2018 Recap + 19 for 2019

Happy 2019! I’m sure you’re all sick of reading 2018 recaps and talking about resolutions, but I like sharing my goals as a way to hold myself accountable. I want to start by quickly recapping my 2018 goals and then I’m going to share my 19 for 2019 list!

Let’s jump right into the goals I made for 2018 and talk about how I did:

#1 Take More Pictures

I was terrible about taking pictures in 2017, so my goal last year was to take more pictures. I missed a few photo ops that I regret, but overall I feel like I was really successful with this one. It definitely helped that we traveled a lot last year plus all of our Year of Date activities. There were a lot of opportunities to take photos last year! I’m not putting this on my list again, but I definitely want to continue to take lots of pictures!

(my most liked picture on Instagram in 2018)

#2 Read More

My goal was to read 18 books in 2018 and I did it! I finished #18 on December 31th, but I still did it! For reference I read 10 books in 2017, so 18 books was a pretty sizable increase. This year my goal is to read 19 books in 2019!

#3 Clear the Clutter

My goal for 2018 was to declutter/organize a room every month. I started out great and then fell off in May. This one was a total bust and something I still very much need to work on…

#4 Be More Active

Last year instead of the cliché goal to exercise more, my goal was just to move more. I work at a desk all day, so I live more of a sedentary lifestyle than I’d like. Honestly, I’m not sure how to score this one. I bought a new Fitbit and I feel like that has definitely helped, but I really didn’t exercise regularly. Although I guess my goal wasn’t specifically about exercise, so I think it’s still a win? I don’t know…anyway, I’m not adding this to my 2019 goals, but I did get a standing desk/chair at work before we left for winter break, so I think that will definitely help with my worries about sitting so much! Sitting is the new smoking!

Also, I joked that I wanted to lose 15 pounds in 2018…and I did lose 15 pounds! I actually lost about 20, but went a little overboard during the holidays, so I ended 2018 down 15 pounds!

#5 Finish 2 Rooms

I did it! I finished our guest bedroom during the spring One Room Challenge and finished our guest bathroom during the fall ORC. I’m so excited to have those 2 rooms done and I love how they turned out. They’re such a great representation of my style!

OK, let’s talk 2019! Instead of making my usual list of goals, I’m doing a 19 for 2019 inspired by the Happier with Gretchen Rubin podcast. I also did an 18 for 2018 last year, but I only accomplished 8 items from list, so we don’t need to focus on that. Although I did use a few lessons learned from that list when I put together my 2019 list (make sure to add a few smaller, easy to cross off items and include at least 1 thing that can quickly be crossed off for momentum).

19 for 2019
1. Visit 3 New States Together
2. Read 19 Books
3. Make Sushi At Home
4. Learn to Braid My Own Hair
5. Put Together Facts of Life Book
6. Spend All Gift Cards
7. Monthly: See a Show (Movie or Theatre)
8. Make 2018 Photo Book
9. Take a Class (Photography, Pottery, etc)
10. Buy 2 New Pairs of Work Pants
11. Prime and Paint Patio Cover
12. Finish Decorating Master Bedroom
13. Monthly: Try a New Restaurant
14. Walk/Run a 5K
15. Organize Christmas Decorations for Next Year
16. Plan Tucson Trip to Visit Ben
17. Whiten Teeth
18. Get Fitted and Buy 2 New Bras
19. Donate Blood

I already crossed off #15 while I was putting away my Christmas decorations last week! I donated a huge box of stuff that I wasn’t using/no longer wanted and was able to fit everything into my current bins (last year I had 3 large containers of ornaments that didn’t fit in the bins)!

I also created a tab on my blog (at the very top) to track my 19 for 2019. I'm going to update it throughout the year, so check there for progress and pictures!

How did you do on your 2018 goals/resolutions? Did you make any new ones this year?

Do you have any recommendations to help me with my 19 for 2019?

11 comments

AndiJanuary 10, 2019 at 11:23 AM
I'm so glad you commented on my blog so that I can find you, I am always looking for new Arizona bloggers to follow! I've been here a little over a year and I am not sure how you are going to do #3, where can you find sushi-grade fish????!!! I'm terrible at taking pictures and want to do more as well!
The Super Mom LifeJanuary 11, 2019 at 9:49 AM
This is the first year I've written down our goals. I can't wait to look back and see how many we accomplish.
Blushy DarlingJanuary 11, 2019 at 10:17 AM
Wohoo I want to learn how to make sushi at home, that sounds fun
paula @ im busy being awesomeJanuary 11, 2019 at 10:22 AM
These are such fun activities to do in 2019, donating blood is amazing
AmandaJanuary 12, 2019 at 8:00 AM
I'm totally stealing some of your goals since my goals for this year are simply to have more FUN. I feel like so many of your activities are just plain fun and I can't wait to get started on them.
Clipping Path ServiceJanuary 12, 2019 at 11:30 PM
Awesome article! Thank you!