2024 in Numbers
Lessons on Progress, Joy, and What Really Sticks
Happy 2025!!!
Anyone who knows me well knows I’m a huge data nerd. I love facts, figures, and the satisfaction of tying up a year in tidy, quantifiable metrics.
So here’s my 2024 in numbers—an imperfect but deeply personal snapshot of a year that was all about finding rhythm, joy, and letting go of unnecessary pressure. These annual recaps really help me reflect on the year—and maybe you’ll find this interesting / helpful too?!
Health
150 minutes per week > daily workouts: Surprisingly sustainable! It felt easier to commit to movement when I wasn’t chasing perfection. I hit my goal of 150 minutes of moderate/vigorous activity for 40 weeks (75%). While my active days (73%) stayed similar to last year, the jump in total duration (+12% over 2023) and calorie burn (+32%!) revealed my focus on higher quality (and more intense) workouts. This feels reasonable with illnesses and vacations—I’ve accepted aiming for 100% is unfeasible.
Hired a personal trainer and started going to the gym: Three gym sessions per week was the goal. Reality? About 98 workouts this year (~2x/week). Progress is happening—slow, steady, satisfying.
Took up running: Dreamed of running 5k under 25 minutes. Reality? I’m still far from it, but I’ve embraced the process and the joy of simply showing up. Sadly, only clocked ~1 run/week—hoping to dramatically increase it in 2025!
Averaged ~7,100 steps a day: That’s a ~14% increase from 2023! Public transport and evening walks made a tangible difference, not just in numbers but in energy and mood.
Put on some weight—and stopped weighing myself: Noted it, accepted it, and moved on. I’m so glad I listened to my PT and focused more on how I feel vs the number on the scale. My body feels strong and capable, which is more important.
Books
Read 291 books (under-estimate since it excludes hard copy and library books): Since 2020, I’ve been on a reading marathon—one book a day! This year, I wanted to slow down and savor each page. Spoiler: I didn’t slow down as much as I planned. Stories still have a way of pulling me in. But I’m learning to appreciate a slower pace.
I typically do book recommendations every Dec but this year nothing really moved me… which makes me a little sad. Largely because most of my non-fiction reading were work related.
I did have fun revisiting the full catalogue of some of my favorite authors including:Elin Hilderbrand for romance novels that feel like a soft, warm tide lapping at your feet—escapist, yet grounding. Her stories explore the complexities of middle age with rare compassion. Love, in her world, is never simple. It’s tangled with grief, second chances, and the tender messiness of real life. The Five-Star Weekend is a meditation on friendship and resilience, The Matchmaker offers a bittersweet second shot at first love, and Hotel Nantucket is frothy, fun, and laced with enough intrigue to keep you turning pages under the covers.
Stephen King isn’t just a master of horror—he’s a master of humanity. Under his pen, fear becomes a mirror reflecting humanity’s deepest vulnerabilities. I especially loved his works as RIchard Bachman like The Long Walk is dystopian horror distilled into pure, existential dread. His crime novels, starting with Mr. Mercedes, offer rich, lovable characters who anchor the story in heart as much as suspense. And Doctor Sleep, a haunting sequel to The Shining, proves that sometimes revisiting old fears can be the key to moving forward.
John Connolly’s Charlie Parker series isn’t just mystery—it’s alchemy. He blends crime and the supernatural so seamlessly you forget they’re separate genres. These books blend noir’s hard edges with the otherworldly, creating stories that are dark and beautiful. Parker is a protagonist haunted not just by ghosts but by his own choices—making every page a delicate dance between justice and redemption. Connolly reminds us that the lines between good and evil, life and death, are often blurrier than we’d like to believe.
If crime fiction were a puzzle, M.W. Craven’s novels would be the pieces clicking into place with audible satisfaction. His Washington Poe series, set in Northwest England, is a masterclass in balancing intricate mysteries with characters who feel like old friends—flawed, messy, and utterly lovable. (Clearly I love flawed heroes!) These books are proof that a good whodunit doesn’t have to sacrifice heart for plot.
