Bookish Goals
1. My NetGalley ratio is currently at 35%, and I’m determined to significantly improve that number this year! I’ve already knocked out 27 reviews this month and plan to continue making a dent in my review pile. That’s why you’ve been seeing so many Past Due Reviews posts lately—they're the most effective way I’ve found to tackle several overdue ARCs at once.
2. One of my goals this year is to be more selective about the books I request. I need to read a book's full synopses before agreeing and stop letting pretty covers sway me into choices I regret later. I’ve also been going through my NetGalley list and physical ARCs and removing books that no longer appeal to me—or never should have been on my list to begin with. Some of them are from 2018, and my reading tastes have changed a lot since then.
3. I need to get better about reviewing books as soon as I finish reading them. I always take notes and track my thoughts while I’m reading, but my reviews are always better when the story is still fresh in my head. Even if those posts sit in my drafts for a while, it’s better to have them written than to try to remember everything weeks later.
4. I want to continue blogging consistently. Even if it’s only once or twice a week, I want to be intentional about carving out time for myself and writing throughout the week. I love interacting with everyone and sharing my thoughts on books while reading yours—it genuinely makes me happy, and I don’t want it to take a back seat to everyday life. That said, I never want this blog to feel like a chore, so I won’t force it when I’m not feeling up to it, but I’d love to remain more consistent this year.
5. Physical books and ARCs: I did a massive clean-out of my books last year and got rid of hundreds of titles, condensing everything down to two bookshelves and one cart. Even so, I still have quite a few unread books and ARCs, and I’d really love to make progress on them this year.
Personal Goals
6. I want to be more mindful about leaving work on time and not bringing it home with me. When I do, it isn’t fair to my family, and it’s not fair to me either. I was doing really well with this for a while, but I’ve noticed myself slipping back into old habits and want to get back on track. I love my students, and they receive so much of my time and attention during the day, but I want to make sure my husband and kids have my full attention when I'm at home.
7. Game nights with my family are the best! We love sitting down together to do puzzles or play games, and I want to make even more time for that this year. My kids are only going to be kids for so long, and I want to enjoy every moment we have together. Pretty soon, we might even need a whole closet—or a room—just for our board games!
8. Daily Bible readings and devotionals have become such a meaningful part of my life. I’ve been really enjoying the Hallow app and everything it has to offer. As a family, we listen to the Bible in a Year podcast, and it’s been such a joy to share that time together. We didn’t quite make it all the way through last year, and my husband and I also didn’t finish the book version (the one by the Augustine Institute), but this year I’m looking forward to approaching it with more consistency and simply enjoying the journey along the way.
9. I want to pray the rosary more, both on my own and with my family. I think the rosary is absolutely beautiful, and while it did take me a while to get into the meditative aspect of it, it's become one of my favorite things. I want to be more intentional with my time and make sure that I'm putting God first for myself and for my family. I would also like to start going to adoration more often as well.
10. Move. After teaching all day and parenting at night, it often feels like I’m constantly on the go—but that doesn’t always mean I’m taking care of my physical health. I want to be more consistent with my walks (I’m pretty sure the dogs would appreciate it too!) and get back into some weight lifting at home. I want to stop making excuses and be intentional about caring for my body.
It seems like being intentional and consistent are going to be my two biggest focuses this year!
Being intentional and consistent are great ideals.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing your #TTT and good luck with your goals
Thank you! Now I just need to stick to them. :)
DeleteWalks are such a nice way to wind down!
ReplyDeleteI love going on walks! It's not as fun when there's ice and snow on the ground, but we still make it work.
DeleteGreat list of goals, Lindsi! I am also working on being more selective about books. I find starting the day in the Word makes a big difference on how I approach the day. Good luck with all your goals!
ReplyDeletehttps://thebookconnectionccm.blogspot.com/2026/01/top-ten-tuesday-top-ten-promises-for.html
I’d love to start my day with my daily devotional and Bible in a Year readings, but my mornings are always chaotic and rushed. I’ve found that doing them at night before bed works really well, though. It’s such a calming way to unwind after a long day and helps put everything into perspective.
DeleteOoh nice set of goals! I feel like trying to get rid of my physical books is not something I will ever be able to do. I am still very much a real book reader and have to force myself to use my kindle when it's time to read something on there. I forget I have books on there half the time! Lol. Good luck with 2026!
ReplyDeleteHere's my Tuesday post
Have a GREAT day!
Old Follower :)
I prefer reading physical books, though I’m definitely attached to my Kindle too. I just didn’t have the space for so many books and needed to condense my collection to the ones I loved and the ones I still wanted to read. I had to admit to myself that if I hadn’t made time for something in the last five years, it probably wasn’t going to happen. 😅
DeleteI need to be more consistent as well. Thank you so much
ReplyDeleteI hope we both manage to stay consistent this year!
DeleteI can relate to so much of this! I'm definitely learning that I don't need to accept every ARC I'm offered, and I'm working on being more timely with ending my wok days too. Life is too short to waste time on a book I'm not loving or a too long day at work!
ReplyDeleteYes! I keep reminding myself to enjoy life while I can because we only get the one shot at it.
DeleteGood luck with your goals. I share a number of these. Cut down on requests. Review quickly after finishing reading, get my Netgalley stats up a little.
ReplyDeleteHope you have a lovely year.
