A (fashionably) late mid-year reaction to my 2020 goals // Aka reacting to the most unexpected and wild year … ever

It’s nearly August … which means it’s time for me to do some very on-time check-ins!

I’m kidding. About the on time part, because this post is nearly a month overdue, but we’re ignoring that. For this week’s post, I was kind of floundering for ideas when I remembered that I had forgotten to complete one last check-in.

So in today’s post, I’m looking back at my 2020 goals, exposing my clownery, and reacting to how well (or not well) I’ve accomplished them! To be honest, I have completely forgotten about my goals, so it will be interesting to look back, especially 1) 2020 has been easily one of the worst years in my life and 2) COVID-19 has changed everything.

On that lovely note …

ACADEMICS

• Plan and prepare properly for the SATs! ❌ This goal is literally so funny to me because I ended up switching to the ACT in February because I was not going anywhere with the SAT. The ACT is still painful though (man I just love standardised testing and putting my self-worth into it <333).
• Score 1500+ on the SAT. ❌ See above! I’m going to switch this to trying to score a 33+ on the ACT, even though the Maths and Science sections are dragging down my composite score so much … I wouldn’t be mad if those sections didn’t exist, if you get my drift 😉 I am fully aware that will never happen … but let a girl dream okay 😭
• All A’s at AS! ❌ Like for everyone, my May AS exams got cancelled because of COVID-19 (a common theme throughout this post …). While we are still having calculated grades for them, they’re basically useless because our exam board is like that. because they don’t want to take accountability and make us suffer instead … I lowkey have a vendetta against you, CIE. The grades are so useless that I could literally get 3 Ds on results day, and I would not care less.
• Work on maths for SATs. ❌ Changing this to working on my Maths and Science ACT, and trying to get both scores to a 30+, otherwise my composite score will go 📉📉📉. We are trying to work on maths though. Spoiler: it is a trainwreck …
• Improve my sophistication on my essay writing. ✔️ I honestly don’t know how to review this goal because I haven’t done class essays in months?? But I feel like it has gotten better since I have been doing so much writing ECs and my last class essays were definitely some of my best analytical writing. I have also been doing a lot of college app essays, so you know what? I’m taking this one
• Be more efficient in revision. ✔️ I will admit that I haven’t done the best with this goal, but I think I figured out the secret to doing this recently? I’ll see whether it works in December, but so far, it could be really promising.

READING

• Read 52 books in 52 weeks. ✔️ A goal I can proudly say that I’m on target for! While I’ve read 37 books at the time of writing this post, I’m 8 books ahead my reading challenge, which yeah, I’ll take that!
• Read around my A Level English Literature course more? ❌ Does reading two books that qualify under this banner count? … No?
• Read 80% diverse books. ❌ After looking through my Goodreads challenge, about 60-70% of the books I’ve read are diverse, which is honestly, pretty embarrassing. My reading is going to dip significantly in the last quarter of the year because rising senior things and school, and while I’ll be unable to read as diversely as I’d like to because of the white books I have to read for school (I’m tired of having a whitewashed reading list, but that’s another post for another time 😭), but I need to make an effort to be better.
• Read as many Agatha Christie novels as possible. ❌ I haven’t read a SINGLE Agatha Christie book this year (I tried to read the Mysterious Affair at Styles but it was painful) … so yikes. Back to the circus I go 🤡🤡🤡
• Don’t go so hard for new releases. ❌ Apparently 43% of the books I’ve read this year are new releases … so, no comment. (Shoutout to my library for stocking up on all the new releases via audiobook though, we stan accessibility <3)
• Find some 5 star reads and favourite books of all time! ✔️ While my reading pace has been significantly slower than previous years, I have found nearly the same amount, if not more, five star reads at this point this year than the entire 2019! I also found a few books that I would consider all-time favourites (looking at The Poppy War and Know My Name in particular), so yeah. I am very happy about this.
• Take reading at an easier pace. ✔️ While I have been clowning around with my reading goals, I really do be out here taking the Ls I have definitely done this in the school year! Maybe not so much in the summer, because I do want to read a lot then, but it’s been way more chill reading-wise this year.

BLOGGING

• Reach 400 WordPress followers! (Maybe even 500?). ✔️ Despite being a very bad blogger this year, I managed to hit 400 WordPress followers already? I’m actually crying and I’m just blown away. I know 500 isn’t happening this year, but I would be so thrilled with 450! I don’t really care about stats that much but this is so cool, thank you all so much 😭
• Improve on my blogging time management. ❌  If it’s possible, my blogging time management got even WORSE this year. We really do be out here writing posts the day before … yikes.
• Ease back into interacting. ❌ Nope nope nope nope? … But I’m also kind of trying to now, so if you all have any tips, please leave them in the comments because I know I need them.
• Try to reply back to comments. ✔️ I started going through the comments in June, and I am doing my best to respond to pings and comments that come up now in a timely manner? There’s still a lot I need to get through, but slow and steady is good too, no?
• Avoid blogging burn out. ❌ See: the quarantine blogging slump and the 2020 blogging slump … I’ll see myself out.
• Just be nicer to myself! This is really a personal journey, and I’m trying? Again, I’m still going through this, and so I have no clue how to rate it.

PERSONAL

• Research and shortlist universities. ✔️. *Laughs in obsessive rising senior…” I’m not joking when I say I have become obsessive with application season, to the point of driving my family up the wall with it and yeah … it’s not healthy, so I’m taking about a week’s break for it The Common App is opening this week … and I’m not here for it.
• <big>Be nice to myself! Still a journey we’re working on – here’s to personal development?
• Get closer with friends. ✔️ (??) While I have gotten INCREDIBLY close with some of my friends during quarantine, I’ve drifted apart from others, which makes me sad. Hoping to fix that when I head back to school.
• Make time for socialising. ✔️ Quarantine really be ruining my social life, but shoutout to Discord, Skype and Zoom (and the occasional meet-up, social distancing style <3)
• Don’t compare myself to others. ❌ Hahahahahaha … this has gotten even worse … why am I like this …
• Find work experience. ❌ Shoutout to COVID-19 for completely stopping this goal before it began, but it is what it is, since I found other extracurriculars that I prefer over this.
• Improve my organisation. ❌ … Next goal please …
• Prioritise self-care. ✔️ We are struggling, but we are trying. I have gotten better at scheduling self-care days, and finding ways to just chill, but this goal could definitely be better.

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GOALS ACCOMPLISHED:

In total, I have accomplished a grand total of 11 out of 27 goals? Which … I honestly don’t love and feel a little disappointed by. On the bright side though, there is four months left in the year. If I really focus on these goals (and remember they exist), I think I should be able to finesse those last goals.

Who knows, though? Time will tell, I suppose.

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How is everyone doing right now? Where are you at with your goals, and are there any goals that you want to complete by the end of the year? I’d love to know.