And I’m feeling good!

Welcome to 2013 everybody! It’s so funny how bright and new and fresh everything always seems on January 1st. It isn’t, really. Not that much has changed from yesterday.  What makes me automatically think that today will be any different, just because the calendar has rolled over to a new year?

Somehow, it just does. I wonder about this every year, and I still can’t explain it.

Until recently, I’ve been really had about setting goals and keeping them. Yesterday’s post about my 2012 resolutions absolutely floored me. I kept nearly all of them? How did that happen? It makes me feel optimistic about the upcoming year. There is so much that I want to accomplish. I’ve never been one to just sit back on my laurels. I want to DO things, even if the idea is silly.

That said, here are my New Year’s Resolutions for 2013, based slightly off my goals from last year.

1. Finish editing Children of Light and start querying it. Yes folks, my novel has a name. It’s had one for a while, but I’ve been hesitant to use it for some reason. Giving it a name and using that name makes it feel real. Gives it a concrete-ness that I think I will need to get in the right mindset to finish it.

2. Do more with Bibliophiles Anonymous. As most of you know, my friend Jess and I started a podcast this past year. We’ve done really well so far, up to 14 episodes, but we’re not getting much exposure. I need to be more dedicated to finding outlets to get our name out there. It would be nice to actually have listeners other than just our friends and families.

3. Devote more time to my family and personal goals and less time to my job. This is a tough one. My hours, though finally cut down a bit, have been creeping back up over the past several months. I’ve started feeling really guilty for going in later when I knew that work was piling up on my desk. I need to be able to stand up for myself there and not let them try to snow me under with more work. Stand my ground!

4. Develop a daily routine. This one will also be tough, but necessary. I have a lot going on, let’s face it. Starting next Monday, I will officially be a graduate student at Southern New Hampshire University. I have writing to do, blogging to do, homework to do, housework to do, family stuff to do. I need to get organized, or things are going to start falling through the cracks.

5. The Happiness Project. This year, my mom and I are embarking on Gretchen Rubin’s Happiness Project. I figure it will be easier with help. We can push each other.

6. Reading Challenge. I came close to this last year, so this year I’m upping the challenge to 70. Between reading stuff for school and the podcast, I don’t think this will be a problem.

You’ll notice that there aren’t any weight loss goals on this list. That’s not to say that I won’t try to do something about getting healthier – I will. But it won’t be a formal goal.

Now, here’s what I plan to do with the blog. I think I did pretty well last year getting more into a blogging routine. My goal was to try to blog twice a week, and most weeks I do either three or four. I’d like to up that to five.

• Monday – Stacking the Shelves (with Tynga’s Reviews) and other general announcements. I’ll also talk about the podcast a bit on Mondays too.
• Tuesday – Top Ten Tuesdays (with the Broke and the Bookish). Can’t give that one up, it’s too much fun!
• Wednesday & Thursday – Reviews. Both books and movies (oh my gosh, y’all, I saw The Hobbit and Les Mis and I have stuff to say!!!).
• Friday – Happiness Project Update. Might even try to get my mom to write something here. 😉

So there you have it. My plans for 2013. Hope you all have a wonderful and prosperous New Year! I’m certainly going to try!