18 for 2018: My Blog & Work Goals

One week into 2018 and I finally feel the Christmas chaos is behind us and we are back into our routine. I'm not usually one for setting resolutions - before the kids I managed to stop taking sugar in my tea but that's about it. This year is different. 2017 was a great year for us overall. We moved house. The kids settled well in school/pre-school. But while my business exploded and my blog grew, I very much felt like it was all happening without any control. This year I want to steer it down the right path. Sophie from Life as Mrs D has written her 18 goals for 2018 and I've been inspired to write mine to help keep me focused this year.

1. Get back on Twitter

I fell out of love with Twitter at the end of 2016 and pretty much ignored it all of last year. I need to focus on sharing content and look for a scheduler so I can set up a proper calender so I'm constantly engaging with my followers

2. Reply to comments

I am simply shocking at this. I think it is partly because it is super hard to reply to comments from my phone. This is a top priority and something which I will be calling myself to account on.

3. Start a newsletter

People sign up to my newsletter form on my page but I haven't actually sent a newsletter yet! I am going to aim for quarterly during 2017.

4. Blog 4 times a week

2016 I averaged 3 blog posts a week which I am pleased with but I am going to aim for 4 in 2017 to encourage content creation.

5. Master Tailwind

I hear so much about Pinterest driving blog traffic. I have set up a Tailwind account to schedule pins and join tribes but I need to read some tutorials and really maximise the account.

6. New blog theme

I have had the same theme for 4 years. I think it is time for a change. I'm a bit nervous about this as I'm not sure how my old posts will transpose over but it's time to bite the bullet!

7. Vlog

I recently upgraded my plan to include video functionality. I really want to vlog for the first time but I reckon it'll be back end of the year before I get around to working our what software I need to use etc to make a professional post.

8. Plan

This applies to the blog and my business. I need to plan my time better. I have downloaded the Blog Energizer planner which is completely free, to keep a track of the blog and also a new to do list for work actions. Just be aware the calender dates are US. There is probably a UK version out there somewhere. I've also downloaded the free Momentum planner sheets. These will work better for planning my business activities and planning how my day will run between work, blog and the kids.

9. Schedule

I tend to have fits and starts with blogging. I'll be really on it for a couple of weeks them tumbleweeds for a month. I want to run the blog further in advance so I've always got at least a couple of weeks of content scheduled to over any busy periods.

10. Keep my desk tidy

After working from the dining room table for 4years I now have my own office which is amazing but

11. Record my followers

I've never tracked my followers but this year I want to exactly how my hard work if paying off on social media. I have downloaded this free social media planner checklist to keep on my pin board and record my follower numbers across 2018.

12. Write more about my opinions

I've been writing for Families Online and it has made me realise that I write about what I like, what i don't like and my life but I don't really express my opinions on the topics that matter a lot to me. In 2018 I'd like to write one post per month about a topic which excites, angers, challenges me. This is kinda stepping out of my comfort zone and pushing my writing further and making the blog more personal.

13. Increase my DA

I've sat at 26 for about 2years now so i think it is time to put a lot of effort in to making that number. 30 by the end of 2018 would be fab.

14. Stop checking TOTS 100

I usually check TOTS 100 every month to see how my score has changed. This usually depresses me as it never seems to correlate with the amount of work I have put in! So I'm not going to check it until January 2019.

15. Write crowdsourced posts

I've been engaging with Blogger Crowdsouring Facebook groups over the past few months and I'd like to write one crowdsourced post per month to include other ideas in my posts.

16. Don't work when the children are home/awake

This is a bit one for me as I wasn't happy with how much time I spent working in 2017 but linking back to points 8 and 9 about planning and scheduling should help me with this.

17. Hitting 1000 followers on Instagram

I set up Instagram at the beginning of last year and I'd love to grow this channel to above 1000 followers by the end of 2018.

18. If I'm not enjoying something then stop doing it.

I think this needs to be my mantra for 2018. It's all about focusing on the things I love and getting rid of anything which causes me too much stress or anxiety.

I hope some of my goals have inspired you. I tag the following blogger to share their 18 for 2018 goals!

Clare - Freddie's Mummy UK
Helena - The Queen of Collage
Gareth - Daddy Giraffe
Stephanie - Renovation Bay-Bee