2019 Goals: By a Person who is NOT goal driven

Hello all! I was so stressed out about getting this post ready this week. On Wednesday, my Macbook took an absolute nosedive. Out of nowhere it just stopped working. I think I jinxed it when I wrote about how much I trusted Apple in this post. Alas! I remembered I had my old, trusty Macbook Air sitting in my closet. So I pulled it out to write up this post and made it halfway through before it decided to take a shit as well!

I’m not a goal-oriented person. In fact, last year, my New Year’s Resolution page was one of my least used pages in my bullet journal. It didn’t work for me at all and can read why here. I knew if I was going to make some sort of 2019 resolution or goal page, I needed to change it up a bit.

I took over a month thinking about things I wanted to do this year. For me, a goal needs to be able to be measured in some meaningful way. Last year, too many of my goals were too vague. As a teacher, we are taught that in order to assess, we need to be able to measure the success. In a way, a lot of these are more like a task that I can accomplish and metaphorically check off. I came up with 20 things I wanted to accomplish before 2020.

Quick sidenote: I wanted the title of this page to be “Twenty before 2020,” but I screwed it up. So I just popped in the word “ends” and moved on with life. Another day, another Bujo mistake.

So I’m going to jump into my goals for 2019.

Revisit Copenhagen – I bought my tickets for this trip in 2018. I am going to Copenhagen for a week in April and I cannot wait. As if I haven’t said this a million times, I love Copenhagen. It’s my favorite city in the world.
Read one new book a month – For this goal, I’m not counting re-reads. I want to read 12 completely new books. I have a bit of a list going and am currently reading my first new book. So I’m well on my way to accomplishing this goal.
Improve my Spanish – My Spanish is something that is constantly improving but as a language teacher – I know it can get a ton better. Whether it’s through classes, speaking workshops, or personal study, it’s time to buckle down and improve my understanding of this language.
Take a Dance class – I am not saying I love dancing, but I would really love to learn Salsa and Bachata this year. I am actively clumsy and lack any sort of grace and I thought maybe this could help.
Learn to Make Pickles – This one is short and sweet. Literally. Pickles here are too sweet. I want to learn how to make delicious dill pickles.
Finish the Marvel second generation – this year two major movies come out – the Avengers and Captain Marvel. I want to see them and close the book on my Marvel fangirling. This sounds like a piece of cake but I really want to see them in theatres which means I have to travel to Alicante or Valencia to do so. So this is a task that does require some level of effort.
Write 2 Blog posts on average a week – I’m going to cut myself some slack since this is just a hobby, but whenever possible, I want two posts out per week. I go through fits and starts and certainly have months where I’m busier than others but I do want to be consistent.
Quit all Soda – I love coke. It’s time to give it up and focus more on three other loves: water, coffee and wine. (I know wine isn’t good for me and I don’t drink it every day but I want caloric room for it).
Go on a “Replacement-only” Makeup No Buy – This is a big one. I don’t really feel like I need a lot of new makeup this year. I’m really satisfied with what I have right now. The only thing I’ve been really loving lately is a stronger lip so I bought a gorgeous fancy lip color right before the end of 2018. Now, I can just use what I have in peace. However, I do know that I may need to replace a staple which is understandable. For example, this month my mascara started to get old and weird so I bought a new one.
Find a Reliable Side Job – Let me preface by saying that I don’t actually have a work permit in Spain. I technically get a stipend as a student. I do give some private lessons which supplement my income but I would like at least one other meaningful side-job. I’ve been thinking about trying something in hospitality since I miss my beloved job at the Mansion on Delaware.
Make Birthday cards for all of my friends/family – I thought this one was a nice idea especially considering I live too far. I want to make cards for every important person in my life and send them out. there’s something really amazing about a handmade card. In fact, my friend Erin’s mom made me the most beautiful birthday card last year which is what inspired this.
Visit Paris – This one is sort of contraversial for me. I’ve never been France obsessed. But I do think it’s time to finally visit Paris. It’s weird though. When I do think about visiting, I want to go to a lot of things off the beaten path. Sure, there are a few things everyone should do in Paris, but it’s a giant city.
Explore Andalucia – When most people think of traditional Spain, they think of Andalusia. There’s flamenco and guitar and colorful tiles everywhere. Funny story, I haven’t been yet. There are so many great Andalucian cities and towns to explore. I know that at least I want to go to Seville, Granada, Malaga, and Cordoba throughout this year.
Treat myself to at least one spa day – I’ve never had a proper spa day at an actual spa. I’ve never had a massage or a facial. I have been to a public bath house in Budapest and hot springs – both of which are seriously some of my favorite things. I feel like at some point this year, I’ve earned a spa day to really unwind and reflect on how awesome I am.
Seasonally Declutter – I love the process of getting rid of unwanted things. However, there are some things I just have a hard time decluttering. I’m thinking about clothes in particular but also things like art supplies, trinkets and sadly even little gifts students give me from time to time (mainly in the form of squishes). It’s always good to see what I’m actually using and loving.
Go to Physical therapy – Even as I write this, my upper back hurts. Here’s the thing: I swam relatively competitively when I was young. My posture got worse and worse. Then, I stopped swimming and grew boobs. It’s just time for me to fix this problem 28 years in the making with some serious physical therapy. Especially since it’s part of my job to stand all day.
Triple my blog social media – Specifically, I hope to triple my followers on Instagram and here on my blog. while I don’t really expect much from this blog other than hopefully helping some people get organized or start a bullet journal, I do hope that I can broaden my reach this year.
Get a new tattoo – I’ve been thinking about what kind of tattoo I want for over a year now. I have two and neither has color or a lot of design. So while I’m going to keep it to myself what I want and when I’m really hoping to get it, I really hope it works out this year.
Make a plan for a healthier diet – I know my diet has been sort of shitty for a long time. This month, I’ve been really focusing on incorporating more vegetables and cutting lots of random stuff I don’t need. I know there are lots of things that are easy for me to cut out – I don’t need dairy very often and I definitely can cut some carbs – but it’s time to eat more ethically and healthily.
Learn Ukulele – Out of all the things on this list that I just am not sure if it’s going to happen this year, learning ukulele is the one I worry about. I would love to have a ukulele to sing to my younger classes – I just think it would be fun – but I’ve never really been great shakes with instruments.

So there we have it – my 20 major goals for 2019. I would love to hear about your list of goals or to dos for the year. Please let me know in the comment section below!