A Mid-Year Check-In
Happy July!
I’m about to repeat an oft-used adage in the blogging world, so cover your ears, but I simply can’t believe it’s already July and that we’re already halfway through 2025. It’s been a busy year and the second half of it looks to be the same. Since I’ve been a bit inconsistent with writing posts here (before bombarding the space with post-Japan and South Korea posts), I thought I’d share a personal check-in and try to get back on track.
2025 goals progress
If I’m honest, I haven’t looked at my 2025 goals since I wrote them. Like, at all. I probably looked at them when I proofread the blog post, but I didn’t even write them in my journal. And that’s how you know I wasn’t feeling very aligned to them in the first place. In any case, I thought I’d check in on any accidental progress with them, and then set some fresh ones for the remainder of the year. Six months is plenty of time to get stuck in, after all. Plus, I feel like a completely different person to who I was in January!
Become a sourdough baker
Look. I haven’t baked sourdough. I haven’t even made a starter.
Make our house a home
Something I’m really proud of so far this year is our progress with the house. My library room is almost finished, the living room is coming on in leaps and bounds, and I just adore spending time in our kitchen. Right now, we’re working on the guest room, since Eddie’s sister is coming to stay with us for a few weeks from August.
Be firm with my time
I’ve been great with this! And it’s reflecting in my overall more stable mental health. I’m somebody that needs plenty of alone time, so blocking out evenings to myself throughout the week has made a world of difference. Work-wise, we’re now in the office a little more than before, and I’m proud of myself for actively making the effort to protect my time.
Improve my saving and investing ratio
I thought I hadn’t been doing amazingly at this, since it’s been an expensive year with moving and our big trip, yet I’ve made some great moves. Firstly, I moved some of my stocks around to streamline things and it’s been paying off. Secondly, I earned a pay rise and bonus, and sensibly used our workplace scheme to immediately put 50% of my bonus in my pension. Then, I calculated the difference in my salary and immediately changed my monthly savings so that I won’t suddenly feel ‘richer’ – I love my lifestyle at the moment! So my lifestyle can stay the same, but with improved savings. Win-win!
Grow my Substack
Substack is officially my online happy place. Without the need to promote myself – since the in-app feed does that for you – and a shiny fresh slate, I’ve loved writing personal essays and creating something entirely new. Thank you all for being so patient with me as I navigate how to balance a blog and Substack! In January, my goals for the year were to reach 50 paid readers and 2,000 subscribers. Today, I have 18 paid readers and 1,340 subscribers total! We’re making solid progress!
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Looking forward
On reflection, I’m not doing too badly with these goals, considering I haven’t really actively been working towards them. Like I said, I didn’t feel particularly aligned with the goals, and I didn’t make them measurable in any sense. So! Let’s set some new goals…
Stay consistent with running and working out
While I’m already consistent with my gym-going, I’d like to get even more focused.
I recently signed up to Shreddy’s subscription app to reinvigorate my workouts, and I want to stay on track with their 12-week programmes. I saw great results from their training programmes in 2021, and hope it’ll be the same this time! And, I want to get back to running once weekly to break up my gym sessions and Reformer Pilates classes.
Learn to bake and/or new signature recipes
Lately, I’ve felt a bit bored by my usual roster of meals so a practical goal for me is to learn some new signature recipes. I’ve really felt stuck in a rut, and I’m pretty excited to reunite with my cookbooks and feel excited about making fun, new dishes again. I’m still enjoying baking focaccia every now and again, so sourdough may still be on the horizon.
Read 52 books in total in 2025, including Wolf Hall
My original reading target for 2025 was 24 books, in a bid to read more of my big books. Of course, that’s completely gone out of the window. I’ve read over 30 titles, yet the scary tomes remain. I would still like to tackle Wolf Hall and Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell this year, so those are my next priorities!
Finish the first draft of my manuscript
I’m not sure how much I’ve talked about my fiction novel manuscript on here but I’ve made really good progress since I picked it back up in late January. I’ve got about 25,000 words down and want to finish the first draft by the end of the year (around 70,000 words). With fewer travel plans than ever before, I think this is manageable!
Grow my Substack
And, of course, I’ll be pouring my energy into Sundaze Book Café, my Substack. It feels strange since that is definitely the online platform that feels most kinetically me at the moment, yet I can’t seem to ever let Daisybutter go. I’d like to share at least one post a week on the blog, and they’ll be book reviews, interiors updates, everyday stories, and Sundaze series. Over on Substack, I’m plumping for my original, elusive 50 paid readers and 2,000 subscribers.
