2018 To Do List

I don't do resolutions. I can't even remember when I started making yearly "to do lists" instead of giving myself the usual resolutions that I'd never be able to accomplish because they were such lofty goals. I find that thinking of them as to do lists just makes each goal seem a lot less intense and won't intimidate me to the point where I will never be able to accomplish it.

In the past, my lists have been much, much longer, but I'm more keen on focusing on fewer things that will mean more to me in the long run. Well, for the most part. Sometimes I just like throwing fun ones on there to mix it up a bit. Not everything has to be that deep.

1. Read and comment on more blogs | This is something that I seriously need to do more often. I go through spurts where I get really ambitious and not only keep up with the blogs that I follow religiously but with new bloggers as well.

2. Continue uploading to YouTube | I'm really enjoying my weekly upload and I'm really excited about future content and hope that I can continue to improve.

3. Read a new book each month | This is my same goal from last year and I know I should try to improve and up the amount, but honestly, I'm afraid that will intimidate me too much. So, I stuck with the same goal to read at least one new book a month. I more than doubled 12 books in 2017, so I think my underlying goal is to beat my 2017 book number. I guess we'll see!

4. See the Indians and Cavaliers in New York City | I was a fan of Cleveland sports before I moved there, so you know damn well I'm going to be a fan of the Cavs and Indians after my time in Cleveland.

5. Start a rough budget or some kind of savings system | My budgeting system is nonexistent and I should start saving my money in a more organized manner. Checking it every few days to make sure that it's at a stable number is probably not the way to go.

6. Find the perfect black coat | This might seem shocking, but the only black coat I own is my black aviator coat. I should probably work on that and get a nicer longline black coat...

7. Get more adventurous with my makeup | I tend to wear the same thing every single time I wear makeup. I'm not that into venturing outside of my comfort zone, which is bronze eyeshadows with winged liner, so I should probably start utilizing the other colors in my palettes soon.

8. Downsize my lipstick collection | I have...too much lipstick. Arguably, I suppose. I don't even know where I'm at right now, but it's somewhere in the 80s and that's just an overwhelming amount. I need to go through and find the ones that I actually wear so there's not just a clutter of unworn lipsticks in my drawer. This would also give me an excuse to finally being able to try new lip colors and formulas so...I should really get on this.

9. Find a pair or brand of trousers that suit me | I hate pants. Not so much jeans or culottes, but like, traditional "trousers." I once had a pair of Skimmer pants from J.Crew that were OK but nothing I was too thrilled with. I just think this would be a nice professional staple to have, but I hate them so much that I'm too stubborn to try to find a "cool" pair.

10. Learn to cook something for christ's sake | This is on my list almost every year and it still hasn't happened. Here's to hoping that this year isn't just full of bagels, apples, and stovetop rice with butter.

11. Invest in more camera lenses | I should make it my priority to start investing a little more into certain things for the blog. I know I need more camera lenses, but god, some of those things are pricey. I have an Amazon list of some more affordable ones I could start with, so I'm crossing my fingers that I can financially take the plunge.

12. Get a new credit card | My credit card is a POS anyway, but it's expiring in March, so I need to find a credit card that will actually benefit me when I use it. I'm not a massive fan of using my credit card, but if I had some kind of benefit, like cash back or air miles, I would be more apt to use it (and then pay it off immediately because I hate letting the balance sit there, it drives me nuts).

13. Step up my organizational game | I'm like...pretty organized. But I think I could be even more organized when I'm in a new space.

14. Improve my communication skills | This has more to do with texting people back. Retail helped immensely with my actual communication skills. It, unfortunately, made my digital communication skills pretty shitty. It'd be nice if I could remember to like, text a friend back more than five hours later.

15. Finish my WIPs | This is more of a low-key goal, but I have some personal writing projects that really need to be finished up in the new year because they've been going on for far too long.

Aaaaaaaand that's my list! Sometimes I throw things on there that seem impossible to achieve, but I feel like this is a fair list for myself. I guess we'll see!

What's one of your goals for the new year?