Tagged: new years resolutions

My 2016 Blogging Goals

I’m not a big fan of the whole New Year’s resolution tradition but I feel like setting measurable, achievable goals here on The Mad Reviewer is actually a productive exercise.  So I’m going to do it yet again this year.

1. Migrate over to WordPress.org.

Yes, this is the year I finally transition from a free blog to a paid blog where I have more control over my content and WordPress won’t arbitrarily take down my site again.  It will mean becoming a lot more tech-savvy but I think I can handle that if I keep up some regular maintenance.  I’ve already purchased a domain name and a hosting package with Bluehost so I’m just about ready to get moving.  But don’t worry!  I’m going to migrate all of my followers over to my new address and I’ll put a link redirect here under the old domain name so you guys have plenty of time to switch over if you so wish.  I’m hoping to fully switch over by my 4th blog anniversary on January 13th.

2. Get a total of 1,500 followers.

Last year my goal of 2,000 followers was a little too ambitious so this year I’m aiming for 1,500 in total after I migrate over to WordPress.org.  I’m currently sitting at 1,300 and I’ll be posting much more regularly so this should not be too terribly difficult.  I just need to get back on the self-promotion bandwagon again.

3.  Write more in-depth analysis articles.

After I write that Jon Snow article I’ve been promising for months, something I want to work on in 2016 is writing more in-depth articles about specific books or series.  I’d love to do a better analysis of the similarities between the entire Hunger Games trilogy and the Roman Empire.  Or try to compare some of the events in George R. R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire Series to their various historical inspirations, particularly the Wars of the Roses.  I love history and I absolutely love books so this is the best of both worlds.

You know what?  Instead of five goals this year I’m going to keep it down to a manageable 3 goals.  Of course I’m going to strive to post every day and clear my review backlog but those are things I should be doing anyway.  My official goals are a little something more to strive for and will require going a little above what I consider regular blog maintenance.  And still, I think they’re achievable.

So what are your blogging goals for 2016?  What do you think of these goals?

 

My New Year’s Resolutions

Obviously the world hasn’t ended yet today, so I think I’m pretty safe in declaring my intentions for the new year.  I only achieved one of my goals last year, so I think putting  my goals out into the public may pressure me into actually doing them.  What are my goals this year?

1.  Get back into writing.

Writing was essentially my life, my entire reason for living a few years ago.  But then a personal crisis came around and not only did I get out of practice, I lost the will to write fiction.  I think I’m fully recovered from the crisis in question so I want to ease back into writing.  That also means I’ll have to clear some of my schedule, but it isn’t likely to impact how much I post here on The Mad Reviewer.

2.  Stop procrastinating when it comes to reading the books of authors who contact me.

I am a horrible procrastinator, which is why I thought my ‘In Progress’ page would motivate me to read the books of writers who contact me in a timely manner.  This has obviously not been the case, mainly because I am a terrible procrastinator when it comes to anything that can be perceived as work.  And to make things even more confusing, when I actually get started on many books it isn’t work, it’s enjoyable!  Yet I still procrastinate.  But no more!  It’s about time I stuck to my commitments.

3.  Have more patience with people.

I’ll be the first to admit that I don’t have much patience when it comes to other people.  I’ll also be the first to admit that many people don’t notice this about me because I conceal it fairly well.  “Kill ’em with kindness” applies to people I don’t like and who don’t like me.  However, this policy tends to have the unintended side effect of building up stress and frustration, which also isn’t healthy.  That’s why, when I am feeling frustrated or stressed out, I am going to take a nice, deep breath and calm down.  Not everyone catches on quickly and you’re not always right.

Well, these are my resolutions.  What are yours?