Looking Ahead: Goals for the New Year

As we embark on a brand new year, many of us are resolving to better ourselves in various ways. I’ve never been one for New Year’s resolutions, mostly because the stress of setting expectations and being unable to meet them is often more detrimental to my psyche than continuing to be the same old person I’ve been for years, warts and all. I also think that the calendar year is a pretty arbitrary concept, and that modest goal-setting can be a year-round process rather than a huge one-time ordeal that takes place on January 1^st.

That said, I was thinking about an exercise that we complete at my workplace every year, where individuals provide feedback to their supervisors and managers in order to help them improve. One of the questions on the formal survey asks “what things should this person start, stop, or continue doing?” This is closer to how I like to approach thinking about the New Year. There are things I’m already doing that I want to maintain going forward, there are bad habits that I should probably attempt to curtail, and there are potentially new things I could start doing to make my life easier and more fulfilling. It’s a good way to take stock of the good things that are already happening while still leaving room to make tweaks and improvements.

Looking ahead, there are definitely some blog-related things I’d like to start, stop, and continue doing. While it’s been a good year around here, I feel like there are some bad habits I’d like to break and some new avenues I’d love to explore. Below are some thoughts.

Start

One thing I’d like to start doing is exploring blog monetization. I don’t ever expect to turn a profit with this website and don’t look to it as some potential money-making venture. I have a day job that works for me and that I enjoy, and this is more of a fun hobby. I do pay out-of-pocket for my domain, my hosting, and a few add-on tools, though, and while what I spend doesn’t amount to a whole lot in the grand scheme of things, if the blog were self-sustaining that would be a nice bonus for me.

Along those lines, I may look into having a Patreon or something of that sort. I’ve waffled about what might potentially compel people to want to throw money in my direction; I think my fear is that if I receive payment then I may set my standards too high and end up being unable to deliver on the promise (impostor syndrome!). There’s a lot to consider, but I have been thinking about it.

I’d also like to start posting manga reviews. While I don’t read as much manga as I do watch anime, I still read a fair amount and could try to devote some energy to talking about it here.

Stop

I think what I’d like to try to stop doing is posting entries in fits and starts. I tend to have weeks where I post a lot of things, and then dry spells of a couple weeks where I post few or none. While I don’t think I can match the pace of many of the bloggers I follow, I’d like to at least establish a regular schedule and stop periodically burning myself out. I think having a consistent schedule will give me a little more leeway to pre-write and schedule upcoming posts, so there isn’t suddenly a lack of content if I decide to go on vacation.

I’d also like to stop being so self-critical. While I hope that particular trait of mine doesn’t show up too often out in the open here, since I’m the sole writer, my own editor, and the idea-person around these parts, I have a tendency to worry that my writing doesn’t hold up well or that it’s boring or full of mistakes. I think everyone makes mistakes, so why would others judge me harshly if I make a few here and there, when I’m not out there judging them? We’re our own worst critics.

Continue

I’d like to continue posting episode 1 impressions. It might seem like a silly thing for me to write, since it’s in the name of the blog after all. There was a time, however, that I considered dropping that aspect of the website altogether. When I started writing, there weren’t nearly as many people or news outlets posting episode previews each season. Nowadays, almost every blogger has their take on what’s new and fresh, so I’m not filling a unique niche anymore. But while I may not be performing a “necessary” service to the fandom at large, watching a little of all the anime helps me hone in on the ones that I’m likely to enjoy, and that’s always been a wonderful benefit.

I’d also like to continue posting more full-series and film reviews. I do finish a lot of anime, honest! I just have a hard time being organized enough to write about them after doing so a lot of the time. In the coming year, I’d love to make that more of a priority and help my review archives become more robust.

Maybe most importantly, I’d like to continue maintaining a good attitude about anime, anime fandom, and reviewing anime. It’s easy to fall into a trap and wrongfully believe that anime quality is going downhill, that other fans don’t know what they’re talking about, and that reviewing anime is pointless. While I don’t doubt that there are people who believe those things, I choose to instead believe that there’s always good anime out there to be found, that fans’ tastes may differ but that doesn’t make them wrong, and that reviewing anime helps the discourse within the fandom. Geeks like talking about the things they’re interested in; this has always been a fact. As long as the discussion stays civil, I believe it remains valuable.

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I don’t think this post would really be complete if I didn’t offer my readers the chance to provide feedback. So let me know, what do you think I should start, stop, or continue doing here at S1E1? I’m always open to constructive criticism, and the New Year is an opportunity to start off with my best foot forward!