Things I Want to Achieve in 2020

This may seem like a similar post to my New Year’s Resolutions, and you’re right, there might be a bit of overlap. However, I generally see a difference between the two – resolutions are changes that I want to make in 2020, while goals are things that I want to achieve. If that makes sense? There’s stuff I want to achieve not only in terms of my blogging life, but also my personal life too. In the spirit of actually wanting to make shit happen, if decided to share my goals for today’s post. 

Write 3 Paid Posts

I wrote last week about my Blogging Goals for 2020, and I mentioned that I’d love to start working with brands. I initially set myself the goal of working with 3 different brands throughout the year, but I’d also love to expand that into some freelance work too. I’ve registered with Get Blogged and I’m on the lookout for paid opportunities. So ideally, the ultimate goal? 3 paid posts and 3 posts collaborating with brands.

Pay Off at Least Half of My Credit Card

In the run up to Christmas, my credit card takes quite the battering. It’s a bad habit that I’ve gotten into over the last few years and I usually end up paying off a huge chunk of it throughout the new year. Last year I set myself the goal of paying off at least half of my credit card balance. I set up a standing order to pay not only the minimum payment but an additional amount too, so that I actually had a decent chance of making a dent. Unfortunately, I only shaved off about a third of that balance. This year, I’d love to pay off at least half of the balance FUR REELZ. To be honest, the main reason why my balance didn’t actually go down was because I kept treating myself to shit that I didn’t need. So, if I can stop that this year, maybe I’ll have better luck. 

Read 15 Books

I set myself a challenge on GoodReads last year to read 10 books over the last year. I found that reading is a great way to ease my anxiety as I find focusing on a book forces me to think about the plot rather than the black hole that my mind likes to drag me into. I managed 12 in total throughout 2019, and I loved discovering new books. This year, I’ve gone a step further, and set myself the challenge of 15 books. I only ever spend a few minutes each evening before bed reading a few chapters, so hopefully making the goal a bit more difficult will mean that I end up reading more often.

Exercise at Least 3 Times a Week

I mentioned in my new year’s resolutions post that I wanted to get back into my fitness routine, and I decided that I needed to actually set myself a target rather than just saying I wanted to work out more. So, I’ve set myself the goal of doing at least 3 workouts a week, with the option to do more if I fancy it. I’m going back to basics with the Blogilates Beginners Calendar, and I’m also aiming to do one Yoga with Adriene workout per week too in order to help with my anxiety. As a bonus, I’ve also signed up for a beginners yoga course with my friend for the next few weeks, so that’s at least one workout per week already scheduled! I’m making a pact to sit and organise when the best time is for me to do my workouts during the week so that I can realistically fit it in with my schedule too.

Learn to Play a Song on My Ukulele

Again, I mentioned in my new year’s resolutions post that I’d like to get back into practising my ukulele. Saying I’m going to practice it is one thing, but I want to go a step further and set myself a goal of learning to play an actual song. Last year I spent a great deal of time trying to learn the Lava song from that Pixar short, but I failed miserably. So rather than trying endlessly to master that, I’m going to look into some easier songs and start from a slightly easier level. If anyone has any suggestions, please let me know! Of course, anything by Taylor Swift is preferred.

Bake Something Once a Month

I genuinely used to love baking. I wasn’t particularly good at it, but on the rare occasions that it went well, it would go really well. I’d love to take things further and start attempting some of that amazing food porn you see on Pinterest especially. My sister in law and her boyfriend got me Baking with Kim-Joy for Christmas (you remember, she was on Bake Off a couple of years ago and made the most adorable cat themed cakes and turtle shaped bread rolls), and I’m determined to make something out of it. While a lot of the recipes look way beyond my skill level, if I can make at least one thing from it I’ll be happy. So, the goal is to bake something once a month – maybe even to start with it’ll just be something piss easy while I find my feet again. 

Of course, I’ll keep you updated as to how these goals pan out! All going well, maybe I’ll even post a couple of pictures of the baking adventures I end up doing. Or, at the very least, it’ll give you a laugh and be something worthy of those Pinterest fail boards…

As always, if you have any tips or suggestions on how I can achieve my goals this year, please feel free to leave them in the comments! Have you set yourself any goals for 2020?

Featured image by Estée Janssens on Unsplash