2018 Goals - Final Check-In!

I can still remember setting my 2018 goals. And now I'm planning my 2019 goals. How?! 

With only four weeks to go till 2019 is upon us, I thought it was about time I did a final check-in with my 2018 goals. What hasn't been done by now, certainly won't get done with such little time remaining (and so much else to focus on in the run-up to Christmas). So, without further ado, let's see how I got on with my goals for this year. And keep an eye out in January for a blog post talking about my goals for 2019!

1. Lose some weight. Nope. Don't think I lost any weight this year, but I didn't put any on either. So there's that, somewhat small, achievement.

2. Read 150 130 books. I edited this goal a few months ago, after I realised I was putting myself under way too much pressure to read 150 books with only a few months left in 2018. I decided 130 was much more realistic, and still an improvement on last year, and I did it! With weeks to spare. So I'm v pleased with that.

3. Save £1000. Ugh, I suck with money. However, this year saw me put a book buying ban on myself, and sticking to it. And I'm hoping to turn this book buying ban into a spending ban that'll see me save more money next year!

4. Purchase a new theme. This goal was initially to switch from Blogger to Wordpress. But after looking into costings etc, I decided it just wasn't realistic for me. So instead I decided to spruce up the old blog with a new theme. I love starting the new year with a new theme.

5. Meet another blogging friend IRL. I've been struggling enough to keep up with the friends I already have. I just haven't found the time to meet up with another blogging friend. Definitely a goal for next year, though.

6. Reach 3.5k followers on Twitter. I thought this would be a more realistic goal than my initial one of 5k. But it turns out I was dreaming when I thought up this number too. I'm currently at 2.7k and my progress seems to have slowed. I'll work on this one in 2019.

7. Reach 300 followers on Bloglovin'. Considering I've put in zero effort, I'm so close to achieving this one. I'm currently at 245. Do I think I'll make it to 300 by the end of the year? Doubtful. But if you don't already follow me, do give me a helping hand towards achieving my goal!

8. Reach 2k followers on Instagram. Instagram and I have something of a love/hate relationship. I love it, but it hates me. I'm pretty sure I'm losing followers faster than I can gain them. If you'd like to give me a follow, I always follow back! 

9. Reach 200 likes on Facebook. Nope. Close, but not close enough. I'm currently at 184, which is more than I started the year on. And I've put in zero effort with all bar Instagram this year, to be honest, so I'm not surprised I've had little growth.

10. Grow my Pinterest profile. I don't know how I achieved this, but I did. I'm still getting new followers, and people re-pinning my pins. So I'm pleased with that. Although I still don't really understand Pinterest, or why it's so popular.

11. Value myself and my blog more. I've finally got the confidence to give a PR my budget, and stick to it. And I've increased my budget in accordance with my blog's growth. 

12. Work with ten new to my blog brands/companies. I worked with some amazing brands this year, lots totally new to me or my blog. I appreciate every collaboration I'm offered and look forward to working with many more brands in the future.

13. Relaunch my newsletter. I'm including this, but I actually scrapped this goal in my last check-in. With all the GDPR crap, I just can't be bothered with the hassle of relaunching my newsletter. 

14. Improve my photography. Non-specific goals are the best. Because although I still have a long way to go, I definitely think my photography has improved. I take more time and effort with most of my blog and IG photos now. And work harder on creating great content.

I'm pretty disappointed, to be honest. I think I could have worked a lot harder on so many of these; the weight loss, finances, and social media growth. I'm determined, though, that 2019 is going to be my year. And I'm going to smash all my new goals, and really turn things around. Just watch me!

What were your goals for 2018? And did you achieve them?