This has been a crazy three months. I can’t believe my first quarter blogging is almost over! It’s been a blur!
I started this blog on Valentine’s Day after about 3 months of contemplation. I originally had kind of a general idea of what I wanted to write about, like my journey towards becoming debt-free, why dogs are incredible, and information about mental health. But I wanted to feel restricted in what I wrote, so I threw myself into the lifestyle umbrella.
I came up with a weekly schedule for posting (Money, Wednesday, and Friday). I started out with some theme days: What I’m Reading Wednesday and Friday Favorites. After I got more comfortable (and switched to handwriting my posts first), I shifted to writing lengthier posts with fewer theme days.
Then I decided to do a series about the different pieces that go into creating a successful debt repayment plan. I might have done it a little early into my blog, but that’s okay. I’m trig to decide if I should turn it into an email course or a workbook. Feedback is appreciated!
ANYWAY…
Throughout these first months, I’ve learned so much! I’ve spent a lot of time researching various topics (SEO, email lists, etc.). I’ve created a lit of things I’ve learned from my super early experiences.
 

It takes a village.

If if’s not an actual team of people, it’s a myriad of programs and services.
I’m talking: WordPress, hosting, email, affiliates, Buffer, Meet Edgar, Tailwind, Trello, CoSchedule, Mailchimp, Mad Mimi, Converter Kit, Leadpages, screen recording, Youtube, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Canva, BeFunky, Picmonkey, Teachable, sale sites, and more.
Not to mention trying out a bunch of stuff to se what works for you is super time-consuming.
 

It’s basically a full-time job.

There are bloggers that blog full-time and bloggers that blog part-time. I work full-time and blog part-time, but I feel like I spend so much time on my blog. I often find myself wanting more time in a day or weekend to accomplish more. I probably put 20+ hours in a week on different things.
 

Organization and planning skills are a must.

I’ve tried blogging before, but I never had a real plan.  never really had a set schedule or anything. Obviously with this kind of approach, I pretty quickly gave up. I ran out of ideas (or at least I thought I did) and I just let the blog die. With this blog, I have a whole different attitude and plan. I have a notebook dedicated solely to my blog (the one I wrote this post in first). I have a planner I use to track my content posts, behind-the-scenes, goal dates, and quarterly dates. I focus more on what and how I do things. I’m so surprised how much of a difference it has made!
And remember that list of different services? It takes a lot of organization skills (and willpower) to keep up with all those different pieces.
 

Blogging has a huge learning curve.

So far, I’ve gotten familiar with hosting, WordPress, themes, SEO, branding, and business plans. I’m still getting familiar with email lists and social media. And then there’s the other 12,000 things I don’t know. You can immerse yourself and learn a lot, but you can’t need everything.
 

You still have to take time for yourself.

I work full-time in addition to running this blog. And I drive an hour to and from work. So basically I have about 4 hours after I get home from work to get everything done for the day. And I’m married to this guy I kind of like, so I try to spend time with him and our gorgeous dogs, Scout & Atticus. I threw myself into my blog at first, but then I started to get overwhelmed and burnt out. I had to put some restrictions to help keep me on track and in a good place.
 

Facebook groups are where it’s at!

I’ve only ben a part of Facebook groups for about a week now, and I have already benefited from being about to engage with other bloggers. There are so helpful and knowledgeable! I love the ability to ask other people for input, tips, and all sorts of other stuff. It’s incredible! I highly recommend finding a good blogging community.
 

Research, research, research!

There are so many great articles out there to help you figure out how to blog, including all the different things that go along with it. Many of these resources are free, too. Because I have benefited so much from what’s out there, I’ve rounded up some of my favorites to share with you!
 

Resources

Resource libraries are accessible by subscribing to the person’s email list. Trust me, it’s SO worth it!
Regina Anaejionu
Allison Lindstrom
Allison Marshall
Erika Madden
Ruth Soukup
Sarah Titus
October June Resource Library
Uncork Your Dork Resource Library
Design Your Own Blog Library
Daily Femme Resource List
The Blog Loft
Embracing Simple Blog
Beautiful Dawn Designs
Twelve Skip
 
This is by no means an all-inclusive list. These are just some of the folks that I’ve found most helpful. I hope it’s helpful to you!
 

What have you found most helpful?