My Monthly Goals
By Ali Canary
@AliCanary (4954)
August 1, 2026 9:06am CST
I don't know if I've mentioned this before, but I set a personal goal for myself to read two books and complete one art project every month. It's a little more challenging than it sounds, at least for me, because starting art projects is easy, but finishing them is hard. Also, I read pretty fast, but I often don't take time to do it.
I need to, though, because I have a lot of books at home that I bought and never read, and I am in the decluttering phase of my life, now. I am taking boxes of donations to the thrift shop on a pretty regular basis, and I can also take books to the used book store for cash or credit. They always offer more credit, but these days, I take cash!
7 people like this
7 responses
@kareng (83388)
• United States
1 Aug
@AliCanary Same here. Fiction all goes away to the flea market or Ebay after reading. I'm starting to read before bed again, an old habit that fell off the bandwagon a few months ago.
1 person likes this
@AliCanary (4954)
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1 Aug
My parents had a massive library, and I always wanted one, too, so I got busy collecting. But when my mom passed away and my dad wanted to move to a smaller place, he offered all those books to us kids, and I realized I wasn't that interested -- I ended up taking maybe one box full. The public library has so many wonderful books that I can read, I now keep only art and reference books that I will reuse and a handful of fiction that I truly love. Everything else goes after I've read it.
1 person likes this
@AliCanary (4954)
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2 Aug
@kareng I am a big reader in bed. I found much to my disappointment that reading makes me very sleepy, and I was sad that I could only get through a few pages before I started nodding off. However, I found that I could weaponize that against my insomnia -- if I wake up in the middle of the night, I just read. If I get sleepy again, good, and if I don't get sleepy, I get to read. It's a win/win!
1 person likes this
@thislittlepennyearns (71998)
• Defuniak Springs, Florida
2 Aug
I also have decided to try to start reading at least a couple books a month. I have always been a big reader, but life has gotten very busy and haven't been able to do it as much as I would like.
I am in a decluttering phase too. We have Too much stuff. I'm tired of it. lol
1 person likes this
@AliCanary (4954)
•
3 Aug
Seriously! My mom gave me very wise advice - "the more stuff you have, the more stuff you have to take care of". I should have taken that more to heart!
@AliCanary (4954)
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4 Aug
@thislittlepennyearns she must be a black cat! I have had two black cats. They are so loving!
@thislittlepennyearns (71998)
• Defuniak Springs, Florida
4 Aug
@AliCanary YES. That's perfect for us. Our thirteen year old found a cat that I think was dropped off on the edge of the property.
We have friends that said they would take her, but then they had a fam emergency. And I dont know whats going to happen now.
So for now we have a cat. Which is an odd thing for us.
But I have named her Salem.
1 person likes this
@AmbiePam (130841)
• United States
1 Aug
Your goals sound worthy of trying to keep. I was really devastated when those “cleaners” threw out the art projects I had set up to do. I don’t venture much into art, and I felt like I got slapped when they threw it all away.
It would be good for me to also read the ebooks I bought on recommendation over the last year. There is no sense in just not getting to them. I used to love to buy physical books, but they just got too much for me with my nonexistent budget.
1 person likes this
@AliCanary (4954)
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3 Aug
@AmbiePam Thanks! I think you will love Libby! When you check out a book, it actually downloads to your device, so you can read it without wifi. I try to always have a book on my tablet in case the power goes out (the trick is to make sure my tablet is charged, lol)
1 person likes this
@AliCanary (4954)
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2 Aug
That is absolutely outrageous that someone would throw away another person's belongings without consulting them first. I'm so sorry that happened to you! Relaxing with some ebooks sounds wonderful! For a budget-friendly option, I use Libby, the library's free ebook lending system. If your local library isn't on Libby, they probably are on some ebook system. It's free to use - all you need is a library card.
1 person likes this
@AliCanary (4954)
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1 Aug
It has really helped keep me on track. I have hit the goal every month, although sometimes it's one book and two pieces of art. I think that's valid. This month, it was two books AND two pieces of art!
@teamfreak16 (47753)
• Denver, Colorado
1 Aug
I have gotten out of the reading habit the last couple years. I really need to start again.
1 person likes this
@AliCanary (4954)
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2 Aug
You can figure out a way to make it work for you - I usually read a book or an ebook, but sometimes I listen to audiobooks while I am drawing or even playing games. You probably don't want to use headphones while biking out in the world, but maybe you could do if you are riding a stationary bike, if the weather isn't cooperating.
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@teamfreak16 (47753)
• Denver, Colorado
2 Aug
@AliCanary - Unfortunately, I live on the 3rd floor. A Peloton or something like it would most likely piss off the people under me. 
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@AliCanary (4954)
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1 Aug
I have actually been able to stick to this one, with some variations. Setting goals really helps me!
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@Jehanne (2255)
• Philippines
1 Aug
@AliCanary that's good to know it helps you.
I should be consistent to my plans but I doubt it. Lol!
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@AliCanary (4954)
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1 Aug
I know, it's tough to get people off their phones. I have the same problem!
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