SOPHIE LI

Hello everyone!

It must be cliched for me to say this but- WOW, can you guys believe that it is the start of another year!? Time always has a way of flying by :’)

2017 was an action-packed year for me, and it looks like 2018 will be just as eventful (if not even more so!) That keeps life interesting, doesn’t it? 🙂

Personally, I do not believe in New Year resolutions per se (ie. miraculous lifestyle changes over night). If we really want to make a significant change in our lives, we can start any day of the year instead of waiting until January 1st. After all, isn’t January 1st just another day?

However, I do believe in setting goals that are challenging, but realistic and attainable.  In fact, I LOVE setting goals because it gives me a purpose, and there is that wonderful feeling when I am able to make progress towards my goal – the “I got my #&$% together” feeling 😉

Reading

Goal #1: Read 60 books (4-6 books / month)

In 2017, I read 55 books. Most of these were read in the latter half of the year (June onwards) when I became involved with the book blogging community. Each month, I can read 4-6 books comfortably depending on how much free time I have. Taking the average of that, seems like 60 books a year is a good goal 🙂

Goal #2: Read from diverse genres and authors

In 2017, the following genres were over-represented: YA contemporary (36%), YA sci-fi (11%), Fantasy (11%), and Non-Fiction (11%). On the other hand, I’ve only read 1 Classic novel and 1 Graphic Novel, and… embarrassingly, I haven’t read a single Historical Fiction. Also, I tend to read books from my favourite authors instead of trying new ones. In 2018, I want to challenge myself by reading from diverse genres, such as these books on my TBR:

You guys may recognize these from the Goodreads Choice Awards List of 2017 😉

Goal #3: Actually HAVE a bookshelf

As in, right now, I have lots of physical books but no physical bookshelf. They kind of sit in a pile in my room. It’s kind of embarrassing.

Since I am moving to a new place and buying a whole new set of furniture, I will absolutely invest in a bookshelf 🙂

Writing

Goal #4: Finish writing Children of the Sun (February – April)

Towards the end of 2017, I’ve been researching and editing this new baby of mine. Then, two week ago, I decided to go ahead and start writing. I plowed through about 4000 words before… well, life happened. January will likely be just as busy for me. However, starting February, I hope to be back into full-on writing mode again. My plan is to get back into the groove of writing on a daily basis, with the plan to finish Children of the Sun by the end of May.

Goal #5: Start and finish Draft 5 of Matt and Olivia (May – August)

You guys may remember Matt and Olivia from my Untitled Manuscript. This project occupied my mind for pretty much all of 2017. Since I finished Draft 4 in November, I haven’t even looked at the manuscript. (It kind of terrifies me…) However, now that I am starting to hear back from beta-readers, I am planning for a 5th draft. Not sure yet whether this will be a major revision or a polish! I hope to start this in May and complete the draft by the end of August.

Goal #6: NANOWRIMO!??! (October – November)

I missed Nanowrimo back in 2017 because of travel and family reasons, however I do love the idea of Nanowrimo, so I am REALLY excited to hop onto the wagon again for 2018! However, I have no idea what to write yet. (October is for planning!)

Blogging

Goal #7: Get organized

I’ve been blogging 3 times weekly for the past while, which is working for me. I also VERY recently learned to write posts in advance, WHICH IS A LIFESAVER AND I MUST RECOMMEND TO ALL BLOGGERS OUT THERE! For 2018, I also invested in a journal which I will use to brainstorm and organize my blog post ideas. If this works out well, maybe I will do a post about organizing blog posts!?

Goal #8: Review 90% of the books I read

I am good at reading books however I have been TERRIBLE at posting reviews this past year. However, I discovered mini-reviews very recently, which I enjoy writing so much more than full-length reviews.

Goal #9: Write more posts about lifestyle topics

Although I love books and blogging about books, I also have lots of other interests and other ideas bouncing around my head all the time. In 2018, I hope to introduce some of these topics to my blog (such as fashion and DIY.) Of course I will continue to blog about reading and writing!

Life

Goal #10: Live sustainably

This is something that I’ve been thinking about for the past year or so but only began to implement. Sustainability is a HUGE topic that could easily be a whole blog post on its own. Long story short: I realized that I buy so many things that I don’t even need, and much of it either ends up cluttering up my apartment. The truth is that a lot of clothing and other household goods can’t be disposed of in a manner that is environmentally friendly. Isn’t it better to buy fewer things in the first place?

Unfortunately I am actually the WORST person to be a minimalist. I am a pack rat and I find it hard to let go. However, since I am moving across the country, I’ve taken the opportunity to clean out my closet and my apartment. I am inviting some friends over for my first-ever clothing swap which I am super excited for! After this, I will be more cautious about buying things that I truly need and love.

Other than changing my shopping habits, I will also be taking the public transit more (instead of driving), and learning to compost.

What is your approach to the New Year? What are your goals for 2018!? Do you write posts in advance? Are you a pack rat or a minimalist (or somewhere in between)?