We are more than a fourth of the way through 2019 and I wanted to give all of you an update on how I’ve been doing on the New Year’s resolutions. I was so proud of myself when I completed my first year of blogging and I had a lot of things that I wanted to accomplish for my second year. You can read about what I learned in that first year and all the goals I set for myself in this post.
Something that I really struggled with last year was that I was constantly burning myself out. I had this idea in my head that I had to write two or three blog posts a week and post on Instagram every day. This made me want to give up on my blog all the time because it felt more like work than a fun hobby. I didn’t want that to happen this year so I’m taking it slow. I only post to my blog once a week and I’m trying to post on Instagram 3-4 times a week. However, I do love Twitter and will constantly be tweeting and interacting with people.
I am also more excited to work on my blog than I was last year. The whole Pipdig scandal really motivated me to rebrand my site by buying a new theme and header images. I really love my theme by 17AveDesigns! I also wanted to create a new newsletter template and decided to buy a template off Etsy and put in a lot of my own designs. Having a new blog and email template has really forced me to learn to code and figure out how to get things that way that I want them to look.
MY GOALS
The goals I set for myself for 2019 have changed a little bit in the past four months. I rebranded my fashion blog to be more of a lifestyle/fashion/home decor blog because I got tired of writing about just clothing. I felt like my readers didn’t really know who I was so I wanted my site to be more personal.
So I will talk about the goals I set for myself and the new goals that I’ve made over the last couple of months.
1. Have better images for my blog posts and social media
I have been trying really hard to have better images and a more cohesive theme to my images. I’ve to try to stick to a white background theme which is proving to be difficult because I love color! One thing I talked about was wanting to hire a photographer to help take my photos but I quickly realized that I don’t have the funds to do that since I’m putting myself through school. So, it’s just me and my boyfriend take my blog photos and I have been extra careful about editing them so they all look the same.
2. Plan out and write my posts for the month during the first weekend of that month
I do have all my posts planned out for each month and I even have the entire year of 2019 planned out. They are subject to be changed and move around but I’m so glad that I have a plan for what I’m going to post each week. I have not written all my posts at the beginning of each month because I have been so busy with school and work that I am writing each post usually the weekend before it’s published.
3. Interact more with people through Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, and Bloglovin
I have been doing super great on this with Twitter but am slacking on Instagram and Pinterst. I love being on twitter and posting whatever is on my mind at the moment. It’s so easy to talk with others and ask questions and immediately have someone answer you. It’s just so much easier than Instagram where it takes so much effort just to get one picture published and it feels forced when I have to comment on so many posts.
4. Work with brands on a collaboration blog post
I have some exciting blogger collaborations coming up but have yet to reach out to any brands about working with them. I plan on doing this when my site is fully updated and I have finished making a media kit.
5. Not compare me to others and just worry about creating my own image
I’m getting a little better about doing this, but still, struggle when I see beautiful images and outfits on Instagram. I just always have to remind myself that everyone is at different stages of blogging and I am still a newbie when it comes to content. I’ll get there in a few years but for now, I am still growing.
I have also set some new goals for myself for 2019 that will improve my blog and mental health. I want to improve the SEO on my site and include more keywords in each post. This way you can find my site more easily on Google. I have also started to include Pinterest images at the bottom of each post that you can pin to your own boards! I am also planning on putting in tweetable links that you can retweet to your Twitter. Other goals I have for myself is to not spend so much time obsessing over the number of followers that I have or how many people viewed my content that day. It’s really bad for my mental health to constantly be comparing myself to when I had more views or more clicks on a post.
I look forward to updating this post again this summer to update you all again on how I’m doing!
I really liked reading this post. Very open and honest. I see a lot of this in myself as well. Trying to grow the following on Twitter etc and worrying about follower count. Just got to keep focused and not worry about the little things. Great article and thanks for sharing!
Thank you! I’m trying to focus on the quality of my content rather than every little follower that comes and goes.
