Happy New Year!!
I simply cannot believe that it’s already 2021. I know I’ve said this probably a million times already, but 2020 feels like it lasted both a week and 10 years at the same time, so I have no idea how to feel about the fact that it’s over.
While I’m sure everyone can agree that 2020 was… not a good year overall, I want to try to be more positive going into the new year, so today I’m here to recap the highlights of my 2020 and focus on the things that brought me joy this year!! I’m also going to be sharing a few of my goals for the new year in the different aspects of my life.
(I would highly recommend reading this post on the actual site instead of AMP or the WP reader, because the formatting might get messed up for a few things I included! Also: I know I said that my 2020 reading recap post was supposed to come before this one, but I decided it would make more sense to wrap-up the entire year first and then specifically talk about my reading, so my reading recap is coming out next week!)
(some of my favorite photos i took in 2020!! you might recognize a few from previous monthly wrap-ups 😅)
2020 HIGHLIGHTS:
- Daily life in 2020 is just all a blur, so I’m probably going to leave many things out of this section because I just don’t remember them!! But the first thing that comes to mind as a highlight for daily life is learning to appreciate the small things: with all the time spent at home, I really got the chance to reflect and take in the small things that bring me joy.
- I was also able to spend a lot more time with my family in 2021 and I’m so grateful for them!!
- I discovered two new shows that instantly became new favorites: ATLA and The Good Place, and I had so much fun watching them and screaming about them with others!!
- I listened to a ton of music and discovered so many amazing new artists and songs, although my favorite artists of the year were definitely Taylor Swift, Lorde, Conan Gray, Billie Eilish, BLACKPINK, and ITZY.
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GOALS FOR 2021:
- Try to get out for a short walk every day: During online school, I was terrible at actually getting outside and taking a break from my screen, so I really need to take walks more often!
- Don’t look at your phone first thing in the morning: I checked my notifications first thing in the morning so many times in 2020, and it’s a habit I really hate, so let’s hope that setting this goal helps me get rid of it…
- Watch more movies: I found a few new favorite TV shows in 2020, but I don’t really remember watching any specific movies that stood out to me! I’m making this goal so I can change that, especially because I love film and need to find some favorite movies. (Send me all your movie recs in the comments!)
- Get back into journaling and try to journal once a week: I journaled a lot at the beginning of 2020, but then I stopped because I kept trying to make my spreads *perfect* and it was getting to be really stressful! That’s why I want to journal as a form of self care in 2021 without worrying about perfection.
- Keep up with your habit tracker: Even though I have a habit tracker page on Notion and it’s really easy for me to just check boxes every day, I’m still so bad at filling it out!!
2020 HIGHLIGHTS:
- Before 2020, I rarely read and picked up books by marginalized authors, simply because I didn’t know they existed. Joining the book blogging community changed everything. For the first time, I started reading more diversely and being able to read books that represent me!
- I was able to read so many wonderful books this year, such as Picture Us In the Light, When the Moon Was Ours and The Gilded Wolves!! I’m so glad to have read them this year and can’t wait to continue to recommend them for years to come. ❤
- In 2020, I read 78 books in total which is a really big number for me!! Not only that, but I enjoyed most of the books I read, which I’m so happy about. (However, just a reminder that reading is not a competition and the number of books you read doesn’t define you!!)
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GOALS FOR 2021:
- Read 62 books: My reading goal for 2020 was 60 books, and even though I finished the year with 78 books, I’m only aiming for 62 this year because I don’t want to stress myself out about my reading goal.
- Write more reviews: I really enjoy writing reviews, but I barely wrote any last year!! I want to try to change that this year and write the more often, even if they have to be mini ones.
- Read more diversely, in every way: Reading diversely has so many meanings, and I want to focus on all of them! First, I really want to prioritize + boost books by marginalized authors and pick up more books that represent me. I also really want to read books out of my comfort zone that I wouldn’t normally pick up, such as adult fantasies or classics.
