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My Blogging Journey

blogging tips

My Blogging Journey, 12 Months On

12 months ago I published my very first blog post; yikes reading it still makes me cringe but it marked the start of creative process that I have (for most of the time) enjoyed.  So after 12 months of blogging I think it’s a good time to reflect, don’t you think?  Am I still passionate about the reasons why I started this blog in the first place?  So I guess these are the blogging tips I have picked up along the way.

 What’s worked?

Linking back to older posts has allowed me to share older content that new visitors would not have seen as not all visitors will dig down to older posts previously published.  I’ve also discovered a great plugin called Revive Old Post, fab for retweeting old posts and I can set my own parameters for what gets re-tweeted.

Revamped my site by changing the theme.  My new theme, Kerli, is more me, easy to customise, easy to navigate and it’s design is responsive so easy to read on tablet, desktop or smartphone.  I recommend you read this great article, whether a newbie blogger or looking to change your blog theme.

Appreciating the importance of Blog maintenance, it’s also a great way of updating content and source of inspiration if you get a touch of bloggers block.  Read my blog post on Blog Maintenance for tips and advice.

Upgraded my Canva account to Canva Work; this has helped me to organise my designs more efficiency and the ‘magic resize, option saves time as well as providing design consistency when adapting blog designs across the different social media platforms.

Engaged more with Pinterest; I absolutely love this social media platform and found that I have got more visitors coming to my blog via Pinterest than Twitter, Facebook or via online search.

Following other bloggers has inspired me to present my content differently, take a different approach to how I design my graphics but most importantly to ALWAYS be myself when I write!  Some of my favourite bloggers include White Oak Creative, Wonderlass, byRegina.com, Carly Rowena and Kayla Itsines.

What do I need to work on?

My photography skills still need major room for improvement but I’ve not quite thrown on the towel.  It’s all about getting as much practice as possible and being more organised.  Pinterest, as always has been a great source of inspiration and advice.

I’ve taken onboard  advice from some fab bloggers, these articles have been particulary useful:

5 Time Saving Tips for Blog Photography – great tips from itspinkpot.com

10 Photography Tips for (not only) Bloggers – practical advice and source of inspiration from Thirteen Thoughts

Using different blog post formats; I think I tend to be very samey with the format of my blog posts so I need to work on publishing content in different formats especially those that potentially attract more readers.  These include Lists, How To Guides, Curated content, Tips and Advice.  This blog post from A Girl Obsessed offers fab ideas for different types of Blog Posts that gets loads of views.

Engaging more with fellow bloggers.  I guess I’m a bit shy when it comes to commenting on other bloggers blog posts but I know from having read the advice from other blogs that commenting on posts can help to grow readership on your own blog posts.  So I guess I need to overcome the shyness and engage more!

What are my blogging goals for the future?

I suppose it’s really to keep blogging and not worry about the frequency of publishing posts.  I know most blog advice recommends consistency and a regular schedule when you post which I do agree with if you want to engage and grow readership but I’m not going to beat myself up if I still fall short on this.

Do I still have that passion to continue to blog?

Honestly?  The passion for my blog has at times dwindled.  Partly because there has been a lot this year to contend with on a personal basis but I have enjoyed the paths that  blogging has taken me down.  I’ve discovered new interests, read more, flexed my brain in different ways and have totally loved the whole process of being creative.  The original goals of why I started this blog still remain but I’ve struggled to committing the time I’ve needed to grow readership.  But you know what?  I’m perfectly happy with that.  I will continue to blog but I’m not stressing over how often I will try and publish or obsess over stats. I intend to enjoy the blogging process and see where this blog takes me in the next 12 months!

Thank you for reading this.  Do you blog?  What are the positives you have taken from blogging?  Have you any blogging tips or advice for the newbie blogger?

 

My tips to keep you motivated to go to the Gym

gym

My tips to keep you motivated to go to the Gym

It’s the start of a new year and this is a popular time for people deciding to join a gym. Some of you have decided to do something about your fitness, tone-up or maybe lose some weight and what better place to do this than your local gym.  I applaud anyone that wants to lead a healthier more active life and what better way to start then joining a gym; you’ve made a conscious decision to do something about it.the gym

So you’ve had your induction at the gym, probably been a few times, maybe had a programme written for you. Motivation can start to diminish for all sorts of reasons especially as it can take a few weeks for gym visits becoming a habit and part of your normal weekly routine.  You might not be seeing any results, work is busy so you are struggling to get there, the weather is awful and your warm cosy living room is more appealing than an exercise class or a cardio session on the treadmill.  To be honest I go through times when my motivation for going to the gym starts to diminish and visits in the week start to be less frequent but there are various tips and tactics I use to get back into it and I’ve listed them in this blog.

Joining the gym is a big step, keeping motivated to go can be the real challenge! Click To Tweet

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My top tips and advice for a first family ski holiday

First Ski Holiday

Family Ski holiday – tips and advice for your first time skiing with your family ski

Christmas 2015 saw my family and I embark on our first ski holiday! Although the rest of the family had skied it was the first time for me.   We booked with Crystal Ski Holidays and went to Les Deux Alpes, France.  Ive put this blog together in case you are about to embark first family ski trip.  There is a lot of planning and preparation that goes into this type of holiday especially if you have not skied before so to take some of the mystery out of it I have put together my top tips and advice for a first family ski holiday.  Prior to prepping and planning I did find this somewhat of a daunting task and not as straightforward as our holiday in Cornwall last summer.

family ski holiday

This list of tips include what I packed, was advised to take and in hindsight what I should have taken.

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My tips for the Beginner Runner

Beginner Runner

My tips for the Beginner Runner

A couple of people I know have recently got into running, it’s randomly been brought up in conversation (always in the pub) and we’ve always got onto the subject of my own running experiences. This got me thinking about what worked for me and what kept me motivated when I was a beginner runner.

The following list of tips was going to be a top 10 of running tips for the beginner but I found it hard to short-list. These tips are what I found (in reflection) to work for me. I might add I’ve missed out the one about acid reflux and bananas as that’s just me! But if you’re the same Rennie is the answer (apologies there was no real need to share that nugget). Enjoy!

Are you a beginner runner? A little planning, preparation will you help give you a positive, running experience Click To Tweet

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