How Are My 2019 Goals Going So Far?

Halfway through June seemed like an appropriate time to check in on all of those goals I set for myself throughout 2019. If you're new here, I don't do the whole New Year's resolutions thing. They're daunting and usually fall-off sometime around January 15th. I'm all about arbitrary nonsense, but something about New Year's resolutions rubs me the wrong way, usually because it's good intentions but gone about the wrong way. As a lover of to-do lists, creating a list of things to accomplish throughout the year seemed like a better option for me to have something to strive to throughout the year just in case everything else I do in my personal and professional life falls to shit. 

My lists are usually much longer and more involved, but I cut myself a break for 2019 considering the number one thing on my list for the past two years has been MOVE TO FUCKING NEW YORK CITY and since I'm here and that's a pretty big thing to accomplish for a twenty-something rando like me with zero connections and money. I decided ten things would suffice for the year. Really, just maintaining my status as faux resident of New York City is good enough for me so anything else is just a bonus in my life at this point.

Alas, since I am a serial list finisher and hate leaving bullet points uncrossed off, I'm doing a public check in to see if I'm on track or if I can pretend I'm on track enough to somewhat claim I've done a few of these things. You do what you gotta do, guys.

1. Write more often | So at some point, this was probably true. But in fact, I think I've stopped writing less now. However, I've also started writing more thoughtfully. I used to force myself to churn out three blog posts a week to retain an arbitrary (there it is again!) schedule. So mission not accomplished but also mission probably shouldn't have been accomplished anyways. I haven't taken on any more freelancing projects as I genuinely enjoy and prefer just my tiny lil weekend shifts for Today. I still want to try to pitch myself for something else at some point throughout 2019, but I'm not going to rush myself and overload my brain with pitch ideas and all that fun stuff. 

2. Read a new book every month | This is always so far, so good. I haven't been keeping track of the books anywhere on this blog though, so here's a tiny schedule of what I read in 2019 and when: In January I read China Rich Girlfriend by Kevin Kwan and In Conclusion, Don't Worry About It by Lauren Graham; In February, I read When Katie Met Cassidy by Camille Perri; In March, I read You'd Be Mine by Erin Hahn; In April, I read Conversations With Friends by Sally Rooney and The Girl He Used to Know by Tracey Garvis Graves; In May, I read I Might Regret This by Abbi Jacobson.

3. Read more articles (blogs, magazines, digital, oh my!) | Uh, kind of. Not really. I've been reading more books lately and I started listening to some podcasts, but actual physical reading hasn't been happening as often as I would have liked. 

4. Start YouTube again? | LOL

5. Learn how to cook | So this is a no but also not entirely a no but still a no. *tries HelloFresh one time and thinks she's a cook* I didn't learn how to cook but I learned easy tricks to make the usual simple things I make slightly better.

6. Decorate my space more | So actually, this is shockingly a yes. Back in February, my dad helped me hang up art and prints in my room for the first time since I moved in. An in the recent weeks (literally, the past seven days), I've gotten colorful, mod bedding and a velvet tufted chair for my room. All that missing is a tiny bookshelf and a fake plant and I think my room might finally be complete after over a year of living here.

7. Step out of my comfort zone with food | I don't really know why I put this on here in the first place considering I've done this already but maybe this was a sign to get myself to stop going to the same two restaurants. I've kept it in my pants when it comes to just going to Veselka ten times a month so I think we're good on this one! 

8. Go to Top of the Rock | Hasn't happened yet but hopefully sometime this summer! 

9. Get new makeup organizers | This is next on my apartment decorating list however acrylic drawers are so expensive so I'm going to need some time to save a bit. 

10. Downsize my lipstick collection | I still need to do this but I think it's going to be much more possible now that I've made it through another winter season not wearing all of the bold colors that I used to. 

So...I'm like...halfway there. Almost all the way there. Honestly, for how shit the beginning of this year was (and for how shitty some aspects are of it now), I'm feeling pretty good about this progress! It's the little things, guys. Not to quote One Direction because I am now fully devoted back to the Jonas Brothers after forgiving them for leaving me in the dust in the fall of 2013 when I needed them the most during my first semester of college and leaving me no choice but to throw myself at One Direction to fill the void.