Ahhhh, the weekend. My favorite couple of days. In the past I would spend them with family and/or friends – shopping, relaxing, going to the movies, checking out the latest on Netflix or enjoying a good meal together.
Since we are on lockdown my weekends have been a bit more relaxed. Not being able to see friends and family in the outside world has forced me to find things around the house to do. Here is how I spend my weekends:
Writing: Whether it be the book I’m working on or writing a blog post for this website, I am always finding some time to do a bit of writing here and there.
Reading: My list of books to read continues to grow so during the weekend I am able to sit down with a cup of coffee or tea and enjoy some reading time. I also do some online blog and article reading as well.
Watch TV: With all the streaming services that we have I am bound to find a movie or show that interests me and inspires me to pop some popcorn and watch a movie.
Cooking and baking: This isn’t something I do as often, however, something about the weekend makes me want to bake brownies.
Go through emails: I will never reach inbox zero and I have accepted this fact but I do like to go through, respond to and organize my emails. I like that I can schedule responses to be sent during the week so that if someone replies I can reply during a time that is more convenient for me.
Cleaning and Organizing: Even though the weekends feel like they go by so quickly, the days often seem a bit longer (in my opinion) so I don’t feel so dragged down by doing a bit of cleaning and organizing. It helps me feel like I accomplished something.
What do you enjoy doing on the weekend? Let us know in the comments.
Some of the links in this post may be affiliate links which means I will earn a small commission (at no additional cost to you) if you decide to purchase something featured here. This commission will be invested back into hertaintedlips.com as well as help me buy a cheap bottle of wine or some Starbucks. For more information please read our disclosure page.
Well look at you – surviving the first week of this year! 2016 was a huge struggle for many people apparently, but it is a NEW year and we can choose to make this a time of new beginnings as well. I want to thank you for stopping in and reading – whether you have been reading my blog for years or if this is your first time here. Hello. Aloha. Welcome. Thank you!
If you’re wondering what a Flashback Friday post is – it is my way of recapping what I was up to during the week. I attempt to post these as regularly as I can, however, that does not always happen. With this new year I do plan on scheduling these out and working on them throughout the week because I am more likely to complete the post if I work on it in that way. Anywho, here is the first one for 2017…
This past week has actually been great. I had some stressful situations occur but I can definitely say some really great things have happened. More good than bad happened so I am hoping to ride this positive wave right into the first quarter of the year. What really put me in a great mood was getting a raise at my job. WOO HOO. Who doesn’t like to get rewarded for their hard work?
Of course a new year often means new years resolutions, setting goals and all that jazz. I try to set goals throughout the year but I do think the new year is a good time to reflect and reevaluate where you are at with previous goals, what needs to be done (or let go) and what goals you would like to set in the future. It is a new beginning.
I have mentioned before that the rough and wild ride of 2016 kept me from planning out 2017 the way I had originally intended on doing but I won’t let that stop me from doing it now. It isn’t too late. So this past week (and couple of months actually) I have been really thinking about what I want to do with this new year. This new beginning.
First thing I did this week was really purge and get rid of things that are no longer serving me. From physical objects and emails to people and relationships. It has been a very freeing experience. I have been feeling bogged down with stuff lately and letting go feels so wonderful. Another bonus is when you let go of certain things it makes room for the new.
Another thing I have been doing is planning out how I am going to take better care of my health. As many of you know my Father passed away in October. He has lived most of his adult life with several health issues and it as always difficult watching him suffer. Boy was that a wake up call.
I have intended on taking better care of myself (and have been trying off and on) but his death really reminded me that life is short and if there are things I can do to live a healthier life full of energy and minimal illness – that is the life I want to choose. One step I took so far this is I went to my ophthalmologist to get checked for any damage diabetes may have had on my eyes and was told I was not having any issues so continue to do what I was doing. Last year I significantly lowered my A1c and plan on lowering it more this year.
