Monday 2 January 2017

My 2017 Resolutions!

With the New Year comes new resolutions, and while I usually either don't bother with resolutions or give myself ones that get abandoned, I've given myself some resolutions for 2017 that I'm confident I can keep to!





1) Read AT LEAST twelve poc authors.

I'm hoping I can read way more than twelve, I'd like to eventually be at a point where I'm reading as many authors of colour as white authors, but setting this goal makes sure I'm reading at least one author of colour a month throughout 2017.

2) Read a series.

I'm in the mood to get stuck into a series from start to finish - 2016 has been a year of standalones, which isn't a bad thing, but I'm craving an epic series with a world and characters I can fall in love with. Plus I'm a bad finisher, so I'd be very proud if I could start and finish a series in one year!

3) Read the rest of Shirley Jackson's novels.

This is a fairly simple one! I've really enjoyed everything I've read by Shirley Jackson so far, but of her six novels it's her two most famous works I've read so far: The Haunting of Hill House and We Have Always Lived in the Castle. I loved both of them but I own her four other novels - The Road Through the Wall; Hangsaman; The Bird's Nest and The Sundial - and I'd really like to read all of them because they all sound amazing, and I've neglected my new-found love of Modern Classics that I discovered in 2015. I think I'm going to start with The Road Through the Wall because it was Jackson's debut and I'm looking forward to it!

4) Don't buy any books that aren't published in 2017.

Okay, so this one is going to be my most flexible goal because I don't like extremes and as 2016 has been such a rubbish year I really want 2017 to be a great one, so if I see something that wasn't published in 2017 that I really want and I really think I'll read straight away I'll let myself buy it. Books which are a continuation of a series are also allowed, especially if it's a series I want to finish! BUT the main reason this goal is here is because I recently put together an excel spreadsheet of the physical books I own that I haven't read and there are over 200. Basically, I want to read more books I already own in 2017, because there are some books I've owned for far too long that I really want to read and I want to get to as many of them as I can.

5) Have a better work/play balance.

As I've mentioned before on my blog I started a very busy job at the start of 2016, and while it's still a very busy job I don't want to let it take over my life. I want to do well at my job, but I also need to get better at switching off and get better at meeting up with friends as often as I can and not over-working myself or stressing myself out. Life's too short for all that.

6) Go cruelty-free.

In 2017 I want to go entirely cruelty-free with my makeup and shower products, because if there are cruelty-free products out there why should I give my money and support companies that still test on animals? I'm going to use up products I already own that aren't cruelty-free, but I'm not going to buy anything that isn't for myself.

So these are my resolutions for 2017! Have you made any New Year's Resolutions or do you prefer not to?

4 comments:

  1. These are great resolutions- especially since you are giving yourself some flexibility, I think that actually helps a LOT when trying to achieve goals. Like- I wanted to buy fewer books, but a ban seemed so... severe. So I just cut back and it actually kind of worked! I'd like to read a series too! Or at least, finish a couple? And I LOVE that you want to not let your job take over your life- I think that is SO important! Best of luck with your goals in the new year!!

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    1. Thanks Shannon! Yeah, I'm the same - a book-buying ban's just too much, and as soon as I tell myself I'm not going to do something it's the only thing I want to do and vice versa. That's something I need to work on but I can't help doing it, so giving myself flexibility really helps me achieve what I want to achieve. I really admire people who say they're going to do something like that and actually do it, though - they have way more willpower than I do!

      Thanks for stopping by, Shannon - here's to a much better 2017!

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  2. That's the key to resolutions I think - giving yourself some degree of flexibility! Read an entire series sounds like a goal I could get behind myself, even though I never set myself goals...I like it^^ Oh and I went cruelty free with my makeup and personal care products. For me it meant a switch to greener and more natural alternatives. It was an adjustment but given the fact that I work as a Nutritionist, it made sense.

    Best of luck to you with all of these! xx

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    1. I completely agree! I find flexible goals far less daunting than rigid ones for sure.

      Thanks, Micheline! ^_^

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