Happy New Year, everyone! (Yes, I know it was yesterday, but yesterday was also Cybils day and so New Years gets pushed off a day.)
I wrote a little while ago about pulling back and redefining my reading habits, something which I think is going to spill over into my blogging. So, I thought I’d come up with a few distinct, erm, goals (I hate that word) for my blog as I head into my seventh year of doing this.
1. I’m going to read what I want to read. I’m not going to worry about being on the forefront of anything, about reading what’s hot, or even about getting ARCs from publishers anymore. (That said, I’d still love to go to BEA someday.)
2. I’m going to clear off my TBR shelf. Or at the very least, make a big dent in it. That said, see #1.
3. I’m going to blog when I have something to say. Which means I may not blog every day.
4. I’m still going to do one author interview a month. I do try to pick authors whose books I’ve read and liked, with a special emphasis on first time and YA/MG authors.
5. I’m cutting back on challenges. I’ve got the book swap, of course, and I’m still going to try to diversify my reading with the POC challenge. Other than that, I think I’ll just do the Once Upon a Time and the RIP (which I missed this past year) challenges. Unless, of course, something comes up that I can’t resist.
6. I’m going to spend more time with my family, catching up on things I used to do, and spend less time on the computer (which means Facebook and Twitter, too). I do have a life outside of this chair in the corner with the laptop on my lap. Or, at least, I’d like to have one again.
7. That said, I’m going to comment on others blogs more. I’ve gotten out of that habit, and I want to get back to fostering discussion both on my blog as well as on others’. I will read the posts more carefully, instead of just skimming them for the highlights. (Bad, bad habit.)
I think that’s it. Oh, and redesign this space. It needs a new look. What are your goals for the coming year?
The Book Nut 
Very worthwhile goals, Melissa, and honestly, I'm feeling a trend among many book bloggers. It appears that many of us have felt a bit overwhelmed with the habits we've gotten into, and a desire for slowing down seems to be common.
I love reading your perspectives on books (even if I don't comment very often, one of my own bad habits), so do what you gotta do and I'll still be reading. 🙂
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#6 is about exactly what all my goals are about!! I've been way too book-and-blog centric the last two years.
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Amanda: It's amazing how quickly this internet world can take over the real one, isn't it? And, I agree: it really has just been the last two years for me, too. Weird…
Dawn: I'm glad to know I'll still have readers, even if I do something drastic like, *gasp*, stop posting every day!
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Melissa these are great goals for 2011. I think that there is a large theme of culling that “extra” time on the internet. Sorta like, quality over quantity.
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I have very loose resolutions that I hope contribute to better quality of life! I want to stop stressing about reviewing every book I read, I want to be a bit more outgoing in the YA community and I want to be more timely in writing/posting reviews. Totally achievable but somehow I suspect I'll find a way to fail, haha.
Good luck to you for 2011, these are fantastic goals.
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These are great goals and I wish you tons of luck as you work towards them! It is crazy how blogging becomes such a large part of our life, isn't it? I am hoping to step back a little more this coming year to maintain sanity!
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Great goals for the year. I'm hoping to read more (I only read 30 books last year). For a personal goal, I'd like to take more pictures throughout the year and organize them each month so by the end of the year I'll have nice photo album.
Happy New Year!
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Very well said. I think I can agree with all of your goals! Several of them were on my list too. I would love to do some author interviews, but I'm chicken. I'm going to have to push myself for that one.
Happy New Year!
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I'm looking forward to blogging Kyrgyzstan this year. I like blogging best when I'm living overseas.
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Amira: I love your blog when you're overseas (not to say that I don't love it usually!); you always do the most interesting things.
Annette: as long as you don't try to interview, say, Stephenie Meyer, authors are quite nice and reasonable about getting interviewed by bloggers. 😀
Nan and Michelle: those are GREAT goals. I wish you luck, as well.
Cristina and Allie: I agree! It is amazing how blogging can overtake one's life. And definitely quality over quantity. One of the things that spurred this on was me realizing I hadn't written a single clever review all year. I'd like to get back to doing things a bit better around here.
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I'm with you on commenting more. I'm bad about lurking. I visit and read lots of blogs but I never comment. I plan to do better. I also plan to clean out my bookshelves and find homes for books I'm NOT going to read and stop pretending that I one day will.
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many of your goals are not unlike my own, except I only did one challenge last year, RIP, and I am hunting for another to try this year—am new to challenges outside of the ones I make personally.
I wish you all the best in your goals, and in the slowing down and reclaiming life here and there.
~L
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I think a lot of us who have been doing this for awhile feel as you do. Myself, I have similiar goals and plans for my reading and blogging this year as you do. I think it will make for a richer and more enjoyable experience on both counts. Happy New Year!
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Those are good goals. I was just thinking that this year, I will stop feeling GUILTY about not having or making more time to read. It's really ok if I only read 1-3 books a month–it's not a crime. Times and seasons, if you know what I mean.
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These are great goals. #1, #6, and #7 really resonated with me as three I should work on this year, too.
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I know you said you wanted to cut back on challenges, but you might want to check out the Off the Shelf challenge, since it dovetails nicely with your goal to tackle the To Be Read shelf. At least, that's the excuse, er, reason I gave myself for signing up for that one.
I'm a newcomer to your blog, and the line about crime/thriller novels in your bio cracked me up. 🙂
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I see one challenge you're doing is the Comment Challenge! I love it, too, and love that it gets me to great blogs.
I'm trying to relax about reading current books, too — You just can't keep up! I got a big pile of ARC's at ALA, and still have hardly made a dent.
One goal that's helping: Since then, I've been alternating library books with books (or ARCs) I own, and that makes progress.
My biggest goal for the year is to send out the middle grade novel I've just about finished polishing until I find an agent! We shall see…
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