Hey girl enjoyed reading your goals! I really want to collab with a brand too and get all my posts done beginning of month but usually end up missing my deadline and doing it rushed. That’s super impressive you planned your posts for the whole year wow! I haven’t thought about my blog goals in a while just wanting to post consistently on Instagram but it’s really been burning me out when my engagement is down and my followers don’t grow. But like you said it’s so important to focus on your own growth!
Glad you like my post! I did plan out my posts for the entire year but I do move them around to make room for more current topics or collaboration posts. I have honestly not followed through with my goal of writing all the posts for one month in the beginning of the month lol. I have been so busy that I am usually writing it a day or two before it’s published.
Love how open you are about your goals! We have very similar goals in mind but I definitely agree in not playing the comparing game.
So glad that you liked my post and could relate to the goals!
I’m glad to hear you are doing so well with your resolutions! I can’t believe you have the whole year planned out! I thought I was doing well having May & June scheduled and ready to go! Get you!
I hope everything continues to work out for you & your successes keep coming!
– Nyxie
http://www.nyxiesnook.com
It was right before new year’s that I planned out all my posts for the year. I didn’t want to have that uncertainty every week about “what am I going to publish this week?” I wanted a clear plan and schedule for all my posts. They move around a little bit but for the most part I have stuck to my post schedule!
It’s great that you are honest and open about what you want. I appreciate that as a reader!
Thank you!
I loved reading your goals, it makes me realise just how much I’ve done within myself too.
You should be so proud of what you have achieved!!
Luke | http://www.lukeheywoodstyle.co.uk
Thank you Luke! I am proud of all that I’ve accomplished!
These resolutions are great lovely, I hope you achieve them all! It’s so good to set yourself goals, it gives you something to strive for! xx
Lucy | http://www.lucymary.co.uk
Thanks Lucy! I like setting all these goals for myself, it keeps my mindset in-line all year long!
Your New Year’s resolutions are very similar to my own – I wanted to engage more with people on social media and take better pictures for my blog too! I find April the perfect time to reflect on our New Year’s goals – it’s a good time to re-assess and make changes xxx
So glad that you could relate to my goals! I will reassess again in August!
I really need to get on a schedule with my blog. This wa a great inspiration!
So glad that I could inspire you!
Your number 5 goal is something ive been trying to improve on latley and im slowly getting better at it!
Keep working at it girl!
These are some really great goals! I had a lot of trouble with pictures too but I think the extra effort really pays off in the end. Your new blog theme looks amazing! Good luck with the brand collaborations I know it can be tough to reach out those first few times!
Thank you! You are too kind 🙂
Loved reading how you’re getting on with your New Year’s Resolutions! It’s great to reflect back on these, especially this far into the year. That way you can review and see what you still need to do. Sounds like you’re doing really well with them all. By the end of the year, if you keep to these and beyond, I’m sure you’re blog will grow well.
Gemma | http://www.anoceanglimmer.wordpress.com
I really enjoyed looking back at the goals I set for myself! I will do it again in August!
This post gave me motivation to continue pushing for my goals. I hadn’t thought about going back to my resolutions list and see how I’m doing. I guess when I’m lacking inspiration, looking back at my intentions can help stir me back in the path I want to be.
Have a great day.
Estée Izaola | http://www.esteeizaola.com
So glad that I could motivate you to do that!
Awesome! I never make new years resolutions and I never stick to them if I do, so it’s good to see someone does actually make progress by settings them. I’m inspired for next year 🙂
Oh thank you!
Wow I’m stunned that you’ve planned the whole years content – I’m pretty much winging it!
I struggle to get too far ahead with the writing of posts as well, although I often part write lots of posts in notebooks when I’m out, actually sitting down and typing them and inputting images takes a lot longer to get around to!
