I’ve been slowly getting back into blogging in the past few weeks, and I hope to keep this rhythm going in 2022. I already know that monthly TBRs and wrap-ups are not my thing (and I love that it’s taken me a decade to realize this) but I think seasonal TBRs and quarterly wrap-ups (or highlights of the past quarter) are my jam, so that’s what you’ll see from me on the blog this year. I’m also going to be patient with myself when I feel like blogging a lot, and then go through periods of posting barely anything. This is my own little corner of the internet, and therefore my own rules about when to post or not post.
Is it still a New Year’s post when it’s February already? Although January felt like it dragged by, I also can’t believe that we’re already this far into 2022. Since I’ve had these posts up the past two years, I did still want to share this, even if it’s been sitting in my drafts since early January and I am just finishing it now.
I started off the past two years by sharing a word for the coming year. In 2020, that word was RECONNECT and I didn’t know how valuable that word would be throughout the beginning of the pandemic, as working from home gifted me back three hours in my day and gave me the time to reconnect with so many things that my lengthy commute just didn’t allow for. In 2021, I chose the word BALANCE as my word of the year. I was originally going to go with FOCUS but recognized that sometimes I need a night of mindless scrolling, which other times I can be more focused with my time – BALANCE was where it was at in 2021.
Looking back at 2021, I was definitely balanced. I read more books last year than I have ever read in a single year, at least since I started tracking my reading, ending the year with 154 books read. While I prioritized reading, I definitely still fall down the rabbit hole of Instagram now and then. I’ve chosen a word for 2022 that will enable me to continue the pursuit of BALANCE but with a twist.
My word for 2022 is INTENTIONAL. I want to be intentional with how I spend my time, whether it’s being with family and friends, sitting down to read a book instead of scrolling on the ‘gram, or popping in earbuds to listen to an audiobook while I work on a puzzle (my new hobby so far this year!)
I say this every year, but I really would like to get back to writing more. I’d like to start with posting a bit more regularly, as this is an ‘easy’ way to get words on the page, but I’d also like to actually write. I participated in NaNoWriMo last year (or maybe it was the year before?) and started a story that’s been rattling around in my head for a long, long time and I’ve been itching to get back to it. I had set a goal of 40 goals to accomplish before I turn 40 (which is next month) and one of them was completing The Artist’s Way. While I still have a few goals left on that list (and I’ll probably create a 50 goals to accomplish before I turn 50 list, because why not?), this is one that I would like to do in my 40th year. It feels like the right time.
The biggest intentional goal is with my reading and books that I add to my shelves. I want to indulge in less of the bookish hype and be more intentional about the books that I pick up this year. While 2021 saw me reading more books than I have ever read in a single year, I honestly don’t care how many books I read in 2022 because I want to enjoy every last one of them, and only read what I’m in the mood to read, not what I think I should be reading. Alongside that, I also want to be respectful to the publishers who have given me the opportunity to read and review advanced copies, and close out the year with no 2022 titles left to review (or any older titles either). Finally, there’s my Unread Shelf Project – I closed out the year with less books that I had on January 1, 2021, and I’m proud of continuing the work that I had done in 2020. I will continue to be intentional about the books that I acquire, buying what I know I’ll love instead of what’s popular and trending online. I started the year at 134 books, and hope to close out the year with double digits left to go, even being at 99 would be a win. For the first time ever, I also plan to read my entire 22 books to read in 2022 list (I usually manage about half that goal) — I knocked off four in January, so it feels reasonable? We shall see.
Happy New Year friends, and may you be happy and healthy in 2022.
Writer Grrl Reads 