This is a list of ideas I've been kicking around for my blog. Honestly I'm not even entirely sure I will follow through on all of them but I want to spend time considering each at the very least.
1. Number one for me is always trying to comment more as well as be on twitter more. I made some big strides in commenting this year and I want to continue. There are so many amazing bloggers out there and I want to acknowledge their hard work. We post our writing online because we want to talk to others and I want to continue to be part of that conversation.
2. On the technical side, I have lots of ideas.
- I am considering buying my own website or moving to wordpress.
- I would also like to study html a bit more while I'm on blogger. I don't always feel able to convert my vision to reality and would like to experiment with that more.
- At the least, I am thinking about adding a blog list and experimenting with a three column layout.
- Write reviews or at least notes immediately after finishing. So many times this year, I waited too long and had forgotten points I wanted to make, resulting in reviews I was not very happy with
- Link to other opinions. I especially want to link to those bloggers who inspired me to read a book and when a blogger had the exact opposite reaction to a book as me.
- I am also planning to post ARC reviews further in advance. These will be clearly marked and will include the scheduled release date. Since many of the ARCs I read are e-copies, they have a tendency to expire and I want to make sure I get to as many as I can so that I can promote the ones I love.
- I also want to do a spotlight of favorite books throughout the months-am contemplating a more regular giveaway schedule.
- I don't want to go overboard with memes but I want to participate in Top Ten Tuesday and Waiting on Wednesday (and maybe others) at least once a quarter this year.
- To include books I don't plan to review in my reading list (currently I have two Rhys Bowen mysteries on hold and I've struggled to write reviews of those in the past so I will not even try this time...unless something in them calls to be reviewed).
- To not feel pressured to read-this is always an internal pressure and something I need to work out with myself.
- To tackle both Anna Karenina and War and Peace this year-it's ambitious, I know, but they've been on my to-read list for a long time and I want to show myself that I can do it.
- Update "About Me" section which I think is from 2010
- Revise tagline: "No Frills Book Blogging"
- Revise mission statement
Personal Goals
One of the problems I've had with New Year's Resolutions is making them too big and non-specific so that I eagerly jump into something and then blaze out. This year I am approaching it month by month and choosing a habit I would like to start or break. My understanding is that it takes about 30 days for something to become habit so that seems manageable. For January, I am trying both.
TO START: Making the bed every day. I used to do this as a kid but fell out of it in college. After reading about habits at Dear Author, I thought this would be a good one to start up again. Plus I have already started doing this so now I just need to continue.
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| This is not my bed. I just wanted to add a picture to this post. |
What are your plans for making 2013 the best year yet? Any tips for me that you've discovered as you've worked on similar issues?
Great goals! I too need to be on twitter more, but alas...
ReplyDeleteOne thing about reviewing early, as I have talked to more and more pubs... Some don't want reviews any earlier than one month before pub date. I didn't know this until recently, so just double check :)
Happy reading,
Brandi from Blkosiner’s Book Blog
Awesome goals, I wanted to do the same thing where at the end of my review I feature other blogger's reviews of the same book, I need to be on twitter more too, I was at the beginning of the year but, I got so busy!
ReplyDeleteKristin @ Young Adult Book Haven
These are really great goals, and I've no doubt you'll be able to accomplish them. I can't recommend Notepad++ highly enough when it comes to playing with HTML. It color codes everything for you so you can see your code a lot clearer.
ReplyDeleteI love your idea of tackling something each month. That seems so much more approachable and less daunting than trying to set a goal for a whole year. Plus, i feel like I'd be more successful at keeping up those actions throughout the whole year that way. Good luck with them! I love the look and feel of getting into a properly made bed.
Making the bed! That's a huge one for me. I hate making my bed in the morning--I don't like to add ANYTHING extra to my morning routine, but I also hate coming home from work to an unmade bed. I'm going to try your 30 days to make (or break) a habit approach. Saying I'll do it for a month doesn't sound as daunting as 365 days a year for the rest of my life.
ReplyDeleteAnd the taking notes while reading thing is something I've tried (and failed) to do several times. I don't like breaking from the narrative to write something down. I try to do it afterwards sometimes, but I don't have a system that I like for it. Post-Its? A notebook? How do you plan to do it?
You have some great goals on your list above! :) I need to take time to finish writing out my own but I know one of my big ones is to keep working and growing on my blog.
ReplyDeleteFantastic goals and very achievable too. I'd also like to learn more html, I've got some basics and have learnt thru tutorials and trial and error to sort things out on my blog, but I'd love to be able to do more. 2012 was a great year for me getting reviews done with relative ease and in a timely fashion, I used my kindle highlight and note function and jotted down thoughts on a slip of paper in paperbacks. It's something I've struggled with in past years to the point where writing a review was becoming a chore lol.
ReplyDeleteThanks for visiting my blog, I really appreciate your comments :)
Totally agree with taking a break when needed, I've had a number of blog 'holidays' when home or health has been a challenge and I think that's why I'm still blogging, 5 years in October. I've seen quite a few bloggers come and go due to blogger burn out :(
I like the habit of making the bed, I always feel like my room is not clean unless the bed is made.
ReplyDeleteALSO! Yay for getting your own domain/switching to wordpress. It's a pretty awesome place to be.
Happy new year! <3