2014: the half-way point
I knew when I made these goals that I wanted to keep it simple. 2014 is a year unlike any other for me. I knew August would bring dramatic changes, and I didn't want goals that would be overly ambitious.
1. Read 104 books in 2014.
I set out to read an average of two books a week this year. I imagine August and September will be pretty thin reading months for me, and I knew if I accomplished this goal, I would likely read more than half in the first half of the year. As of today, I've read 70 books in 2014, which astonishes me. I spend a lot of time sleeping, which means I have fewer waking hours to do anything else. But at a time when I know my life will dramatically change, I've been prioritizing the things that are most important to me, and reading has been one of them. Granted, I've been reading more mysteries, more nonfiction, and less literary fiction that usual. Most importantly, I haven't been reading with a number in mind. I'm simply focusing on reading books I really enjoy and devoting as much time as I can to it. I hope to do the same once the nomadbaby arrives, even though I know the number of books read will likely fall dramatically.
2. Watch 2014 films in 2014 (52 fiction films and 52 documentaries).
To date, I've watched 22 fiction films (below goal) and 32 documentaries (ahead of goal.) I'm pretty happy with these numbers because my reading numbers are so high. Mr. Nomadreader and I watched World War Z this weekend. The film is 2 hours and 2 minutes. I took six bathroom breaks. So movies may not be the best idea for me right now.
3. Read all 47 issues of The New Yorker.
As is often the case, when reading takes over my life, everything else falls away, even my favorite magazine. The year started off pretty well with this goal, but I don't think I've picked up an issue in weeks (or even months.) I need to face the music: read or cancel my subscription. I'll wait until the nomadbaby arrives to see if magazine reading is preferable to book reading in the early weeks.
4. Participate in the #fmsphotoaday challenge most days.
I am not doing well at all, but I am hoping to start fresh again today. The July list is here, if you want to play along.
Over all: I'm reading a lot, and that makes me happy.
Now tell me: did you make goals for the year? How are you faring?
It is really exciting to wait for the arrival of ones first baby. You are right that it will be more difficult to find time to read after the baby is born. If you decide to breastfeed your baby you might find quite a bit of time for reading during that activity, at least until the baby is 2-3 months old. The smart phones are great in such case, since they require only one hand to hold them and change the pages.
ReplyDeleteI'm waiting for my 2 little kids to grow a little bit before making any reading goal. I definitely don't read as much as I did before having kids, but there is always some time that can be spent on reading. It all depends on your priorities, and as we know reading is definitely one of the highest priorities for you :)