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Reading & Blogging Goals // 2021

January 9, 2021 /

Well, well, well, if it isn’t me actually being intentional about something for once.

Welcome to January, 2021, my friends. A whole new year (is it really, though?) with a whole new set of priorities.

I’m actually coming into 2021 pretty strong in my personal life. I’ve accepted a full-time position in my industry, I’ve purchased my first computer (big girl moves, I know!) and I’ve set a tentative move-out date to get the heck out of my parents house (Mom and Dad, I love you, but it’s time to skedaddle).

Reading, however, I’m slacking in.

As I’ve said many times now, I’m in a dreaded, dreaded reading slump. Therefore, the idea of setting goals sounds really daunting, and I almost didn’t. However, I don’t want to look back in, say, March, and find that I’m disappointed that I didn’t set goals for myself, especially since I have ideas about what I want to accomplish in my reading this year!

So, let’s see what I’m attempting to do in 2021, shall we?

1. Read 52 Books

This year, I set my Goodreads goal to 75 books, which I thought was a good goal for me. Granted, this year has been one filled with TONS of unexpected down time, so I had a lot more time to read than I might in a ~normal~ year.

However, I am starting a new full-time job and (hopefully!) moving out to the city at some point this year, so I don’t know if 75 is as plausible as it has been in the past. Therefore, I decided 52 books was probably a more realistic goal to set for myself!

(I have fundamental issue with how Goodreads tracks your yearly reads (having to mark it as “currently reading” for it to count towards your goal…please, Goodreads, improve), so I don’t put too too much stake in the app.)

2. Read one classic a month

Something that I’ve been meaning to do is expand my classics repertoire! There are tons and tons of classics that I want to read, but I need that little push to convince me to read one instead of another book on my TBR. I think tasking myself with reading one classic a month is a good goal.

I’ve made a Goodreads shelf of classics that I’d like to read to chose from each month. This way, if I’m really feeling like reading a heavier book, I can choose a more intense one (like The Iliad or Wuthering Heights) or can pick one of the lighter stories (such as The Secret Garden or Pride & Prejudice) and give myself a little more control over what to read. If you have any must-read classics, send em my way!!

3. Read at least 2 (or more!) ownvoices/books by POC a month

This is one that I’m making a priority – reading more ownvoice stories is SO important! I have a lot of ownvoice books on my TBR, so finding them should be no problem at all. This industry is a far cry from accurately representing our diverse community, and the very least I can do to contribute is to support the stories of marginalized authors! Again, if you have any awesome 2021 releases that I should check out, let me know below!

4. Document each book read

(See: above rant on Goodreads tracking system.)

I need a better way to keep track of my reads. Therefore, I went to my trusty home, Target, and found this awesome “Book Club Journal” (Target exclusive! Here’s the link if you’re curious.) that gives you hundreds of pages to keep track of each read, and include a lil rating and notes. I want to fill this out after every read – then at the end of the year I’ll hopefully have a comprehensive book of all my reads!

Let’s see if this actually happens. Fingers crossed.

5. Re-read 3 series

I have a whole discussion post on why I find rereading so difficult. I think it’s a combination of the guilt and the potential to get bored rereading something I’ve already consumed. This is unfortunate, because there are a lot of old favorites that I want to reread and fall in love with again! Therefore, my goal for 2021 is to get over this weird hesitation and finally reread the books I’ve been wanting to reread. Three series in particular that I’m hoping to get to are The Lunar Chronicles, The Darkest Powers, and The Illuminae Files. Here’s hoping.

6. Enjoy what I read

Life’s too short to read shitty books, ya know? The older I get, the more internal crisis I have about my inevitable demise and the lack of time that I have to read all the books. So, I’m not going to spend time forcing myself through books that aren’t 100% (I’m being dramatic – maybe more like 80%) enjoyable to me! As I say in my Goodreads profile, there are too many books and just not enough brain cells.

1. Post 4 times a month

I hope to post more than this. I’m keeping the bar low so I can’t disappoint myself. That’s the vibe we’re going into 2021 with. Will it change? Let’s sure hope.

2. Blog hop for an hour each week

I’m not going to set something like “blog hop for 30 minutes each day” because I just don’t think that’s reasonable for me right now. HOWEVER, ya’ll (yes, I said ya’ll, and no, I don’t regret it) are such a source of inspiration and joy – I wouldn’t be writing this post if I hadn’t just spent the past hour looking at everyone else’s goals, so thanks – and I just want to support everyone! SUPPORT BOOK BLOGGERS, EVEN IF YOU’RE SLUMPY.

3. Develop and maintain a consistent blog aesthetic

There are some subpoints here:

  1. Create a dedicated color pallet
  2. Reassess headers and graphics
  3. Edit existing blog posts to match overall aesthetic
  4. Research future ways to optimize aesthetic and create an appealing brand

I’d also like to learn more about doodling and play around in Procreate, because I think it’s such a fun platform and artists have truly inspired me to explore my ~inner creative~.

