Series Alert! At the beginning of a new month, I’m going to go over my blogging goals. I’ll also analyze the goals for the month that passed. I think goal analysis and goal setting are SUPER useful in making progress in your business, and it’s an exercise you should perform if you’d like to grow in your own field. It helps me stay motivated, and hopefully, it motivates you in pursuing your own blogging goals and dreams.
To get started on your own blog goal planning and analysis journey, sign up for the password to the resource library and check out this post.
If you remember, June was a very successful blogging month. I grew my organic and search traffic a ton, and the tactics I used really helped boost my site rankings. It was also my anniversary month (and a time for a quick trip to Jamaica where I took some stunning photos), so I was overall thrilled to be living it up!
Unfortunately, July proved to be a little less exciting. If you follow me on Instagram, you already know that my laptop is on the fritz. It’s done. Fried. Over. Dead. Caput. Caputo? I feel like I’m in prison? I’m trapped in a life of aimless wandering and TV watching.
This is why I’m not interacting on your wonderful blogs lately. This is why I’m slow to respond to comments. This is why my world is dark and stormy. I hope things go back to their place by next week, and I can get back into my regular swing of things.
It just decided not to turn on after I got back from an event. It was happily working with me until it decided it just had enough. I went batsh**t crazy that night. I thought everything was lost: my writing, my photography, MY BOOK! (Hint, nothing is lost, my hard drive is well and good and has been backed up. My laptop is away on a yoga trip to recover its sanity.)
The Importance of Slowing Down
In addition to my laptop, the overwhelming amount of tasks lately has really weighed down on me. If you remember, I’m all about planning posts ahead. But I didn’t have anything planned ahead for this week. I could barely catch up on Instagram comments. That, along with a canceled trip to Ireland (was supposed to happen today) and a big fight with my brother (whom I love with all my heart and care for deeply) have tipped me over the edge into some extreme anxiety and a somewhat depressive mood.
I had to ride that wave out. My years of dealing with anxiety, panic attacks and depression have taught me plenty of coping mechanisms. So, I basically curled up on the couch all weekend and watched a lot of Bob’s Burgers. Instead of fighting the feeling of my world tumbling out of control, I learned to slow down and tell myself that it’s a feeling that happens and will pass. I’ve grown to accept it and to tell others that I’m just not feeling too great right now instead of pretending that all is OK and well.
Lesson Learned: Walk Away to Be OK
My husband is incredibly supportive, so he cheered me up as I wallowed in how much life sucks at the moment. I also know some extremely caring fashion bloggers who I met in my blogging journey who made sure to send some good vibes my way.
Luckily, life didn’t suck for too long. Here I am today, happily typing away. I’m not sharing this with you because I want you to feel concerned or empathetic toward my situation. I’m sharing this because I want you to know that when you feel overwhelmed with all your tasks in your everyday life and with your blog, you need to know you’re not alone. Be vocal about your needs when you feel overwhelmed, and be OK with walking away from work. It’s totally normal to feel lazy.
Also, always back up your computer. Like, always. Be ruthless.
I’m currently frantically writing on my husband’s laptop while I wait to get mine back from said yoga trip. Speaking of yoga, I said I would do 30 minutes of yoga every week in July. Did not happen. It’s like I was foreshadowing the need but then I was like “Naw, I’m good. I’ll survive this month without the breaks!” And then my brain checked out.
My July blogging goals looked something like this when I started off on my happy July journey. Including my unhappy goal analysis while I’m at it.
July Goal Analysis:
Main Goal: Finalize blogger resource eBook.
OK, so this was a colossal thing to bite off. In fact, it was so big I couldn’t chew it through. AKA, it didn’t happen, especially because my laptop checked out of my life.
Action 1: Finalize outline by July 8th. Include all the rough draft information in the outline.
I did this!! The outline is SO complete, along with the book cover design and the TOC. I’m euphoric that I was at least able to complete one sub-goal of my primary goal.
Action 2: Edit and organize the rough drafts within the outline and finalize the completed chapters of the book by July 15th.
Ok, so I SORT OF did this. I organized all my information and started up on a couple of rough drafts for parts. I also completed a few sections of the book. But, this is as far as I got.
Action 3: Proofread and finalize the book by July 29th.
Please refer to Main Goal analysis to see how I failed.
August Blogging Goals:
Biggest lesson learned from July is that I can’t just take an enormous task and make that my goal. It sets me up for getting too overwhelmed and ultimately leads to failure.
My August goal is going to focus around actually completing that book, but with my lessons learned from July. I also promised some resources that I will be uploading to the resource library (so sorry Shireen for not getting that title sheet out yet)! I want to make sure that I’m pacing myself realistically.
Goal: Complete 4 chapters of the eBook.
Action 1: Write outlines of the sections that haven’t been fleshed out yet in the first four chapters of the book by August 7th.
Action 2: Draft out/free write the four sections that have been outlined. Edit the rough drafts if rough drafts already exist in the first four chapters by August 21st.
Action 3: Proofread and finalize the four chapters by the end of August.
I already mentioned that yoga didn’t happen. I don’t want to give up on that. I think I NEED this activity in my life. I used to do it 4-5 times a week when I was in my completely zen mode, and that allowed me to start and build this blog. It also allowed me to discover painting (specifically, with acrylics and oils- I wanted to paint all the colors that came to my mind during a meditation session- I never realized I actually had a talent for it)!
I’m not going to budge on this. I didn’t schedule it in my planner during July, so in August I will set aside specific time for yoga in my schedule.
Do you have any tips on not getting discouraged when your goals don’t work out?