Lynn :D
I think most of us have been chipping away at our NetGalley goals for years, lol. I’ll admit, I get a little jealous when I see people rocking the 80% badge—I want to ask them what kind of magic they have to make that happen! 😂
DeleteKnocking out 27 reviews this month is awesome.
ReplyDeleteI didn’t actually write reviews for all of them. For a few books, I let the publishers know I wasn’t going to be reviewing them because they just weren’t a good fit, but I still counted them toward my goal of improving my ratio and tackling my backlog.
DeleteConsistency is my word for the year, too. Making my positive, healthy actions into consistent habits will be my focus this year. Good luck with all your goals!
ReplyDeleteHappy TTT (on a Wednesday)!
As long as we keep showing up for ourselves, this year is bound to be amazing! :)
DeleteI'm doing my own backlog of reviewing books I read last year and trying to remember everything I thought about them (even looking at my small review I wrote on goodreads) doesn't always help to remember the details, so I agree on writing a review as soon as I'm done finishing the book! It's how I blogged for years, so it's just getting back into the habit. I hope you continue to be consistent and intentional with your goals this year! Good luck!
ReplyDeleteThank you! Sometimes I look back at what I’ve reviewed on Goodreads and think, “Did I really write that?” 🤣 Hopefully you’ll be able to knock out a bunch of your backlog!
Delete27 reviews in one month - WOW! Good for you! I agree with you about the old books/ARCs. My ratio is good, but I acknowledge that there are old ARCs I will never read. I don't know what I was thinking. These are all great goals, and it IS hard to leave school at school as a teacher, but I love that you are prioritizing your family, you health, and your soul. Good for you!
ReplyDeleteI finally had to admit to myself that there were some books I was never going to get to, despite my best intentions. Going forward, I’m going to be much better about it!
DeleteFinding a work/life balance as a teacher is HARD. There’s always something else that needs to be done. 🫠
Great goals! I'm hoping to write reviews as soon as I finish books too this year. I still have a few left from December I need to write up. Blogging consistently is another goal we share. I was awful at blogging last year. I hope you achieve all your goals 😊.
ReplyDeleteIf you'd like to visit, here's my TTT: https://thebooklorefairyreads.wordpress.com/2026/01/20/top-ten-tuesday-goals-for-2026/
~ Marwah @ The Booklore Fairy
Thank you! I hope we're both better about blogging this year and writing reviews as soon as we finish reading the books. We've got this! :)
DeleteExcellent goals for the year! I have refused for a long time now to bring work home at night or on the weekends, even when Eleanor is with her dad. I simply won't do it. My time is mine and I will not work for free. I did that for too long my first couple years teaching, staying until 8 or 9 some nights. Never ever ever again.
ReplyDeleteGood for you! I had to learn that lesson the hard way, and now I’m really trying to prioritize time with my family and for myself. ❤️
DeleteGood luck with all of your goals, you have a lovely mixture of ones here. Im amazed that you've gotten 27 reviews done already this year, thats fantastic. I really hope you manage to get your Netgalley Ratio up. I also wish you all the best with your physical TBR. I always mean to try and tackle mine but get sidetracked 🙈
ReplyDeleteFamily games nights sound like a wonderful thing to have going on too 🥰 definitely a fun way to spend time together.
In my defense, several of them were children's books that have been on my NetGalley Shelf for YEARS. I made them a priority since I figured they'd be easy to read and review. My physical TBR always takes a backseat, unfortunately.
DeleteThese are such great goals, Lindsi! I wish you the best of luck with all of them. Oh, and I am SO jealous of your game night! My husband and two boys never cared for board games and things like that when they were growing up, and I always wanted a game night. Have a wonderful week!
ReplyDeleteWe started playing games with them when they were younger (I don't miss Candy Land or Operation), so now it's just part of our routine. I'm glad they still enjoy it because it's something I really look forward to. Hopefully they'll still want to play when they're teenagers. 🤞🏼
DeleteGreat job catching up with NetGalley reviews, that's something I'd like to do this year as well. Good luck!
ReplyDeleteMy NetGalley ratio is my main priority, which means I should probably stop accepting/requesting books. 😅 I review two and add three...
DeleteGood luck with all your goals, I can relate to several of them. Setting intentions and being consistent are great goals to keep in mind too.
ReplyDeleteI've been doing okay with them so far! The struggle is real though.
DeleteBeing intentional and focused are great! One of my goals is to be intentional as well. One of the apps that has helped me lift weights with more consistency is the FitOn app, have you heard of it? Here is a post I wrote on it, if interested. I have been using it for a year: https://encounterswiththedavisfamily.blogspot.com/2025/01/fitness-app.html
ReplyDeleteI haven't! Thanks for sharing it with me. I'll have to check it out. :)
DeleteThose are good goals! Good luck
ReplyDeleteThank you!
DeleteGreat goals. I can relate to several of them. Especially the writing reviews right away. Earlier today, I caught up on those books I've read but haven't written the reviews. Good luck!
ReplyDeleteI love reading and blogging about books, but sometimes I'm just not in the mood to write reviews.
Delete27 reviews in a month is the most amazing thing I have ever heard. I have never written that many reviews before. I hope you get a chance to walk more. I love walking my dogs and listening to audiobooks if you are looking for a way to multitask. Best of luck with these!
ReplyDeleteSeveral of those were children's books and DNFs that I needed to get off my list. I don't foresee having another month like January when it comes to reviews. I would love to listen to audiobooks while walking my dogs, but my three kids require my full attention. 😅
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