Weekly Lists #208: 5 Goals for 2020

I originally meant to post this weekly list last week – but then life happened. As I mentioned in my 2019 in retrospective, the end of 2019? Completely kicked my ass. And whatever goals for 2020 I might’ve had? They definitely changed drastically because of it.

1. Rest

“You will rest either way” – it’s a blogpost by Blair Lamb I mentioned in one of my “favourite content” posts a couple of months ago, and it’s definitely one I need to take at heart even more. Well – I say “even” more. In reality, the problem is most likely that I wasn’t taking it to heart enough – or even at all.

I’ve been made to rest now, though, and I know all too easy how simple it might be to leave it at that. To allow myself to rest, yet not figure out how to take that forward into “normal life”. So rest I will – and I want to figure out how to do so by choice, rather than being forced into it.

2. Show myself grace

Don’t worry – as I’m writing this, I’m aware just how dramatic it sounds as well. It’s definitely something I need to work on, though. My basic frame of mind, is that no matter how much I work? I should be doing more. I could be doing more. No matter if my entire body hurts, if going into my office makes me so nauseous I think I might actually throw up – I just have to fight through it and keep working. If I physically cannot turn over while sleeping, because my back hurts that badly – I just need to ignore the pain.

Apparently – it’s not healthy. And I’m trying to learn how to, first of all, actually feel that pain, or tiredness, rather than just tune out to such an extent I do not even recognise it anymore. As soon as I’ve got that down, though – I’m hoping to be able to show myself grace in those, and to acknowledge that they aren’t something to ignore, but warning signs I should react to.

3. Duolingo

I’m currently on a 14-day streak on Duolingo, and I’m hoping to keep it up. I’ve “attempted” (the “” are used on purpose) to use Duolingo on a couple of previous occasions, and I’m hoping to succeed this time – one day at a time!

4. Read for pleasure mainly

Not only – because sometimes, it can definitely be good to force yourself out of your comfort zone with a book. However, last year I often found myself stuck in the classic trap of “I have requested so many books on Netgalley and now I must read them all”.

Instead, I’m hoping to choose more wisely, and, more specifically: to be okay with DNF’ing any book I actually don’t enjoy – or think would be good to force myself to read.

5. Get myself a hobby

I mean, this shouldn’t be a task, surely? But at the end of last year, I was asked three questions:

What do you do, besides working?

What do you do to relax, when not working?

Who are you, outside of your work?

I didn’t have an answer for any of those questions – so my goal, my main goal for 2020, and basically what all of the other goals for 2020 come down to, is this: to get myself an answer. And apparently? That means getting myself a hobby to do so!

What are your goals for this coming year? How are you keeping track of them? Are you focusing on very specific things, or more general items, like me? Do you have a specific reading goal as well? I’ll be posting my first update for my reading-specific goals this Friday, so be sure to keep an eye out for that!

-Saar