Wardrobe
Usage: Since tracking in August, I’ve worn ~65% of my wardrobe (over-estimate since I haven’t logged 100% of my wardrobe)
Cost per wear: Lots of room for improvement—don’t need more bags or event dresses!
Shopping: Bought over 60 (??!!) new items since August. Yes, really. 2024 was about experimenting with style, but 2025 will be about serious recalibration
Substack
Wrote 35 posts since 21 Sep: What started as a whim one quiet afternoon turned into a creative anchor this year. Writing here has been a way to reconnect with my voice and it turns out I have ALOT to say?! My top three posts were:
Have 554 readers (and 634 followers?): Thank you for joining me on this journey. Sometimes I still pinch myself to realize that over 500 people want to read my writing on style (?!). Your presence mean the world.
What Does This Mean for 2025?
Every year, my resolutions feel simpler and smaller—in the best way. I’ve learned that life is less about grand transformations and more about finding consistency in and creating space for what truly matters. Here are the lessons I’m carrying forward:
Progress over perfection: Slow and steady works much better than “all or nothing”. Just showing up is enough.
Find joy in the process: The habits that stick are the ones that feel good in the moment—not just in hindsight.
Embrace the seasons: Life moves in cycles—there are seasons for growth, experimentation, and even stillness. Trust the rhythm and lean into what the moment calls for.
Resolutions for 2025
Some of these feel non-negotiable. Others are still evolving as I reflect on what truly matters. Lately, I’ve gravitated toward process-oriented goals that prioritize the how over the what. They feel less brittle, more human.
Health
Stick to the 150 minutes per week of movement—a cornerstone habit that’s already working.
Achieve 8K average steps over the year?
Strength train 3x per week—not just for aesthetics, but to get genuinely strong.
Maybe it’s time to graduate to barbells?!
Run 2x per week—not for speed, not for milestones, but for the sheer joy of moving outdoors (and for heart health!)
Fashion
Experiment with consuming less: January’s “low buy” will be the proving ground. Could this become a no-buy year? Or 5 items total? Or one item a month? Right now, it’s an open experiment but I want to consume ALOT less in 2025.
Wear 100% of my (seasonally-appropriate) wardrobe by December 31, 2025: Every piece gets its moment, or it doesn’t belong here.
Continue writing this Substack weekly: Words as connection, reflection, and accountability.
These feel no regret. Some others I’m still considering…
I struggle with setting too many goals. There’s this urge to do everything—to pack a year with ambitions and possibilities. This easily becomes unrealistic and adds too much pressure, detracting from the joy of the process. Especially for creative hobbies, resolutions and setting goals feel like imposing limits on something that’s meant to be expansive, spontaneous—a sanctuary where play, exploration, and authenticity can flourish.
Revisit creative hobbies: Watercolors, acrylics, drawing—they’ve always ground me when I let them.
Reducing screen time: Significantly. I want to feel more present and intentional with my time.
Dive into 1 nonfiction book per month: Slow it down. Dive in deep. Take notes. Focus on applying the lessons gleaned. I’m toying with starting a commonplace journal—somewhere to weave these lessons together into something meaningful.
Nurture meaningful connections: Not the sprawling networks, but the handful of deep, deliberate ones. Quality over quantity.
Here’s the truth: one year is too much to hold all at once! But breaking it into manageable quarters? That feels approachable. I typically frame my year as a series of experiments—focusing on one big change with a 30-day or 90-day focus. This structure isn’t rigid; it bends when life does. But it gives me a framework to come back to—a compass, not a map.
That’s my 2024 in a nutshell: messy, joyful, and grounded in progress over perfection. I’d love to hear how your year unfolded—what worked, what didn’t, and what lessons you’re carrying into 2025.
Here’s to another year of small joys, sustainable growth, and showing up for what truly matters.
Wow I think we’re all impressed by your 291 books and need to know more about that! How?! Also what did you use to track your workouts like this? I too LOVE data. This was so satisfying.
Wow your metrics are incredible; namely that you have all this data! I am blown away by your book a day, I felt good about 2 books a month 😂