What I Want To Improve On In 2021

2020 has been one heck of a year and now it's time to focus all my attention on 2021 and what I would (hopefully) like to achieve from it.


When a new year descends upon us, I like to take the time to reflect on the past year and what I would like to achieve in the next 12 months. Are there goals that I didn't manage to achieve or is there anything I want to be better at in 2021?


Rather than setting myself goals like travelling or anything that involves the outdoors (damn you 2020), I'd rather set myself skills that I want to improve on. There's quite a range of skills that need improvement in my life, some things I am totally useless at and some just require a little tweaking and practicing. Learning or perfecting a new skill takes time, I kind of wish I took the time to brush up on these skills and better myself at them during 2020 cause, let's face it, I had all the time in the bloody world didn't I?!


I want to get to a stage where I look at these skills and say that I can do them, not bypass them and just claim I can't do them because I couldn't be arsed to even try to improve on them.


So, what do I want to improve on in 2021? Well -

1) Applying Makeup

I love wearing makeup, I really haven't worn it much during 2020, only for blogging photo purposes or if I just felt like a makeup day. However, I'm no expert at applying it. I can do the basics like apply foundation, concealer, mascara etc, but anything else - Nah, I'm flipping useless at it. I'd love to be able to apply eyeshadow properly, by using more shades rather than just using the one just to be on the safe side. I'd love to learn how to contour properly, as every time I try to, I don't see no difference! But yes, I shall be watching some makeup tutorials in the next few weeks and perfecting my eyeshadow application! (If anyone knows any good makeup tutorial YouTubers, comment below)

2) Cooking

I can do the standard cooking, like beans on toast, cooking pasta enough for a family of four for just myself and piercing a film lid on a ding meal, but that's as far as it goes. I'd like to branch out a bit further and just cook more of a wide range of meals now. I've been scouring the BBC Good Food website for recipes and I'm ready to give them a try! As long as I don't set the house on fire, we're good to go!



3) Try different hairstyles

I'm always straightening my hair. Ok, on the odd occasion, I will put the wave wand on it, but that's if I'm in the mood too. But, I'm one of those people who looks like Miss Trunchball when I put my hair in a bun. I can't even do a messy bun properly, sounds ridiculous, doesn't it?! Yep, I need to venture out with new hairstyles in 2021!


4) Photography

I do feel that my photography has improved over the years since I started blogging. But I think I can do better and I'm always willing to learn when it comes to photography. 2020 has definitely made me try new angles and poses, but I'm still willing to keep improving on that in 2021. 


5) Buying less into fast fashion

I kind of already started this close to the end of 2020. I'm tending to buy more quality items now rather than loads of clothes. I want to reach a stage in 2021 where I can look in my wardrobe and have more of a classic and sustainable range of clothes. I've already had a massive sort-out and my wardrobe looks less cluttered and I'm not fighting with the clothes to make space for me to hang something up! 

6) Be more sustainable

I think this is something we can all hopefully strive for now. I need to be more sustainable in my life, I think if we all tried to be a little more sustainable, the planet would be heading down a much better path than the one it's currently heading down. 


I am determined to get these skills improved in 2021. I hope this is me talking and not 'I'm only ever motivated in January' me talking instead. 


Are there any skills that you want to improve on in 2021? 
76 comments
  1. Although I have already set myself a few goals for 2021, I've recently decided I want to try and learn a new language. Learning welsh is one of the main ones I want to learn after living in wales for nearly 4 years before moving back to london, I can read some welsh words but would love to learn to talk it as well as it facinates me haha.

    Claire || www.clairejoanne.com ||www.kaysangelscents.co.uk

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    1. I've been learning Spanish on Duolingo over the past year and I love it! I need to learn some Welsh as I've forgotten quite a lot of it from school!

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  2. These are such fab things to focus on improving this year! Cooking is something I really enjoy and I love throwing ingredients together so it's something I'd like to work on more, too! x

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    1. Yeah I think cooking is something I would enjoy more if I made something from scratch! x

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  3. These are such great ideas. Much better than focusing on the things we might not be able to achieve this year. I already think your photography skills are 5* though.

    I am rubbish with make up as well, I hardly ever both with it now at all. But I know I always feel better with my war paint on.

    I want to improve on my organisational skills and learn more about the admin side of blogging. Oh and improve the number of books I read a year. Book 7 have just started!

    Heres to a year of self improvement x x

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    1. Ah thank you so much Claire! I agree lovely, applying the war paint on the face always makes me feel good!
      That's a good thing to work on Claire, I think I need to work better on the blog admin side of things too! xx

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  4. Some great goals in this post. I really want to improve my photography too! I can't wait to see more hair inspo posts from you!