4. Learn how to use Pinterest!!

What is this magical resource for driving blog traffic, and how do I use it? I mean, I’m no stranger to the classic angsty teenage Pinterest board, but I’ve never actually created a pin. What kind of sorcery? Catch me figuring out how to become a Pinterest guru this year!

And there she is, folks. (I’m so sorry that you’ve had to read ‘ya’ll’, ‘folks’ and ‘skedaddle’ in the same post. I promise, it’ll never happen again.) Those are my planned goals for this year – they’re not nearly as exciting as I’m sure you probably hoped. I have some more personal goals, such as nourish my body, mind and soul and all that jazz, but for now, I leave you with my reading and blogging goals for 2021.

I’m excited to look back on 2021 at the end of this year and reflect! I’ve always admired people who can set intentional goals and, like, do them. Do we think I can become one of these people? Only time will tell.

Anyways, thanks for sticking along for the ride, and here’s to 2021 being a hell of a year (in a good way!)!

What are some of your reading/blogging goals for 2021? Do you have any classic recommendations for me to add to my list?

20 Comments

  • April

    January 10, 2021 at 8:07 am

    Congrats on the full-time position and your other accomplishments!! šŸ„³ I think you have some amazing goals, and *intention* is definitely a focus word for me this year as well.
    I feel the Goodreads frustration so hard. I always forget to mark books as “currently reading” when I start them, so I end up just putting them in that shelf after I finish the book and then immediately clicking the “I’ve finished this book” button šŸ˜‚
    Pride & Prejudice is one of my favorite books of all time and I definitely think you should read it! I also recommend East of Eden and Anna Karenina.
    Good luck with your goals!!

    • erin

      January 10, 2021 at 10:43 am

      Goodreads should hire us to address these problems because they are SO annoying!! Ohh okay I’m definitely going to check out East of Eden, I haven’t heard much about it but I’m intrigued!! ā™„ā™„

  • Morgan

    January 10, 2021 at 8:29 am

    Good luck with all your goals and your moving! Such a big thing!

    Ahh, definitely read The Secret Garden, Pride and Prejudice and Wuthering Heights! I loved those classics. I’d also recommend The Picture of Dorian Gray, as it’s a really thought-provoking novel (though it was infuriating too). And Emma! Probably my favourite Austen novel.

    • erin

      January 10, 2021 at 10:40 am

      Thank you!! 6 classics is a huge undertaking, that’s awesome!! That’s one of those goals that I’m ~hoping~ I hit, but honestly if I manage to read 6 I’ll consider that a success! ā™„

  • ahaana @ Windows to Worlds

    January 10, 2021 at 9:53 am

    AHH ERIN GOOD LUCK WITH ALL YOUR GOALS!!! all my goals are basically the same!! i’m trying to explore genres other than contemporary, YA and fantasy, and also trying to read more OwnVoices, so i can definitely relate with you there!! i also want to blog-hop more, and try to maintain a consistent blog aesthetic!! good luck once again!! šŸ’–šŸ’–

    • erin

      January 10, 2021 at 10:39 am

      thank ya thank ya!!! YES definitely need to branch out into new genres and spice things up this year, I totally feel that!! I hope you hit all your goals and more!! ā™„

  • Haley @ Fangirl Fury

    January 10, 2021 at 7:19 pm

    That Target Journal is so cool! I use a regular notebook to keep track of my monthly reads and some notes (I admit that I deifnitely rely too much on Goodreads too) but I think I probably need a reading journals with templates like that one. Congrats on the job, and good luck with your goals!!

    • erin

      January 11, 2021 at 1:01 pm

      I was so happy to find that at Target – honestly I could never shop at another store and find everything I need! Using a regular notebook is a great idea – I love the thought of having something tangible to remember your reads by! Thank you!! ā™„

  • Bernadette

    January 13, 2021 at 8:59 am

    Good luck with all your goals! (and moving out is so exciting!!) The Scarlet Pimpernel is one of my favorite clasiscs. It’s a lighter/shorter read, and it’s got romance, adventure, and the French Revolution, so what’s not to love?

  • Stephen

    January 16, 2021 at 4:01 pm

    Good luck, Erin! 52 books is a good target and I’m sure you can do it. I’m leaving home as well this year, it’s both an exciting and daunting prospect! All the best for 2021 šŸ„°

  • Ruby Rae Reads

    January 18, 2021 at 9:13 am

    Ah, Erin, I hope all of your life things go well!! Moving out is so scary but also I’m so excited for you. And aha yay for new tech also. And I hope you love your new job!!

    Good luck with all of these goals. Hope you reach 52 books. I hit 52 coincidentally last year and I’m hoping to read even more this year. But I feel like 50 is a good number, I think we read at a pretty similar speed, you might be even faster actually so totally do-able. And ah I need to add the classic goal to my list also. And also the tracking. I’ve gotten into charts and its quite tiring to count every book so need a new system hehe

    Hope you accomplish all of your blogging goals too. I got into Pinterest this year and idk if it’s working but I get quite a lot of views so def recommend. Feel free to hmu with questions. Lots of love xoxo

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