It’s the last day of 2021, which means it’s time to make my goals for 2022 official! I always have a few (okay fine, more than a few) goals at the start of each year, so I can focus my spare time, my savings, etc. This year I still have a TON of goals, and I’ve grouped them into 3 categories. Although I would love to accomplish all of these goals, and will work hard to do it, I will be beyond happy if I reach even half of them.
Business Goals
Publish 3 children’s books and one short story compilation. I have one children’s book, Waiting For You, thiiiis close to being ready to launch. But I’m taking my time as it’s my first ever venture into publishing. I’m hoping for a late Match early April release date. As for the other two children’s books, I have some favorite drafts picked out for those projects and will be full steam ahead. I also have three short stories that take place around the holidays, so I hope to polish up and release those as one short ebook towards the end of the year.
Read more than 100 children’s books. This goal is two-fold. First, it will encourage me to read more with Sam and the next little one. Second, it will allow me to see what kinds of books are out there, what I like, what I don’t like, and I can use that “research” in my own children’s books.
Learn more about publishing. I have so much to learn about all aspects of this journey. I want to do a lot of reading, webinars, podcasts, and probably some trial and error to learn as much as I can.
Reading Goals
Read 12 adult books. Gone are the years where I have goals of 50 plus books. But that’s what happens when you have little ones. So this year, I have a modest goal of one book a month.
Read at least one book in Spanish. I didn’t read anything in Spanish in 2021, so I want to make sure at least one of the 12 books mentioned above is in Spanish.
Listen to audiobooks. I feel like my commute is wasted time these days, so I want to use that time to work on my gigantic TBR list and get through some audiobooks.
Personal Goals
More family time, less phone time. Mostly this means to stop the mindless social media scrolling. Especially when it comes to book work. I want to focus on working smarter and more efficiently, not longer. I tend to hop on facebook or instagram to check a few notifications (book business or personal) and next thing I know I’ve half played with Sam and half scrolled through my phone for over an hour. I want to only play with Sam for that hour this year.
Eat healthier and be more active. These goals are also two-fold. First, there are the obvious health benefits to myself. But more importantly, I want to set an example for my two boys. Sam goes through periods where he doesn’t eat well (like I’m sure every toddler does) but I want to make sure I am giving him the best example of healthy eating to set him up for future success!
Wish me luck this year! It will definitely be interesting trying to balance a full-time job, two young boys, and getting my book business off the ground.