I’ve been loving reading my blogger friends’ goals for 2018 — there’s nothing like the start of a new year to make me want to be more organized and more on my A game (especially after hitting the reset button earlier this week). I keep most of my goals in the form of my 101 in 1001 list (my newest one started in October) but I wanted to share a few of the goals I’m hoping to tackle specifically in the next twelve months.
1. Read at least twenty books. This is a broken down version of the first goal on my 101 in 1001 list and I’m really hoping I can pull it off. If you watch my Instagram stories, you know I just finished this book and was completely riveted by the ending. There’s nothing like finishing a great book to remind me how many more I’m dying to read! I’d love any recommendations you’re willing to share. P.S. I’ve been starting to share book recommendations in my Instagram stories and the response from you guys has been incredible! I started out with this and this and got so many similar recommendations from you all to add to my list. Definitely follow along if that’s something you want more of!
2. Become a morning person once and for all. I’ve fallen off track with my miracle morning journey and it’s time to get back to it! I’m thinking 5:30 a.m. might be a little too early for me (it makes it impossible to stay up to a reasonable hour the night before!) but if I could be up and at ‘em every weekday before 7 a.m., I’d consider it a win.
3. Launch my blog redesign. I’m hoping we’re about a month out from being able to launch the new look and I’m so excited! The layout will stay the same but the branding got a little facelift and I’m adding a couple features that will make it easier to find old (but still relevant) content like home tours and travel guides. I cannot wait to share it with you!
4. Conduct a reader survey. Once I’ve launched the redesign, I’m anxious to hear from you guys about what features you’re liking, which ones you’re missing, and any new content or design ideas you have for Design Darling.
5. Start a new interview series on the blog. It’s been a couple years since my career spotlight series and I’ve been brainstorming how to bring back some sort of career/interview feature that’s not quite as expensive or time-consuming for me to put together. I used to pay a photographer and commute all over New York to get original photos for each interview, but nowadays every blogger/designer/entrepreneur has such a polished Instagram feed or online portfolio that I’d be able to conduct interviews with people all over the country (as opposed to just Connecticut/New York) and pair them with imagery they’ve already produced. You’d still be introduced to inspiring new business owners and learn from their words of wisdom and the process would be easier for me to sustain long-term. It sounds like a win-win to me but I’d love to hear your thoughts on this!
These are just a few of my goals for 2018 but hopefully they give you a peek of what I’m thinking about and working on these days. As always I’m open to any ideas you guys have! And you can always check out my progress on my 101 in 1001 list here.
P.S. If you love reading other people’s goals as much as I do, be sure to check out my friends Carly, Grace, Jess, Julia, and Liz!
Persifor flutter dress c/o // Lisi Lerch Ginger earrings c/o
Ray-Ban clubmasters // Frances Valentine honey pot bag // Soludos gold espadrilles
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I love when bloggers set reading goals because I love getting extra book recommendations. Also, I am one of those people who wake up at 5:30 every day, but I’m also asleep at like 9pm haha
Hi! Love it! This is a silly comment. My mom and I always (lovingly) argue about this though…is it considered “reading a book” if you listen to it on audiobooks? Can you say I read X books this year (if you listen to them)? In theory you can multitask while listening to an audiobook, but you can’t really do the same while reading it yourself. I’m so torn on this, but at the end of the day, I probably do think there’s more value in reading a book v. listening to one. Isn’t this a funny thing to think about?
I still count it as reading but I totally get your point! The only multitasking I do while listening to an audio book is driving or foam rolling (haha) and I don’t see a huge difference between doing those and reading a book in the passenger seat or while on the treadmill. I guess for me it amplifies the amount I’m able to “read” by legitimately at least 10x so I won’t be giving up my Audible subscription anytime soon! I suppose my reasoning is done (read) is better than perfect. 🙂
Mackenzie!
I can’t wait to see the redesign, I’m sure it’s going to be amazing!
If you don’t mind a little early reader feedback: I’d love to see more interior design content or even entertaining content. I think your skill and keen eye for pulling together both categories really separates you from most lifestyle bloggers and is the number one reason I started following you! I realize you can’t redo your home every week, but things like general tips, more posts like the stand/lamp pairing collage, or showcasing other people’s homes would be super fun to read. You are, after all, the design darling!
Hope your reset is going great 🙂
Thank you so much for this feedback, Veronica! I really appreciate knowing what drew you to my blog and have lots of decorating posts up my sleeve for 2018! 🙂
Ditto to this! Style stalking is my favorite 🙂
Thank you so much for linking to my post Mackenzie!
I love all of your goals (I am trying to be a morning person too). Also this outfit is just so cute – I want every single thing you are wearing. XOXO
Some amazing books I read last year:
Salvage the Bones, Jesmyn Ward
Sing Unburied Sing, Jesmyn Ward
The Power, Naomi Alderman
Little Fires Everywhere, Celeste Ng
Where’d You Go Bernadete, Maria Semple
A Man Called Ove, Fredrik Backman
We Were the Lucky Ones, Georgia Hunter
The Mothers, Brit Bennett
Thank you!!