Another thing I worked on this year was planning out my Avon business and other side hustle goals. I am trying to avoid having to get second part time job so organizing and setting goals should put me in a place to make the extra money required to take care of my personal expenses. I looked at how much money I made from Avon, blogging and my other freelance work last year and I know I can double if not triple it this year if I set small goals, hold myself accountable and am consistent.
So… that’s what I have been up to this week. I am taking the route of making this year about ME. Improving on who I am and the things that I do because I know it will pay off in the end. Better health, losing weight, self care and making that money.
**Cheers to a new year and a new me (and you if you so choose).**
What do you hope to accomplish this year? Let us know in the comments.
Some of the links in this post may be affiliate links which means I will earn a small commission (at no additional cost to you) if you decide to purchase something featured here. This commission will be invested back into hertaintedlips.com as well as help me buy a cheap bottle of wine or some Starbucks. For more information please read our disclosure page.
In replace of Flashback Friday’s (where I normally do a round-up of some of my favorite things from the week) I decided to do a review of the past year as we bring in 2016.
January
+ Celebrated the new year with family and friends in Georgia. It was a nice start to the new year especially since the end of 2014 was a bit rough for me.
+ Began planning the re-launch of this website.
February
+ Started getting serious about making personal, professional and blogging goals.
+ Introduced Flashback Friday’s to the blog. This was extremely fun to do and I wish I had stuck with it throughout the year but a lot of personal things were going on during the middle of the year so this got put on the back burner for awhile.
March
+ I was Job Hunting Like A Boss
+ Started doing the tasks required to meet my blogging goals.
+ Participated in NaBloPoMo for the first time. The topic for the month was “News.” Take a look at my NaBloPoMo Posts. I also cross-posted one of my posts on BlogHer. You can check that out here: Twitter As A News Source
April
+ All of my job hunting paid off – interviews and job offers started rolling in and I eventually was able to get a job. I started working part time and I really enjoyed this change in my life.
+ Not only did I start working again, I also started selling AVON again.
May
+ This was a great month – I was able to see a handful of important people in my life graduate from college. Always great to celebrate others accomplishments with them.
June
+ This summer was humid and HOT. Probably the hottest summer I have ever remembered experiencing in Hawaii. It was ridiculous. I was having a lot of health problems and did end up having a small procedure done because of it. Recovery was super quick but I kept having different health issues and getting sick. The humidity and vog did not help at all. I was having sinus issues and horrible headaches but as the weather slowly cooled down I started feeling better.
July
+ My birthday month! I had a really great birthday dinner with my family – nothing too fancy. I did attend a couple of events with family and/or friends and that was really nice as well. Had a great time at the water park – perfect for cooling off during the hot summer heat.
August
+ After a loooooooooong break from working on my Bachelor’s Degree I finally went back to school! It took awhile to adjust to being a student – I forgot how much time it takes to read, study and do homework. I slowly but surely was able to get on track. The best thing I did as a student was making sure that I put everything on my calendar and scheduled time for studying/homework during the week.
September
+ Another change I made was my hair. I decided to try Thermal Straightening again as the hot and humid months really made my curly hair misbehave and I was just ready for a change.
October
+ As rough as this year was on me spiritually and mentally I suppose it was a year of changes. In October I started working out again – even got back into the gym! Started with 1-2 times a week and worked my way up to 3+ depending on the week.
+ After a hiatus from blogging I decided to start working towards my blogging goals again because I missed blogging so much but with school I had to figure out how to fit it back into my schedule. Once I did, things got better and I started working with the drafts that had been sitting there waiting for me.
November
+ I ended up with a cold that turned into Bronchitis. What a great way to start the month!
+ Thanksgiving was really great and I enjoyed the time I spent with my family.
Some of the links in this post may be affiliate links which means I will earn a small commission (at no additional cost to you) if you decide to purchase something featured here. This commission will be invested back into hertaintedlips.com as well as help me buy a cheap bottle of wine or some Starbucks. For more information please read our disclosure page.
Back in March 2015 I wrote a post about some of my blogging goals. A lot of things in my personal life have changed and some of the changes did result in me having to put my blogging goals to the side.
