There’s no better excuse to leap at new opportunities, try something different, and start new routines than a brand new year to play with. I’ve found a lot of fun and interesting ways to give myself that fresh start feeling this January, and I believe it’s been an overall success.
Blogging Brighter
Expanding my #ReadByColor concept with the brand new Rainbow Rec blog series has been so much fun. As a graphic designer, it feels like a very ME way to highlight great books. Plus, I get another opportunity to play with pretty colors, which always makes me feel happier.
What’s your favorite color combination?
New Year, New Books
Hosting #NewYearsReads2021 during the first week of January was a fun way to kick off a new year of reading goals and bookish fun. I prepared a daily Q&A, icebreaker questions, games, and a photo challenge to encourage conversations and community. I loved learning about new books, seeing everyone’s creative flair, and adding fantastic new books to my TBR.
Follow me on Twitter and Instagram to learn about future social events!
Hashtag Goals
January is all about setting goals, right? This year I decided to be a little bit smarter about how I set my reading goals. You can read more about my brilliant plan to reduce shelf-related stress during 2021.
I’m also participating in Bit About Books’s Winter Reading Challenge. As a slow reader, I appreciate having a lot of time to find and enjoy titles that fit their challenge checklist.
(graphics are taken from Bit About Books)
So far I’ve read:
- Howl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones (reread)
- All’s Faire in Middle School by Victoria Jamieson
- The Evil Wizard Smallbone by Delia Sherman
Even I’m not completely sure how I’ll tally up the points for these, but I’ve got two more months to work it out and earn the much-coveted 200 points.
Follow me on Goodreads!
Workflow
One of the hardest things about working from home is that you’ve got to be the one to remember all the little details and deadlines and figure out how to balance them. I’ve spent a lot of time feeling like a To Do list was crammed between my ears instead of a brain. So I took a few steps this month to help alleviate some of the pressure. My favorite so far: setting up daily notifications so I don’t have to remember every little thing.
I may write up a little blog post with my new WFH hacks once everything’s been ironed out, if y’all are interested.
What are your favorite Work From Home hacks?
Milestone Moments
I hit a milestone on Twitter, cresting 1,000 followers right at the end of the month. As someone who can’t resist any reason to celebrate, I thought this was a good opportunity to make something cute, have a nice meal, and do something sociable.
If you’re not following me on social media yet, here are all the places you can find me!
What’s your favorite way to celebrate?
How did you spend January?
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Elza Kinde 