I planned out the entire year just so that I wouldn’t have to worry about what to post each week and worry if it fit with the theme of my blog. What I put on my calendar is not set in stone and I move things around all the time but it’s still nice to have a base schedule of topics
I could totally relate on hiring a photographer but realizing i’m low on funds. Haha! This is such a relatable post and an inspiring one! I hope to put out one blog post per month also. The consistency of getting ahead of the blogging game gets a little bit hard sometimes when you put pressure on yourself so i’m trying to enjoy it rather. Good luck on the future posts! 🙂
I’ve found that planning a head can really help you! So glad you enjoyed my post!
I’m really impressed that you have all of your content planned for the year. I try to plan about a month ahead but sometimes I still come up with ideas on the fly. Keep up the good work!
-Emily
thoroughlycontemporary.com
I’m glad that I planned out a whole year too but nothing is set in stone. I am always moving things around and getting new ideas for blog posts that I want to publish.
I think it is amazing you a year worth of posts. It takes a lot of time and preparation to do that.
It didn’t actually take that long to plan out all my posts for the year. First I started with holiday’s and what posts I wanted to write around those times and then went month by month filling in post ideas!
This was so great to read. I fail at my resolutions all the time. I seriously need to find some motivation to continue them lol but it was amazing to read about yours! Keep going x
Awe thanks girl!
Keep up the good work! Sticking with our goals are hard but a great way to stay focused is to come back and review your work every few months throughout the year!
Yes! I am so glad that I did a follow up post so that I could see how far i’ve come with my goals and what I still have left to accomplish!
Congrats on rebranding your blog – the whole Pipdig scandal was a nightmare, I only just late last year purchased my second theme with them. I just went out and bought a new one because I didn’t want to be associated with them. My new theme was cheaper and I can customise it more than I could my pipdig one! Actually kind of glad it happened and it made me seek a new one.
I like that you have decided to include more topics on your blog. Some people say to stick to a particular niche, others say to blog about your passions. I have always been a multi-topic blog! Everyone has multiple interests so why shouldn’t we share them.
Hayley | hayleyxmartin
I only had my Pipdig theme for a couple months before the scandal broke and I was so crushed when I had to re-do my theme because I really did like the layout of everything. But I didn’t want to associate with that company any more so I just had to go for it and buy another theme and try to get it to look like the Pipdig theme that I was using.
Sounds like you are doing great!! I am still new and struggle with the planning of posts but I’m working on it! Good luck on continued success!
Don’t worry you’ll get there! I recommend keeping a list of blog post that you see others doing or ideas that pop into your head all year long. That way when the New Year comes around in January you can go back to that list and see what you liked and want to post. Then have a calendar on paper or on your computer where you can plan out when you want to publish each post!
Love this, I haven’t set any blogging goals last January but started creating monthly blog goals just recently. I love this type of blog post and find it really encouraging and motivating. Keep it up 👍
Kaye – http://amalog.co
Monthly goals are great! That way you can check up on how you’re doing each month rather than the entire year.
Girl honestly, sometimes it’s best to have your boyfriend take the pics and buy a preset!! We thought about investing in a decent camera then we could use it for my blog and our traveling! That way it’s a win win. It’s awesome when your boyfriend supports your blogging!! Good luck love, you’re doing great so far!
I definitely have an “Instagram Boyfriend” hahaha Thanks for the support!
You’re doing phenomenally! The work you’ve been putting in shows through so clearly.
Plus, you’ve reminded me that I need to schedule a check-in soon on my own goals for the year!
Thanks girl! Send me your post when you publish it, I would love to read it!
This is great! A lot of these are very similar to my own. It’s great to stop and assess how you are doing and adjust course if necessary. Love your site!
So glad you enjoyed my post and site! 🙂
These are excellent goals and you’re making great progress. Look forward to seeing your new collaborations.
Thank you so much!
Glad to see you are meeting your goals! Keep going girl, can’t wait to try this idea next year for myself
FATIMAH • ROSEYGOLDBOX
http://www.roseygoldbox.blogspot.co.uk
Really enjoyed reading this! And your blog looks great. I’ve been trying to get into Bloglovin lately, but I feel like it’s been tough connecting with people on there.