    Rosie

    https://www.loverosiee.co.uk

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    1. Thank you Rosie, there's always room to improve with anything! x

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  5. 5 (and I guess 6) are on my list for this year too! I'd rather have a smaller wardrobe that I LOVE rather than a million things and then I feel like I have nothing to wear!

    Katie | katieemmabeauty.com

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    1. That's exactly how I feel Katie, I'd rather have a wardrobe I love with minimalistic clothes rather than loads of items that I will only wear once or twice!

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  6. I wish you good luck in achieving your goals.

    New Post - https://www.exclusivebeautydiary.com/2021/01/kerastase-nutritive-nectar-thermique.html

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  7. I definitely want to improve my photography for 2021 too. I just got a new camera so I am trying to get the hang of it.

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    1. Oh I hope you have fun with your new camera, I'm sure you'll capture some incredible content!

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  8. I love your list of skills to improve on in 2021 - although I think you could give lessons in photography, your pictures are gorgeous, your Instagram is one of my favourites! x

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    1. Ah thank you so much Lisa, that really means a lot! x

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  9. I'm exactly the same on the Trunchball front! I feel like I need to experiment a bit more with my hair. I also want to work on my photography, particularly blog photos :)

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    1. I just can't do a nice messy bun for the life of me!

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  10. I love the idea of setting yourself skills that you want to improve on. I wouldn't say I suck at makeup lol. I don't apply makeup often but I am not bad at it, there are lots of things I need to learn about makeup but I'll get there. I want to be more sustainable this year. Being sustainable is not the easiest thing but it is so worth it. I was surprised when I saw that you want to improve your photography lol as I love your photos and I feel you take photos like a pro. Great post x!

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    1. I wouldn't say I'm bad at applying makeup, but it just needs a little improving! I agree lovely, being sustainable is so worth it and it help the environment so much in the long run. Ah thank you so much Ruth! x

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  11. I've been making more sustainable choices and it makes me so happy!

    Love, Amie ❤
    The Curvaceous Vegan

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  12. I love this post! Such a lovely idea behind it as well to list skills rather than goals. I'm very much like you with my hair and makeup. I'd love to be able to perfect the perfect cat eye flick or cut crease. I'm useless at the moment!

    Claire.X
    www.clairemac.co.uk

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    1. Yeah I think it's a lot easier to learn or improve on a skill rather than making goals which you struggle to reach. The cut crease is something I desperately want to perfect! x

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  13. Thanks for sharing, I have thought on to this to of what to improve this year apart from health wise, probably my photography to ;)

    Nic | Nic's Adventures & Bakes

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  14. I love the idea of this post! I'm also trying to be more sustainable in how I shop and not buying as much - I started doing that last year. Love that you're looking to cook more too xx

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  15. I love these goals, Lucy! I'm trying to be more intentional about physical purchases too. :)

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  16. In 2020 I made it my goal to make better food because of being inside so much! It's definitely a skill worth learning.

    I feel you on the makeup front too! X

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    1. Absolutely Kayleigh, with being stuck inside so much, I want to eat better food now! x

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  17. I’d definitely like to improve my cooking skills too! We’ve got this :)

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  18. Cooking is something that I always want to work on!

    Danielle xx
    https://www.thereluctantblogger.co.uk/

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  19. Oh there's loads of things I WANT to improve on, but it's just whether or not I will! Really good post though, as opposed to setting goals you're thinking of some small improvement areas and not trying to take on too much. Best of luck to you! x

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    1. Yeah I think setting goals puts pressure on yourself to achieve them! x

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  20. These are some great goals to achieve this year. Zoe Mountford does amazing make up tutorials on YouTube.

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    1. Oh thank you for the YouTube recommendation Kelly!

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  21. I love your 2021 goals! I got super into cooking during 2020 and make most of my meals from scratch now and I'm more confident in the kitchen. I also want to get better at makeup, I watch a lot of tutorials but never spend time practicing. I recommend Raw Beauty Kristi, Jamie Paige, Jkissa, Kathleen Lights and Samantha Ravndahl for youtube tutorials xx

    Violethollow.com

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    1. That's great to hear that you are more confident in the kitchen now Violet!
      Thank you for the makeup YouTube recommendations! xx

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  22. You know what, I think I need to do more cooking. My flatmate does ALL the cooking so I don't bother and if I eat by myself I just have pasta. My dad's also a chef, so I need to bring up my game! xx

    www.iridescentplaces.com

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    1. Oh maybe it is time to up your cooking game lovely! xx

