Goals for 2018

Lots of people set goals for the new year, and I’m no exception.  I don’t expect to complete all of my goals because you don’t know what the year will bring (as I learned in 2017).  But how can you expect to achieve anything if you don’t define what you want to do?  And honestly, at least for me having the goals in place helped me achieve them. So I take a look back at how I did in 2017 with my goals, and set new ones for this year.

A look back at 2017 goals:

• Read at least 5 blog posts from Pinterest per month ( did this sporadically but not consistently. I know I have a lot of good stuff saved on Pinterest, but I don’t know the best way to tackle it.)
• Reach 5,000 Pinterest followers by the end of the year. (success! I finished the year with 5,431 followers)
• Reach 2,000 followers on all other social media (Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook) by the end of the year. (really, really close. I had 2,240 on facebook, 2,086 on instagram, and 1911 on Twitter. I’m going to count that as a win).
• Put up one “gift guide/Etsy guide” post per month. (It may not have been exactly one per month, but I posted them for every major holiday and a few extra ones, like best ears).
• Get more organized: use the planner I bought and write down every blog post, social media scheduling, etc., at the beginning of each month. (I wasn’t as organized as would be ideal, but I definitely got a lot better with this)
• Update 3 old blog photos per week until all old posts are updated. (No, not really)
• Reorganize tabs at the top of the blog (one section per month) (Nope.)
• 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. (It took longer than March to get it going, but once I did it really paid off – I not only gained 100 new followers by the end of the year, I gained 400 new followers!)
• 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. (I did do this, and while I would LOVE to blog about other stuff I just don’t have the time to dedicate to it with my full time job).
• Research Plann, ViralTag, and other scheduling tools and select the best one for me by the end of January. (Done – I downloaded Plann and love, love, love it!)
• Start designing an e-course (brainstorming Jan-March, write out details April-September, research hosting/launching options in October-December) (I didn’t even really touch this, but I’m going to think about it for 2018).
• Do something at least once a month to promote my book (Pinterest ads, Facebook boost, giveaways, etc.) (Nope.)

• Create a cleaning schedule for my house by the end of January, and stick to it each month. (Definitely not!)
• Cook dinner at home at least 3 times a week. (Was pretty good about this when I wasn’t in a show, but when we were I was almost never home for dinner)
• Complete a marathon! (Done!)
• 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. (I auditioned for Chicago and amazingly got in. Auditioned for Sweet Charity but didn’t get a part I was happy with, so I took a big step for me and turned it down. Auditioned for 1940s Radio Hour but didn’t get in.  Auditioned for Mom’s Gift, got in, then show got postponed/canceled.  Auditioned for Broadway Sings).
• Do at least 1 workout per week that isn’t running. (I did for awhile, but once I got injured I focused on that and have been doing PT twice a week instead of adding in new workouts).
• 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.) (Again, this was on and off)
• Read 55 books by the end of the year. (I count this as close enough – I read 53 books, and 54 if you count the one I finished on January 1st!)

2018 blog goals

• Clean up my home office and turn it into a blogging area/photography studio
• Complete the “Step up your Social Media” course and implement what I learn
• Improve the speed of my site
• Publish 4 blog posts a week (instead of 5) so I can focus on more SEO, etc. on the already existing blog posts
• Use my Reader Survey to come up with a game plan for 2018 and detail everything in my planner
• Better organize the blog itself by setting up tabs, lists, etc.
• Start a facebook group for Disney in your Day readers that would have exclusive content, gift exchanges, etc.
• Introduce one new “big” project, to be determined based on the results of my Reader Survey
• Research/brainstorm a trip planning online course
• Redo my blogging binder to make it more suitable for my needs
• Have 10,000 followers on Pinterest
• Have 2500 followers on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram
• Have 1000 email subscribers

2018 personal goals

• Get the house neat enough to be able to hire a cleaner to actually clean
• Use my planner to keep track of non-blog things, including my running schedule
• Finish physical therapy and run a half marathon (relatively) pain-free
• Run 500 miles in the year
• Save up enough money (through selling Jamberry and blog income) to purchase a new camera
• Read 55 books
• Start vocal lessons again once I’m done with physical therapy

We shall see how I do!

What are your goals for 2018?