2024 started off in the same fashion 2023 ended with my mom in the hospital with dementia and a broken hip. I decided to give myself grace and begin my new year on the first day of the Lunar New Year. I admit it was a bit weird not starting a brand new year on 01 January, but considering the circumstamces, it felt like the right decision for me.
2024 turned out to be a continuation of my Season of Sorrow. My mother died in August and my mother-in-law followed her to heaven three months later.
As you can see, dear reader, by the date I am publishing this post and the lack of posts published in 2024, life had other plans for me. That is not to say I did not work on my aims or find pockets of joy amidst the upheaval. I am steadily trying to catch up on life, but it has been a sloth-slow process. Today is the day to share how I did with my 24 for 2024 list! I chose RESET as my word for 2024, and boy did I wear it out. It seemed like I was resetting every other week. With that being said, I did accomplish a few aims on my 24 for 2024 List. I completed nine items, started four items, and attempted one on my list.
Kat’s 24 for 2024 List
- Time-track at least once per quarter (March, June, September, December). YES ✔
- Join The 5AM Club by getting up at 5AM each morning (The 5AM Club). YES ✔
- Implement the 20/20/20 Formula (The 5AM Club). NO (used it more for Focus Work)
- Implement the Pre-Sleep Ritual (The 5AM Club). NO
- Quit Coffee. STARTED (Gave up afternoon coffee on 06/19)
- Strength train two times per week. NO
- Walk at least 30 minutes daily, preferably outside. NO
- Get a massage. NO
- Clear the clutter in my scrapbook room. NO
- Buy a book cart. YES ✔
- Buy two bookcases for living room. YES ✔
- Organize home library. STARTED
- Keep track of spending on books. NO
- Get library cards (Tangipahoa, Livingston, and Baton Rouge parishes). YES ✔
- Start a new booktube project. YES ✔
- Read 24 Books that I did not get to in 2022/2023. STARTED (read 11/24; started 1, but put to the side)
- Have a Year of Christie (Agatha Christie) 2.0. STARTED (read 3/6)
- Buddy Read Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt with Alex @ Frankfiction. YES ✔
- Read The Daily Stoic: 366 Meditations on Wisdom, Perseverance, and The Art of Living by Ryan Holiday and Stephen Hanselman. YES ✔
- Read The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron. NO
- Read On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft by Stephen King. YES ✔
- Write about my adventures in Sicily on my blog. ATTEMPTED
- Organize photos and video clips from my Sicily trip. NO
- Scrapbook 24 times in 2024. NO
Other Fun Plans for 2024:
- I participated in Gretchen Rubin’s #Write24in24 Challenge. Loved this challenge! I did not use it the way I originally planned, but I did write (mainly book reviews) 25 minutes or more each day.
- I joined the Goodreads Challenge again and set my goal to read 100 books in 2024. I reached my Goodreads goal back in November and ended the year having read 111 books.
- I participated in Booktube Book Clubs (FOMO, MGM, Cozy Cottage, The Book Wyrm Club).
- The Chills, Thrills, and Kills Book Club is still on hiatus; however, I have some ideas that I’d like to implement in 2025. I’m not quite ready to give up on it, yet.
- I participated in Frugal February and saved some money. Gold star for me!
- I collaborated with Kelsi in 2024. I was a one of her co-hosts for Old School April and one of her Monster Squad members for Halloween-A-Thon. We buddy read The Store by Bentley Little in August for the GarbAugust readathon and had a live Movie Chat about the movies we watched during the spooky season.
As for my Birthday Message Project 2.0, it fell by the wayside with everything that happened in the second half of the year which is when I wanted to complete the project. I just did not have the motivation or the energy. So, it might be something I try again in 2025, but it will not be on my 25 for 2025 List. Also, I did not keep up with a TA-DA List for 2024; however, I do plan to reflect on the year, write the list, and post on my blog like I have in the past.
Considering 2024 was another rollercoaster of a year where I continued living in a season of sorrow, I think I did okay with my 24 for 2024 list. I am grateful for my Youtube channel community. I passed my two-year anniversary of releasing my first video on 28 October 2024. My weekly Wednesday sprints that I host on my channel have been a continued source of joy for me. My community is super supportive and really helped me through the last year and a half. And, speaking of my channel, I have included a video about my Happier Trifecta Review below if you are interested in hearing more about my accomplishments and some of the books I read in 2024. Please consider subscribing to my channel, giving me a like and a share, and leaving a comment.
Currently, I am playing catch up with content both on my channel and here on my blog. I already designed my year for 2025, and I cannot wait to share with you my one-word theme, my 25 for 2025 List, and Gretchen Rubin’s yearly challenge. I really am hoping you will see more of me in 2025. How did you do with your goals in 2024, dear reader? Happiness!
“For last year’s words belong to last year’s language and next year’s words await another voice. And to make an end is to make a beginning.” ~ T.S. Eliot
The Kat Files 