- Email publishers for physical/digital ARCs of releases I’m very excited for: I’ve only gotten a few ARCs before through Netgalley, so I’m very intimidated about emailing publishers, but I want to try at least a few times for 2021 releases I’m excited for!!
- Read more middle grade: As I’ve talked about before, middle grade is one of my favorite genres because of how heartwarming and comforting it is to read. I only read 11 middle grade books in 2020, so I definitely want to pick up more this year!
- Start annotating books: I absolutely love the idea of highlighting, tabbing, and making notes in books, especially ones that are meaningful to you, so I can’t wait to start annotating books in 2021.
2020 HIGHLIGHTS:
- I took part in a writing competition in January 2021 and I had so much fun writing the short stories for it. 💕
- I know this is probably not a lot for most people, but I wrote a little over 10k words of fiction in November during NaNoWriMo, and that’s probably the greatest amount I’ve ever written in a month!!
- I came up with an idea for a fantasy WIP that I actually really love, and I managed to write and plan very briefly for it!
- Most of them don’t make sense because you would need to read the entire story to understand them, but you can read 3 short snippets I’m proud of below:
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GOALS FOR 2021:
- Write more often and don’t be so critical of your writing: My biggest struggle with writing is that I feel excited about new projects for a few weeks, and then when I come back to them, I get overly critical and don’t feel motivated anymore. 😭 I really want to change this in the new year, and just write without pressuring myself.
- Write at least 6 short stories: I’m hoping that this goal will help me actually write more, especially because short stories are so fun to write!!
- Write more poetry: I wrote a lot of poetry in 2019 and at the beginning of 2020, and then I just… stopped because I have a lot of trouble liking my poetry. But I really want to experiment with poetry this year and stop judging my writing!!
- Continue working on my fantasy WIP: To be honest, I’m only setting this goal so that I don’t completely abandon my fantasy WIP in 2021! I’m very intimidated by it, but I hope I can make more progress this year.
(The graphic says blogging, I really mean all of my online platforms! I may or may not have been too lazy to create a new graphic 😳)
2020 HIGHLIGHTS:
- First of all, I started this blog in 2020, and it’s been one of the best decisions in my life!! I’m so happy to have a creative outlet and to have joined this amazing community. Blogging has affected me positively in so many ways, and I love it so much!!
- Speaking of the community, I met so many amazing people online through my blog and Instagram, and I’m eternally grateful to have made some close friends!! 🥺 Before I joined the online book community, I had no idea how welcoming, kind and supportive everyone is, and I’m so glad to be a part of it.
- I also started a YouTube channel and… somehow… hit over 1k subscribers?? I had no idea that would happen, considering the fact that I started it on a whim and my earlier videos were so embarrassing, so thank you so much!! I love creating videos and will hopefully make more soon.
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GOALS FOR 2021:
- Interact more with others’ posts and make meaningful comments: This goal applies for blogging and all my social media platforms, because I want to actually interact with others instead of mindlessly scrolling!!
- Hit 500 blog and Instagram followers? I don’t want to focus on stats too much in 2021, but it would be amazing (and surreal) if I hit 500 on my blog and Instagram. 🥺
- Publish at least one review on the blog every month: This ties into my previous goal of trying to write more reviews, and I’m hoping it’ll encourage me to get back into regularly writing reviews.
- Revive Youtube Channel and create videos you actually enjoy without worrying about stats: I haven’t posted a youtube video for so long, and I think it’s mostly because they take so long to edit, but I hope I can post a few in 2021. I also obsessed over stats way too much last year, and really want to change that.
Overall, 2020 was a whirlwind, and so many terrible things happened!! (Please take a moment to look at this carrd of issues around the world and where you can donate/sign petitions to help make 2021 a better year than 2020!) But I’m so grateful for how privileged I was to stay safe and happy during the year. I’d also just like to say a huge thank you to everyone in the blogging community again!! You have no idea how grateful I am for you, thank you for making my 2020 better. 🥺🥰
what were some of your favorite moments of 2020? do you have any special goals for 2021? wishing you the most beautiful new year 💖
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