November Bucket List

I love November. It has all the anticipation and joy of the holiday season without the pressure. Maybe I feel that way because I am still childless, but I’ve always loved the pace of November. And it’s come to have particular significance for me since I started NaNoWriMo. November is National Novel Writing Month and I know I sound like a broken record or The Girl Who Cried Book, but sharing about the writing process from beginning to end brings me a lot of joy.

One day soon, if you are one of the few people who wants to read what I’ve written, you’ll be able to read it. Besides NaNo, I’ve got a lot on my bucket list for the month!

  1. “Win” NaNoWriMo

    Last year, I used NaNo to write the second draft of my book and I also finished the first draft of a second project I’ve been working on with Amber. It was A LOT and I will not be doing two projects this year. I’m proud of myself and I wrote a ton but it was too much. This year, I’m focusing on a new project and my goal is to write it start to finish in 30 days. That’s it! I can’t wait.

  2. Finish Holiday Shopping

    I always try to finish my shopping early so that I can truly enjoy December. I love love love Christmas and never want it to be stressful, so I try to prioritize shopping a little bit every week. We don’t go overboard at all so it shouldn’t be too hard!

  3. Share the Holiday Reading Guide

    My favorite content all year is my holiday content. I can’t wait to share this year’s Holiday Reading Guide! Here’s last year's if you’re impatient.

  4. 30 Days of Thanks

    I think as we’ve gotten older and more educated, the complicated feelings around Thanksgiving intensify. I used to always do the 30 Days of Thanks to remind myself of the little things that make each day good. I fell off as i grew more education around the reality of the atrocities of colonization. I want to try to journal my 30 days of thanks this year not necessarily in honor of the holiday, but for myself.

  5. Read a Book in One Sitting

    This is a goal every month and this year, I envision a cozy, slow Black Friday reading a perfectly festive story. I can’t wait!

  6. Try a “New” Family Recipe

    My mom put together these really fun recipe boxes for us one year with all of our favorite family recipes. This year, we’re hosting Thanksgiving! So I want to make some old favorites but they will “new” to my skills. Fingers crossed I can handle it!

  7. Order Holiday Cards

    Last year we had a wedding picture and a cute family photo to choose from. This year, we’re going to choose something a little more casual but I still love to send them every year!

  8. Unhaul Books

    My office is EXPLODING with unread books and at this rate, I’m not getting to them. This is the perfect time of year to go through them and donate to Little Free Libraries and our local library branch!

  9. Volunteer in the Community

    After what happened here in May, I’ve been trying to get out into the community more. Thanksgiving is the one day a year volunteers aren’t needed (have you seen that How I Met Your Mother episode?) so I want to volunteer different times throughout the month!

  10. No Screens after 10pm

    Since I’m focusing on so much this month, I need to be really diligent about my night time routine. I’ve been trying to cut back on screen time all year and this is the perfect time to really enforce it. Plus, twinkle lights are better than blue light!

What’s on your mind this month? I’d love to know!