If I’m being honest with myself… 2022 sucked. Hard. It felt like a never-ending slog through burnout (creative and otherwise), exhaustion, and all around despair over life, the universe, and everything.

It was rough to say the least, and probably the worst of the pandemic years to date for me.

But it also made me recognize (and accept, that’s key) the important of mental health and how to go about not falling down that pit… by celebrating small joys.

I got so wrapped up in the fact that I wasn’t hitting my big goals the way I thought I should be that I ignored the fact that I was making progress and things were moving forward even if it didn’t seem like it. I found this to be especially true for my creative pursuits where it can be difficult sometimes to see progress, particularly for projects that don’t always move linearly.

So.

I like challenges. Specifically, I like structure and goals that are flexible rather than making me feel guilty (but applying just enough pressure to make me do the thing). I wanted to create something that provided both as a form of accountability and it led me to #AYearOf23.

A Year of 23

12 months. 12 themes. A list of 23 items for each one.

That’s it. Oh, and the hashtag.

Any platform. Any time throughout the month. Post the list once and call it a day, or use it for additional content on social media, whatever works for you. Don’t want to share? Keep track in a journal or a super secret file no one but you sees.

The point is to remember what you love, what you’ve accomplished, and the little things bringing you joy throughout the year.

If you’d like to join in, simply post your list with the tag each month! You can also bookmark my #AYearOf23 page so you have the prompts for the rest of the year.

Will you be joining me in 2023? Let me know in the comments!

Goals, Plans, and Wishes for 2023

Now to my first list…

Writing Goals

1. Finish drafting (then editing) Project Thistle. I’ve been working on this novel for over 2 years now, putting it through a series of partial drafts and outlines, each inching closer to the story I want to tell. It’s been frustrating but I’ve finally accepted this particular project is going to take as long as it’s going to take and that’s just how it’s going to be.

2. Create a comprehensive story wiki for Project Thistle and related projects. I’ve been slowly moving notes into Obsidian.md (which I LOVE for managing story stuff) but it’s a bit of a mess and not very useful in its current state so I want to put something together (ideally before I start on any edits) that I can use as a reference guide.

1. Complete 2 novel drafts. Project Thistle will be one of them, and then one of my other projects I’ve been toying with.

2. Embracing my writing process. I’ve been telling myself for years that I can’t work on more than one project at once because I’ll never finish anything but focusing on just one isn’t helping me finish anything either and it’s been throwing me into creative burnout. So I’m going to try something new in 2023 and work on multiple projects at once as the mood strikes.

3. Write a story a month. Aiming for short stories but may also play with flash fiction. I haven’t written any short fiction since college and part of me misses that dopamine rush of finishing a story which is much easier to reach with a short story vs a novel.

Reading Goals

1. Read 52 books. I used to read so much but the last few years my finished books count as dropped a lot and I just… want to enjoy reading again. So setting it low (for me) at a book a week. I was able to hit that this year and hope to get even more in for 2023.

2. Read 5 times a week. To help with the first reading goal, I want to make sure that I’m taking time to read every day. I’d love to get in 30 min to an hour a day but not strictly holding myself to that.

3. Participate in the Beat the Backlist reading challenge. I’ve been hosting this challenge since 2017 so it only makes sense that it’s on my list! My goal is to read as much as I can with a stretch goal of completing the 52-prompt reading list.

1. Participate in the Shimmering Worlds 2023 reading challenge. I came across this one on instagram and it aligns with my reading goals really nicely (and it helps that there’s a book on my TBR already that fits each of the prompts).

2. Listen to more audiobooks. I lost my work commute with the pandemic and while I love working from home, it means I don’t have that dedicated drive time for listening. But it’s a great way to sneak in more reading and I’d love to get through some of the ones in my Libro.fm library.

Life Goals

1. Set stronger work/life boundaries. This was so important this past year and I want to maintain that line for my mental health and stress levels.

2. Listen to more podcasts. I honestly enjoy them so much! But never seem to find the time for them. I want to find ways to sneak them in more.

3. Figure out an organizational system that works. Because I have stuff EVERYWHERE and no idea what to do with any of it. And so far all the organizational tips and tricks I’ve seen and tried just aren’t cutting it.

4. Learn to cook something I enjoy. Yes, seriously. And look, I can cook things. I can follow a recipe just fine. I just don’t particularly like to cook and therefore can’t be bothered with anything more complicated than microwaving or boiling pasta most days. Last year I learned to make clam chowder in the instant pot and I’d like to expand on my minimal food knowledge this year. And I got a Dutch oven for Christmas so all the more reason to use it!

1. Exercise consistently in some form. Now that I’m working remotely, I’m really not moving around much during the day and it’s been making me feel awful from a lethargic-no-energy standpoint. So I want to change that and find some sort of workout routine that works for me. I tried the Ring Fit game on Switch and enjoyed it but wasn’t very good about keeping with it so want to pick that back up again and see where that gets me.

Other Goals

1. Develop a healthy relationship with social media. I get addicted very easily to the instant gratification (and sometimes lack thereof) when it comes to social media and likes, shares, etc. It’s not been good for my mental health but I don’t want to go cold turkey because I like social media when it’s not trying to stress me out. Just need to find that balance.

2. Post consistently/regularly to social media. See previous goal. Also I don’t want to drop off the face of the planet like I did this past year on different profiles. I’m still using Twitter…ish, but not for regular posting anymore. I’m aiming to switch more fully to Instagram again and make that my home base beside this newsletter.

1. Share a new list for #AYearOf23 each month. Because I created it. And should probably participate in it…

2. Keep up with the monthly newsletter schedule. Whatever that content looks like. I meant to do it last year and it definitely didn’t happen with months of nothing between posts. I want to get back on that regular schedule like I had with blogging but starting slow with at least once a month.

And probably the most important goal on this list…

1. Establish low energy options for all my goals. One thing 2022 taught me is that my energy levels can spike and drop drastically and it has a huge impact on my day-to-day activities. And often the goals I set for myself are for optimum days rather than being flexible. I adjusted my goals this year to have some of that flexibility built in but still want to prioritize setting myself up for success by providing different options that still lead to overall progress toward something.

Wishes

And for some things that are both in my control but also not so I don’t want to call them goals…

1. Query a novel. I don’t know if it’ll be Project Thistle or maybe something else but I really want to start querying in 2023. I wanted to start at the end of 2022 and it just didn’t happen but fingers crossed this is my year to dive into the trenches!

2. Submit a short story for publication. I can’t control if it’s accepted but I want to start putting my work out there.

3. Find a house. Been searching for going on a year and a half and just hoping something comes up in my price range. This area doesn’t have a lot of inventory to begin with and even less that’s affordable so it has been A Struggle.

If I’m lucky, I’ll achieve at least half of these but fingers crossed for more!

Wishing all of you a wonderful new year and I hope 2023 is kind.

Happy New Year!

💜 austine