If you remember, I made some New Year’s resolutions for myself earlier this year. Let’s see how well I did with those tasks and talk about my new resolutions for 2019.
2018 Results
I made seven resolutions for 2018. The results were a mixed bag, a nearly equal mix of successes and failures.
1. Launch my personal site: COMPLETE!
I finally made my website public, though it happened much later than my projected April launch date. But better late than never.
The site had its unofficial launch in November. I had to turn off maintenance mode to renew my SSL certificate, so I left it open as a beta test of sorts. I officially announced the site on social media at the end of December.
2. Keep a blog: COMPLETE!
I made it through an entire year with my blog. Since I started posting in December 2017, I’ve published 20 posts, thus surpassing my goal of 15.
Overall, it went well. My only regret is that I didn’t get to do as many different types of blog posts as I’d planned, such as reviews and links. I’ll save those for later.
3. Create two new projects: FAILED!
I didn’t complete any new projects this year. I started two things, but neither of them panned out.
My first project was a brand book, which I announced on the blog. I stopped working on the project because I didn’t like how my first draft looked. PowerPoint was the wrong program to use for what I wanted to achieve. I’ll finish the project when I can do it right.
The second project was a web form I started last year. I was designing a fake job application to help a family member practice with computers, which had the side benefit of allowing me to practice my HTML and CSS skills. But the “client” no longer needs it, and it didn’t interest me enough to continue it.
Technically, my upcoming blog post about decorating notebooks has turned into a project. I’m spending a lot of time documenting the steps, taking pictures, and formatting the post.
4. Participate in one Camp NaNoWriMo session: COMPLETE!
I “won” both Camp NaNoWriMo sessions this year. I completed 30 hours of editing work on my WIP The Magical Vessel in April’s session and worked on a memoir during July’s session.
Although I didn’t write 20,000 words in one session like I promised, I did write about 21,000 words in April and July combined. I call that a win.
5. Create a social media strategy: COMPLETE!
Although I haven’t perfected my social media strategy yet, I’m in a much better position than I was at the beginning of the year.
My accounts are all in order now. Here are some of the changes I made this year:
- Transitioned from a Facebook profile to a Facebook page.
- Converted my Instagram profile, which I created in March, to a business account and linked it with my Facebook page.
- Set up a LinkedIn profile.
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Created a Buffer account so I can schedule posts for my profiles.
I’m doing better with my content too. I post almost daily now, and I’m focusing my posts more on writing and technology than before. The books Social Media For Writers (Pip Ballantine & Tee Morris) and Create Your Writer Platform (Chuck Sambuchino), which I recently found on hoopla, are helping me smooth out my strategy even more.
6. Cut screen time: FAIL!
My quest to be online less hasn’t improved much. The phones remain glued to my hands 24/7.
My data usage is still out of control. I made it through three of the twelve months without exceeding our monthly data allotment. I often spent the last half of the month throttled, with agonizingly slow data speeds. The parents were not pleased.
I took a screenshot of my usage stats at the end of every month to see which apps I used the most data with. Tethering, web browsing via Chrome, and Instagram were always the top offenders.
There is some good news. I can thank the cat for demanding to be fed first thing in the morning, thereby stopping me from picking up the phone right away. Baby steps.
7. Borrow fewer library books at one time: FAIL!
In June, I reached the checkout limit in Overdrive alone. Need I say more?
2019 Resolutions
Now, let’s talk about what I want to accomplish in 2019. You’ll notice that some of the goals are echoes or extensions of my 2018 resolutions. That’s intentional.
1. Refine my website
I’m satisfied with how my personal site looks, but there are many things I want to tweak.
First, I’m going to add resource pages to the site, an idea I got from the aforementioned Create Your Writer Platform book. I plan to have pages for technology, writing, and technical writing. Beyond that, I’m still working out the exact details. Based on the advice I read in a Rita Barry & Co article, I’m starting by making lists of my favorite books, podcasts, and software in each category.
Then I’m going to work on the site’s speed. My current scores are good—I scored 74 on Pingdom and 94 (desktop)/78 (mobile) on Google PageSpeed Insights last time I checked—but I would like them to be slightly higher. I want to get to 80-85 on Pingdom and 90 for my mobile site on PageSpeed.
Lastly, I really want to fix the way my header looks on mobile. This problem has haunted me for some time. I want it gone.
2. Name my blog
My blog is nameless. I called it “Brittany Gervin’s Blog” when I hosted it on WordPress.com. That was a placeholder name; I couldn’t think of anything else. When I put the blog on my personal site, the name became irrelevant because nobody can see it.
Still, I want my blog to have a real name, something creative and fun. This year I will make that happen.
3. Write in my journal once a week
I’ve gotten bad about writing in my journal. I only write in there once every few months. In fact, I’ve been using my current notebook since October 2017, and I’m still only halfway through the pages.
I plan to sit down at least once a week and write my usual 2-4 pages of miscellaneous ramblings.
4. Do one Camp NaNoWriMo session
I’m making Camp NaNoWriMo a reoccurring resolution. I will participate in at least one session every year where I write 20,000 words.
The only difference this time around is that I’m not going to work on The Magical Vessel in the session(s). I’m either going to find something worth resurrecting in my archives (aka my big green folder of failures) or think up a totally new story. I’ve got a few months to work something out.
5. Complete a full draft of The Magical Vessel
I just finished Chuck Wendig’s book The Kick-Ass Writer. In the chapter titled “25 Things I Want To Say To So-Called ‘Aspiring’ Writers,” he tells newbies to (excuse the language) “Finish your shit.” Repeatedly. It was highly effective.
Keeping Wendig’s orders in mind, I’m going to write a complete draft for The Magical Vessel. In The Writer’s Guide to Beginnings, author Paula Munier says that a novel should be about 90,000 words. Currently, I only have about 52,000 words. I have a lot of work to do.
6. Take one Lynda.com course a month
I’m a huge Lynda.com fan. I’ve taken numerous courses over the past few years since I found out I had free access through the library. But I’ve been slacking off. I haven’t taken a new course since July 2018.
In 2019, I aim to complete one new Lynda.com course every month. It shouldn’t be difficult. I already have a long queue of technology and graphic design videos to get through.
7. Finish Bleach and Naruto
I lost track of the Bleach and Naruto franchises after I went into my anime burnout phase. Now both series are over, their endings a mystery to me.
I owe it to myself to find out what went down. That means getting through 70+ manga volumes and 300+ anime episodes (not counting the movies) for each series.
One snag is that I don’t remember where I left off in either series. I learned from my old notebooks that I was somewhere around Vol. 24 in Bleach and Vol. 37 in Naruto for the manga, but I couldn’t find any info on my place in their anime. It’s been so long since I read/watched either series that I might have to start from the beginning.
Wish me luck!