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  23. These are some fabulous goals! I'm definitely wanting to get more into cooking this year in a bid to help with my stomach issues so fingers crossed! I've also been inspired to try out some new makeup looks over the next few months too! Best of luck with your goals :) x
    Amy | sassycatlady.com

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    1. I hope you manage to get into cooking Amy, it sounds like it would benefit you! x

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  24. I love this post! These are such fun but achievable goals to tackle this year. I also want to get better at eyeshadow this year as it’s something I’ve always wanted to be able to do well! Good luck with your goals! X

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    1. Thank you Rachel! Oh the eyeshadow technique is something I am determined to master before the end of the year! x

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  25. I love your list, Lucy! I also have the goal of trying to improve my photography but I think yours has grown so much, you should be proud! Improving my makeup skills is also something I would love to do but I'm so useless haha.

    Samantha | https://samanthajblogs.co.uk

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    1. Thank you Samantha!
      Ah thank you so much lovely, I love your photography also, it's amazing!
      I'm like you lovely, I'm useless with makeup!

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  26. One of my main ones is to get better at makeup! I always apply the same everyday makeup and this year I want to be a bit more daring e.g just put some eyeshadow and lipstick on haha!

    https://www.emilyclareskinner.com

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    1. Go on Emily, be daring! Get that eyeshadow and lipstick on! x

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  27. These are some great ideas to work on this year. As who knows what this year is going to bring in the sense of travelling and being outside. Thank you for sharing! Good luck with your goals.

    Lauren

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    1. Absolutely Lauren, hopefully this year will bring some positive memories!

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  28. These are some great goals. Improving our skills or even learning new ones is always a good idea.

    https://www.ninakobi.com

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    1. Thank you Nina, I agree, learning new skills or improving them is always a good idea

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  29. You have some great goals! Photography is one that is high on my list as well. I would love to up my pet photography for the blog, which is different from any photography that I have done before becoming a pet blogger. I've been looking into a couple courses recently that I believe might help.

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    1. I'm sure you will ace photography and I hope you find those courses that will benefit you!

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  30. These are all such fab goals to have for the year 2021 and most of which can be achieved from at home as well, despite any lockdown measures! Good luck, Lucy :)

    aglassofice.com x

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    1. Thank you Gabrielle, yeah I agree, they're easily achievable cause I can do them at home! x

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  31. These are great! I definitely have also been trying to buy less fast fashion, and trying to be more sustainable in my choices too! Xx

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    1. I think it's important to buy more quality pieces than delve into fast fashion all of the time! xx

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  32. Great goals! I also want to improve my photography and cooking skills too this year!

    Serena / http://www.ramblingsofanotherunigraduate.com

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    1. Thank you Serena, I hope you learn some new skills too!

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  33. These are great goals to set! At the moment, there doesn't feel like there is much change from 2020 to 2021 does there? I think deffo improving on skills is the way forward. Good luck with them!
    Aimsy xoxo
    Aimsy’s Antics

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    1. Thank you Aimsy! You're right lovely, nothing feels very different in 2021 right now. I hope that things do get better for all of us! xx

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  34. This is great. I put off setting goals this year as I wasn't really sure what to write down after 2020 and having no idea what the world would throw at us but these are exactly the kind of things I should have been thinking of. I've wanted to learn to code for years now but I've never done anything about it, maybe this year is the year x

    Sophie
    www.glowsteady.co.uk

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    1. I felt the same way at the start of this year Sophie, I was reluctant to write down goals as I, and the rest of us, didn't know how 2021 was going to pan out!
      I hope you take this year as the opportunity to learn how to code! x

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  35. You have set your mind to improving on some good skills. I hope that you achieve all that you set your heart on. Have a beautiful day.

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    1. Thank you very much, I hope you achieve any goals you have made for yourself!

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  36. These are such great things to improve for 2021. Good luck to you accomplishing them all!

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  37. These are lovely ideas and I wish you good luck! This year I'd love to also get better at photography and use my own photos on the blog. I'd also really like to bake more as everyone loves a good slice of cake!

    Em x

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    1. Thank you Em, who doesn't love a slice of cake?! x

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  38. Great post, Lucy! 1/4 into 2021 now and I was hoping to bake more but haven't yet haha I'm trying to watch what I eat so I've been having troubles wanting to bake since I know I'll have to eat it all Lol. Thanks for sharing and I hope you're smashing your goals! x

    Lynn | www.lynnmumbingmejia.com

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