2018 Goals | Blogging and Personal

I've never been very good at sticking to resolutions. I tend to get very into the idea of making them, I do well for a few days and then slowly I just seem to give up. This usually happens within the first two weeks of January. But, since I've started blogging I know that I need to get my ass in gear and really drive myself into comitting to some very necessary changes in my life. I want to be able to physically write all of these down as well so I definately need a new planner/diary to help keep my life in order throughout the next year. Any recommendations? For now, these are some goals I hope to work on in 2018, both blogging and personal.



Blogging

1. I really need to start commenting on other bloggers posts. I see so many incredible ones but due to a number of things (mostly anxiety) I always stop myself from sharing what I think. I need to remind myself that I'd love to receive comments on my posts therefore other's are always looking for some feedback. I think a lot of it is because I've never spoken to these people before so are they really bothered about what I think?

2. Improve my photography is definately up there on my list. A lot of blogs have such beautiful photos and even though I have a decent camera, I'm still not 100% sure how to use it properly. I want to be able to do gorgeous flatlays etc and I think it'll really help with getting views on my own blog.

3. Whilst I'm not unhappy with my current theme, it is still a free basic blogger one and I'd love for my blog to look more professional. I'm still debating whether to splurge the cash on a new theme and get a new blog header rather than using the one I made myself on a free site! 

4. One of the most important parts of being a blogger is advertising your posts. I see a lot of people on social media saying that this is how they get the majority of their blog views. Whilst i'm constantly on Twitter, I'm not massively active. I'll tweet out about my new blog posts but I need to start using it more personally as well. I also want to interact more with other bloggers and participate in some more blog chats.

5. This is similar to wanting to interact more but I really want to immerse myself in the blogging community and hopefully one day make a few friends.

6. Finally, I hope to continue with blogging and not sod it off like I usually do. I want to find my rhythm with blogging, find out what I do and do not like blogging about and start to post more regularly. Most importantly, I want it to be fun for me and not start becoming a chore or something I feel that I have to do. This blog has to be for me and because I want to do it. 


Personal 

1. Health wise, I really need to start improving my diet. I need to stop eating so much junk food and try and be a little bit healthier. Which is going to be hard cause I pretty much hate anything healthy! I also want to start exercising more regularly and maybe even join a gym? It's a long shot but I'd still really like to do it!

2. Being at university is stressful but I need to keep myself on top of my assignments. I can't let myself fall behind on anything or not put all my effort in. I'm paying nine grand a year in the end so there's no point in wasting my time there by not doing any of the work.

3. I really want to travel more. I'm hoping to go on an interrail trip with some friends in the summer but i'd also like to do some weekend breaks in a couple of UK cities. 

4. Start budgeting properly! Having to depend on my student loan for all my expenses is difficult but until I can find a part time job I'll have suck it up and deal with it. I need to be careful with what I spend it on and make sure I stick to a certain amount I can spend each week. It's either that or starve to death!

5. Read more! I've been slacking over the last few months due to being so busy so I want to work out some kind of schedule to get me to start reading more and to also choose a wider range of genres.

6. Take photos of everything. I love capturing everything on camera but I can get a little embarassed having to ask the people I'm with to stop so I can take a picture. 

7. Not to get sappy but I want to spend a lot more time with friends and family. My mum's health hasn't been brilliant lately and so I hope to spend more time with her when i'm home from Uni. It can also be lonely living in halls of residence particularly when you're not close to your flatmates therefore hopefully I'll make some new friends in the new year.

8. Last but not least, just be happy.

So those are some of the things I'm hoping to achieve in 2018. Got any advice for any of them? Do you make New Years resolutions? If so, what are some of yours? Comment below!