Happy Halfway Day, dear reader! Today is the halfway point of the year and a great time for me to review my 25 for 2025 List. According to Gretchen Rubin, “It’s important to celebrate our accomplishments—and also to notice what doesn’t work. Halfway Day is a great time to reflect on our aims and to adjust our approach.”
My friend Liz and I met on Zoom a couple of weeks ago to review our lists, bounce ideas off of each other, and give one another support going into the second half of the year. I love that Liz and I have this mutual interest in personal development, and I value her input as well as her friendship. I had some time to reflect on ideas that came out of our conversation, and I created Jumpstart July for myself. For one month, my focus is going to be on building sustainable habits and realistic routines that I believe will help me accomplish the remaining aims on my 25 for 2025 list.
My one-word theme for this year is PHOENIX. I am preparing to rise up to the challenge of completing my aims with renewed energy like a phoenix rising out of the ashes. At the beginning of 2025, I chose to focus on self-care, organization, reading, creative pursuits, and fun, so let us take a look at my progress from the first half of this year.
My 25 for 2025 List
- 1.
Contact SPA 728 for health assessment information. - 2. Strength train 2-3 times per week.
- 3. Walk at least 30 minutes daily, preferably outside. as of today, walked 28 times
- 4. Reduce reflux meds to 20 mg.
- 5. Keep a JOY journal.
- 6. Create a Book of Life.
- 7. Clear the clutter in my scrapbook room. in progress
- 8. Clear the clutter in my bedroom closet.
- 9. Buy a comfortable chair for my home office.
- 10. Organize home library. in progress
- 11. Keep track of spending on books. January-June: $600.61
- 12.
Start a new booktube project. (Saturday Morning Momentum: Thrive in 2025) - 13. Organize videos on Kat’s Novel Adventures (create playlists). in progress
- 14. Read 25 Books that have been on my shelves for 5 years or more. in progress
- 15. Start The Dark Tower Series by Stephen King. changed from read to start
- 16. Read Paperbacks from Hell by Grady Hendrix.
- 17. Write 25 blog posts on The Kat Files. including this one, 6 of 25 posts
- 18. Scrapbook 25 times in 2025.
- 19.
Attend TAC Scrapbook Event in June with Donna and Heather. - 20. Volunteer at the Friends of the Library store during the summer. filled out volunteer form
- 21.
Visit the New Orleans Vampire Café in New Orleans. - 22. Visit the English Tea Room in Covington.
- 23. Visit the Hammond Farmers & Artisans Market at least 5 times. 1 of 5 times
- 24.
Attend The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee at The Columbia Theatre in March. - 25. Put a deposit down on running The Open Book in Scotland.
As for my other fun plans for 2025, I am earning gold stars.
- Participate in Gretchen Rubin’s #Read25in25. every day for 25 + minutes
- 2025 Reading Challenge on Goodreads 51 of 100 books (behind on book reviews)
- Nevermore, Folklore February, Zombiethon Readathons ✅
- Interaction with members of the Chills, Thrills, and Kills Book Club on Facebook not much
- Book Clubs (FOMO, MGM, Cozy Cottage, and Book Wyrm) participating in all 4 clubs
- Collabs with Kelsi (Terrifier live chat; cohosted Old School April)
- Frugal February ✅
- TA-DA List haven’t offically started list
I have completed 5 aims with 9 aims in progress. Even though I have taken a step back from creating content on my YouTube channel (15 videos released between January and April), I successfully hosted three readathons and consistently host livestreams on Wednesday afternoons and Saturday mornings. I am in a weird place with my channel at the moment, and I have taken a hiatus from creating content with no idea when I will start creating new content. Also, I made a slight adjustment to #15 on my list. Instead of reading The Dark Tower Series, I am starting it this year. There is no way with all of the other books I want to read this year that I will be able to read the entire series by the end of 2025, especially since I have not even started reading The Gunslinger, yet.
The second half of the year will see a recommitment to the aims on my 25 for 2025 list, working hard on self-improvement, especially where my health is concerned, and getting my home in order. I also have to spend time helping my Dad get his house in order. I will not be going back to work this fall as a Title I Tutor, so between now and the end of the year, I will be helping him with decluttering and organizing his house. I am ready to get started, and I am excited to see everything I will accomplish in the next six months. Dear reader, what are some aims you reached in the first half of this year? What are you looking forward to accomplishing or experiencing in the second half of 2025? Happiness!
“The magic in new beginnings is truly the most powerful of them all.” ~ Josiyah Martin
Unlike Rubin, I did no preparation prior to reading Poe’s work like she did for Proust. In hindsight, I probably should have done a smidge before starting my own literary adventure. From the beginning, I knew the odds of me reading everything written by Poe in one summer would be impossible. One reason, his writing is challenging. I personally cannot read his work quickly. Another reason, because his writing requires so much concentration on my part, I knew I would also need to read other books written by other authors that did not require so much mental effort. Therefore, I chose to read The Edgar Allan Poe: Anthology of Classic Tales since it did not contain a complete collection of Poe’s stories and poems, and it was given to me as a gift from Andrew. To my dismay, while perusing the table of contents, I soon discovered that over my lifetime I had only read six of his short stories and two of his poems. Thankfully, that is no longer the case.
The Kat Files 