Goals for 2017

For me, I’ve found that goals are one of the best ways to start the New Year.  It’s great to reflect on how you did with your goals of the past year and come up with stuff for the new one.  I like to have goals both for the blog and for my personal life.

S.M.A.R.T. Goals

For 2017 I’m trying to do S.M.A.R.T. goals, which stands for specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and timely.  If your goals fit these qualities I think it makes it easier to achieve them.  Looking back I can see how some of my goals from last year didn’t fit this.  For example, I had a goal that was “read more Pinterest pins with blogging tips.”  But what is more?  How many did I read last year?  Would 1 a month have been enough?  5 a month?  This goal wasn’t measurable or specific so I don’t even know if I achieved it.  Same with “get more organized” (in both the house and the blog).  Was it realistic to think I would organize my entire house (and without a specific deadline set)?  That’s what I’m going to be working on this year.

First, let’s reflect on the past year….

A look at 2016 Blog Goals:

• Have over 1,000 followers on all social media (instagram, Pinterest, twitter, and facebook) – yes, and far surpassed it in the case of Pinterest!
• find more Etsy shops to feature (here and there, though I always like more!)
• get more organized with my posting schedule, pinning schedule, and blog to-do’s (somewhat)
• research and potentially implement a new blog design (yes, I got a new design back in March)
• update images on all old blog posts (not ALL of them but a good amount)
• work on indoor photography skills (I did, though it’s still not perfect.  But I also invested in some lighting that helped a lot)
• Get more people to join my Pinterest group board (yes, the group board is doing much better now!)
• Add a page to my blog about my travel agent business (done, you can find it here)
• Start an email list (I started one in January and I’m now up to over 200 subscribers!)
• Switch comments over to Disqus (done, and I’m happy that I did it!)
• Set up Disney Wedding spotlight posts (This I did not get the chance to do).
• Attend at least one blog conference or event (I attended Blogger Bash in July)
• Get my travel guide/e-book available for readers (published in October and available for purchase!)
• Educate myself more using many of the blogging pins I’ve pinned on Pinterest and never actually looked at (I started delving into them but not nearly as much as I wanted to)

A look at 2016 personal goals:

• Try to keep the house clean and organized.  This is a big one for me. (Yeah, it’s a mess).
• Have more self-confidence, particularly when it comes to theater and auditioning.  Don’t let the negative thoughts get the best of me. (Success – I had a lead role in Anything Goes, and I was in the ensemble of Catch Me if you Can which may have been one of the highest quality shows I’ve ever done)
• Run at least 4 half marathons. (Princess half, Oddyssey Half, Disneyland Paris Half, and Hershey Half)
• Read at least 52 books. (Done, though just barely!  Audiobooks helped).
• Do something different with my hair for once (I’m thinking of cutting it short). (I did chop 10 inches off in January!)
• Cook at home more often rather than eating out. (This one was on and off for me).
• Travel!  We’ve got trips planned to Florida for Disney World and a Disney Cruise, as well as a Germany/Paris trip in September! (Yes, as well as a couple of Disney trips which were a little more last minute!)

And now, let’s set some goals for the New Year!

2017 Blog Goals:

• Read at least 5 blog posts from Pinterest per month.
• Reach 5,000 Pinterest followers by the end of the year.
• Reach 2,000 followers on all other social media (Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook) by the end of the year.
• Put up one “gift guide/Etsy guide” post per month.
• Get more organized: use the planner I bought and write down every blog post, social media scheduling, etc., at the beginning of each month.
• Update 3 old blog photos per week until all old posts are updated.
• Reorganize tabs at the top of the blog (one section per month)
• Find a way to get more email subscribers (implement by the end of March) and gain 100 new followers by the end of the year.
• Make a list of pros and cons for starting a second blog (to write about other non-Disney stuff) and talk to other bloggers who have experience with it.
• Research Plann, ViralTag, and other scheduling tools and select the best one for me by the end of January.
• Start designing an e-course (brainstorming Jan-March, write out details April-September, research hosting/launching options in October-December)
• Do something at least once a month to promote my book (Pinterest ads, Facebook boost, giveaways, etc.)

2017 Personal Goals:

• Create a cleaning schedule for my house by the end of January, and stick to it each month.
• Cook dinner at home at least 3 times a week.
• Complete a marathon!
• Audition for more shows (I’m thinking about Chicago and Curtains), but don’t be afraid to say no if I don’t get offered what I want.
• Do at least 1 workout per week that isn’t running.
• Make healthier choices (I have a lot of specifics about this, including step count, tracking food in My Fitness Pal, water goals per day, etc., only having 2 sodas per week, etc.)
• Read 55 books by the end of the year.

And I’m also open to the fact that goals can definitely change throughout the year!  So I’ll try to reflect on these bigger goals more often throughout the year in case I feel like anything needs to be adjusted.

What are your goals for the new year?