Now that I am working a part time job and going to school part time I have a little bit more of a set schedule, however, I still have more free time than I used to working at my old job. How I spend my time, however, is another thing.
Starting a new job after job hunting like a boss and going back to school; forced me to attempt to set a schedule for myself since I previously didn’t have much to worry about while I was not working. This slowed down my blogging significantly.
I decided since it has been a little over six months and I am trying to spend more time blogging and working on my blogging goals, I thought it would be a nice time to post an update about how I am doing with my blogging goals.
Goal 1: Post More Frequently
Even though I was still working on posts and editing drafts, I did not reach my goal of posting 2-5 times a week – I was lucky to have even posted 2 posts a month. I am working on scheduling (see Goal 2) in blogging time so that I can get to that goal and I have some blog series that I am working on as well to help me in that process. I look forward to sharing what I am working on in the near future.
Goal 2: Organize/schedule my blogging tasks
I have been more organized and been spending more time working on drafts than I have in the past so I seem to have found a system that works in favor of the behind-the-scenes. I am working on a post about how I do that.
Goal 3: Organize my blog
I have cleaned up my blog a bit but I am still working on a new layout and trying to clear out the “clutter” from it so it is a bit more easy on the eyes.
Goal 4: Networking/Increase readership
Since I didn’t have any new content to read I have mostly been sharing my older more popular posts. I have been getting some nice feedback and new readers that were referred mostly from Twitter. I think once I post more I will get more readers. Wish me luck!
I will continue to work on the above goals and will check back in 6 months with how I am doing.
Do you have any similar blog goals? What are your current blog goals? If you have posted about it, please let me know in the comments as I would love to read it.
Some of the links in this post may be affiliate links which means I will earn a small commission (at no additional cost to you) if you decide to purchase something featured here. This commission will be invested back into hertaintedlips.com as well as help me buy a cheap bottle of wine or some Starbucks. For more information please read our disclosure page.
Set a spring resolution: what is one thing you’re going to do differently this spring to grow as a blogger?
The idea of growing as a blogger can make you nervous or excited. I tend to be more excited, but to be honest, sometimes I am extremely nervous to push past limits and try things I have never tried before. I think that change is good, however, at the same time I know that moving from one point to another comes with concerns as well. I try to remind myself that there may be some bumps in the roads (or even full-on roadblocks) but if I really want something I can usually push through and come out successful. All the bloggers that inspired me were once where I am so I know that anything is possible.
I have been doing little things here and there but one thing that I really need to work on is taking a look at my Blogging Goals and make sure I am doing what it takes to reach those goals. I need to hold myself accountable. Luckily I found 3 great blogging accountability partners so I have others that are going to check up on me.
As far as my actual blogging goals go, I may have to add additional goals and/or modify the ones that I already have. I think I can break some of them into bit size pieces or change them all together so that they are more in line with what I am trying to accomplish (which changes often.) I look forward to working on my blogging goals and figuring out what works and what doesn’t.
So the main thing I will be focusing on is modifying and working towards my blogging goals which will in turn help me to grow as a blogger.
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This post is a part of NaBloPoMo April 2015. You can check out my other NaBloPoMo Posts
What are you doing to grow as a blogger?
Some of the links in this post may be affiliate links which means I will earn a small commission (at no additional cost to you) if you decide to purchase something featured here. This commission will be invested back into hertaintedlips.com as well as help me buy a cheap bottle of wine or some Starbucks. For more information please read our disclosure page.
Since I decided recently that I am really going to take blogging more seriously I thought it would be a good idea to set some blogging goals. I am not going to be too strict on myself because I still want to be able to enjoy blogging. Aside from Job Hunting Like A Boss, working on my blog is important to me because I get to do some of the things I love most: writing, networking and sharing with others.
So I present to you the mock version of my blogging goals. I may add to this in the future. (more…)
Some of the links in this post may be affiliate links which means I will earn a small commission (at no additional cost to you) if you decide to purchase something featured here. This commission will be invested back into hertaintedlips.com as well as help me buy a cheap bottle of wine or some Starbucks. For more information please read our disclosure page.
