2025 has come and gone (rather quickly I might add), and it is time for me to share how I did on the aims I started and completed (or ignored) on my 25 for 2025 List. Despite burning myself out in the first half of the year and telling Tooty aka Comet good-bye as he crossed the Rainbow Bridge in the second half, I actually did well overall with accomplishing aims on my yearly list. I chose PHOENIX as my word for 2025, and it served me well as I crashed and burned throughout the year. However, like a phoenix, I rose up out of the ashes and moved forward. Out of the 25 aims on my list, I completed 15 items, started 6 items, and ignored 4 of them.
Kat’s 25 for 2025 List
- Contact SPA 728 for health assessment information. YES ✔
- Strength train 2-3 times per week. YES ✔
- Walk at least 30 minutes daily, preferably outside. YES ✔
- Reduce reflux meds to 20 mg. YES ✔
- Keep a JOY journal. STARTED (and abandoned)
- Create a Book of Life. NO
- Clear the clutter in my scrapbook room. STARTED (work in progress)
- Clear the clutter in my bedroom closet. STARTED (barely a work in progress)
- Buy a comfortable chair for my home office. YES ✔ (took Andrew’s chair)
- Organize home library. STARTED (work in progress…see photo above)
- Keep track of spending on books. YES ✔ ($1,268.79 – books purchased for myself)
- Start a new booktube project. (Saturday Morning Momentum: Thrive in 2025) YES ✔
- Organize videos on Kat’s Novel Adventures (create playlists). YES ✔
- Read 25 Books that have been on my shelves for 5 years or more. STARTED (read 9)
- Start The Dark Tower Series by Stephen King. YES ✔
- Read Paperbacks from Hell by Grady Hendrix. NO (forgot about it)
- Write 25 blog posts on The Kat Files. STARTED (wrote 15 posts)
- Scrapbook 25 times in 2025. NO (epic fail)
- Attend TAC Scrapbook Event in June with Donna & Heather. YES ✔
- Volunteer at the Friends of the Library store during the summer. YES ✔
- Visit the New Orleans Vampire Café in New Orleans. YES ✔
- Visit the English Tea Room in Covington. YES ✔
- Visit the Hammond Farmers & Artisans Market at least 5 times. YES ✔
- Attend The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee at The Columbia Theatre in March. YES ✔
- Put a deposit down on running The Open Book in Scotland. NO (sadly)
Other Fun Plans for 2025:
- I participated in Gretchen Rubin’s #Read25in25. I was thrilled that Gretchen brought back reading for the 2025 challenge since reading is my favorite activity. Of course, I loved this challenge!
- I joined the 2025 Reading Challenge on Goodreads with a goal of 100 books. I reached my goal either at the end of October or the beginning of November, ending the year having read 120 books. Follow me on Goodreads (Katherine Loyacano).
- I hosted all three of my readathons on my YouTube channel: Nevermore, Folklore February, and Zombiethon.
- I interacted with members of the Chills, Thrills, and Kills Book Club on Facebook; however, not as often as I had in mind.
- I participated in Booktube Book Clubs (FOMO, MGM, Cozy Cottage, and Book Wyrm).
- I continue doing Collabs with Kelsi by participating in some capacity in her annual events and participating in a live discussion with her about the Terrifier franchise. Our collabs can be viewed on her YouTube channel, Slime and Slashers – A Nostalgia & Horror Channel as well as her movie YouTube channel, Nightmares and Nostalgia. Please consider subscribing to Kelsi’s channels.
- I participated in Frugal February and saved some money. I love this no-spend month because I love saving money.
- I did not keep up with my TA-DA list for 2025 all year long. However, I am currently in the process of completing it, and I plan to share it with you once I have completed it.
So, there you have it, dear reader. Overall, I am pleased with my accomplishments in 2025. I passed my three-year anniversary of releasing my first video on 28 October 2025. I cannot believe it has been three years already. Even though I took a hiatus from filming and releasing content on my channel (May-November), I continued hosting my weekly Wednesday sprints. I love hanging out with my community. They are super supportive and loads of fun to spend time with each week. And, since I mentioned my channel, I have included a video about my Review of 2025 below if you are interested in hearing more about my accomplishments and some of the books I read in 2025. Please consider subscribing to my channel, giving me a like and a share, and leaving a comment.
Not surprising, I am playing catch up with content both on my channel and here on my blog. As I mentioned, I want to share my TA-DA List from 2025 with you. I designed my year for 2026, and I look forward to sharing all of my shenanigans with you (one-word theme, 26 for 2026 List, and Gretchen Rubin’s yearly challenge). My hope is to share more of my adventures with you in 2026. Thanks for reading, and I plan to return soon. How did you do with your goals in 2025, dear reader? Happiness!
“Year’s end is neither an end nor a beginning but a going on, with all the wisdom that experience can instill in us.” ~ Hal Borland
The Kat Files 
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