I’m hoping to put out a new blog post every three days for, like, the rest of time.
Take the pressure off. Something that prevents me from posting is this innate desire for everything to be ~perfect~ before I hit send. This year, I challenge myself to post imperfectly and authentically, especially on Instagram.
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writing goals
Make writing fun again. I want to move past this post-novel burnout and find ways to make writing feel like play. This means writing the stupid stories I think aren’t good enough to see the light of day. Most of all, I want to write for myself, knowing they can be bad as long as they’re fun.
Receive 100 rejections. One of the best pieces of advice I heard from a fellow writer was to get really good at hearing “no.” In 2020, I aimed to receive 100 rejections from employers, agents, publications, NetGalley, you name it. I wanted to hear “no” 100 times. But all those submissions led to my work being publishing in 6 different undergrad journals, starting my freelance career before I’ve even graduated, and making some amazing connections that have opened me up to new opportunities.
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lifestyle goals
Be intentional with my phone usage. I tend to endlessly scroll through TikTok when I have nothing to do (or feel like I have nothing to do.) Instead, I want to be mindful of when I’m using my phone for a purpose and when I’m using my phone to fill empty time.
Learn more about personal finance. Since I’m graduating and entering the “big kid” world, I want to be smart with my money and set myself up to have a successful financial life.
Travel solo. Once it’s safe to travel again, I have this dream of taking a solo train trip across the US and visiting all my friends from around the country. Pandemic permitting, I’d love to take this adventure in 2021.
That’s what I’m working on this year! Have you set any goals or intentions for 2021? What are you looking forward to this upcoming year?
I also want to read more diverse books!
That’s an amazing list! I think I’m going to copy some goals from your list 👀 I especially love the idea of setting a goal on rejections. I think it can be motivating in a weird way. Great post! x
Thanks, Linda!! I hope you find that goal rewarding as well. I found that it helped me take the pressure off of any rejections; it helped me grow a thicker skin, which is something I used to struggle with (and still sometimes do). It’s definitely a great opportunity for growth!