Happy New Years to my darling beading friends! Every year I pop by list my new Beady Resolutions for the year. If you wanna check out past years, you can select “Yearly Resolutions” in the Categories drop down menu over on the right. I’ve been doing this every year since 2016, if you can believe it!

First, how did I do on my 2019 hopes and dreams?

1. Read and Review 125 Books on Goodreads – A+

   I went above and beyond for this one. I actually had to up my goal to 135 books because I was blazing through them so quickly. And even then, I surpassed my goal and ended up at 142. My page count was actually quite a bit lower than the last few years, though. It’s definitely because I read a WHOLE LOT of children’s lit and comics this year. I decided to re-read a bunch of books that I loved as a kid and those short, but satisfying reads really gave my reading an energy boost this year.

   As always, you can see what I’m currently reading by checking out my little Goodreads widget in the bottom right of my blog. And if you wanna see some cool stats on what I read this year, you can see all that here! 

    

    

2. Write 2 Blog Posts Every Month (and Finish Clasp Wars Series) – A

   I also feel like I completed this resolution. Two blog posts a month feels like a pretty good pace for me. I don’t think I’d be able to muster the content or motivation to post more frequently, but twice a month helps me feel like the blog is still active and a good place to jot down my beady thoughts. And! I did finish my Clasp Wars series! You can find all of those posts by selecting “Clasp Wars Info Series” in the Categories drop down menu over on the right side of my blog.

   

3. Remake and Evaluate Each of my Original Patterns – C

   So, I definitely did this one all year, but I ran out of time before finishing them all. Turns out that 37 patterns and counting is a bit much to review in detail in one year. I think I have about six left and my plan is to finish that process up this year. Mostly, the ones I have left need new cover photos, which means making multiple samples, which did slow me down. But I’m mostly done!

1. Actually Do my Expense Reports EVERY MONTH – A+

   I finally did this! I still have to do December’s data entry, but December only ended two days ago, so I’m not worried about it. It’s going to be such a gift to myself come tax time in April. All my paperwork will already be filled out with every receipt logged. I’m so pleased with myself.

2. Engage More in Bead-Related Social Media – B

   I did pretty well on this! I’ve been really active on my Wescott Jewelry Instagram and my Wescott Jewelry Facebook hasn’t been toooooo neglected. I should have posted more in the various beading Facebook groups I’m in, but I still feel like I engaged more this year than in years previous and that’s what I wanted!

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2020 Goals

1. Read and Review 135 Books on Goodreads

2. Write Two Blog Posts a Month

3. Finish Remaking and Evaluating Each of my Original Patterns

4. Actually Do Your Expense Reports EVERY Month

5. Don’t Procrastinate on Etsy Listings!

6. Make at Least One Kumihimo, Embroidery, and Macrame Piece

7. Do at Least Two Challenges, Swaps, or Collabs of Some Kind

For 2020, I mostly want to continue the good habits I’ve developed. My first four goals are basically just keeping up with my routines. I still want to read and review lots of books. I want to write on my blog regularly, keep up with my paperwork, and finish up the pattern review I started this past year.

Beyond that, I want to experiment more with my beading. I’ve been SO focused on my own patterns this year that I didn’t get to do a lot of playing. I want to make sure beading stays fun and fresh and inspiring, so this year I want to make sure I participate in challenges or swaps and that I don’t forget to use techniques other than off-loom beadweaving.

And I have been procrastinating SO much on actually listing my finished jewelry on Etsy. I need to be better about that. It’s piling up around my ears.

What about y’all? Any big dreams for 2020? Whether it’s specific resolutions or general vibes you want to carry into this new year, I’d love to hear about them in the comments! <3