2018 in Review - My Blog and Work goals

5/1/2019

And with a blink 2018 is over. It was a busy one for be both professionally and personally with a Summer heatwave to remember thrown in for good measure. This time last year I set 18 work and blogging goals for 2018 and I can hardly believe it is time to look back and see how the past 12mths shifted and shaped my expectations and what I am still working towards in 2019.

1. Get back on Twitter

First goal was a resounding failure. I did start using HootSuite a little but need to actually set up a proper routine to schedule each weeks tweets. I have fallen out of love with social media in general though, kinda enjoying living in the real world a bit more.

2. Reply to comments

Unfortunately I still can't reply to comments from my phone properly so I haven't got much better at this. I have emailed my hosting firm to suggest they look into this though. Must do better in 2019.

3. Start a newsletter

GDPR scared me off this but I now have a GDPR compliant sign up form (whoop whoop!) so I will be launching in 2019!

4. Blog 4 times a week

I did pretty well on this one and blogged 4 times most weeks but during super busy periods at work I didn't put pressure on myself. It should be a fun activity afterall.

5. Master Tailwind

I actually did the opposite and deleted Tailwind after a few months! I was spending loads of time scheduling and sharing content to my feeds but I wasn't seeing any traffic coming back. I couldn't justify the outlay each month.

6. New blog theme

I am still too nervous to press the button to switch my theme over! Just too scared he formatting of my old posts will completely screw up. Perhaps I'll pluck up the courage this year!

7. Vlog

I haven't vlogged yet but I have included some of my own video content within my posts and my new DSLR has video function so I'm good to go on this one!

8. Plan

I nailed this one! I have been planning my posts each month on a calender and have introduced a monthly series where I discuss what I'm watching each month.

9. Schedule

As above this was a hit too! I even went as far as to schedule content and guest posts in advance of our big 10th Wedding Anniversary trip last summer so I didn't have a big break in content.

10. Keep my desk tidy

New office furniture from Ikea helped with this one and I've been super tidy ever since (luckily Husband loves a bit of flat pack).

11. Record my followers

I did this! And I'm pleased to announce all my numbers went up, not drastically but it is all genuine organic growth.

12. Write more about my opinions

I've done a bit more of this including a rant about The Great British Bake Off but I still want to go further and write a monthly feature about something which challenges me.

13. Increase my DA

I was sitting at 26 at the beginning of 2018 and I was aiming for 30 by the end of the year. I smashed it. I now have a DA of 40! This is partly due to joining in with lots of crowdsourcing posts and also looking for opportunities to write guest posts for other people.

14. Stop checking TOTS 100

I've actually been quite good at this BUT my score got much better and I noticed my badge now gives my exact ranking rather than 'in the top 500' so I can now see my position but I still try not to look!

15. Write crowdsourced posts

I did write one crowdsourced post but I plan on making it more regular over 2019.

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

I got better at this during 2018. There are still times when I have had to sit them down with a movie and some popcorn after school but I felt much better about my work life balance for the majority of the year. I had a very busy December but that work has paid for us to book a trip to Disneyland Paris later on in the year so it has been worth it and the kids will love it.

17. Hitting 1000 followers on Instagram

I hit this goal in June 2018! My numbers haven't grown drastically since then but I've not been as focused on social media the back end of the year as I've tried to keep my phone out of my hand when I'm around the kids.

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

At times during 2018 I was stressed and anxious but that wasn't because I wasn't enjoying what I was doing. I was pushing myself outside of my comfort zone. And I succeeded. 2018 was my most successful year and I hope to make 2019 even better.

15 Comments

Sabina Green link

11/1/2019 04:28:55 pm

Wow, you really have had an amazingly productive year. It can be tricky to stay motivated with certain things but it seems you managed it.

Wendy

12/1/2019 04:10:53 pm

Wow, you’ve smashed it!! You set yourself so many goals and to achieve so many of them is amazing. I need to look back on mine but I’ve don’t think I’ve done so well!xx

Anosa link

12/1/2019 04:11:41 pm

You did well with your goals and even those you didn't can always re-do or re-strategise in the new year.

Jayne @ Sticky Mud and Belly Laughs link

13/1/2019 11:35:12 am

Sounds like you smashed 2018. I really wouldn't worry about what position you are in blogger charts. A lot are only gauged on page views and how many posts you publish, not quality. Do what you love and you can't go far wrong. :)

Rachael link

13/1/2019 02:44:11 pm

Wow you did such a good job. I can’t believe you have grown your DA so much in one year!

Charlotte link

13/1/2019 08:12:12 pm

I need to get more active on twitter and would love to start vlogging. Need to build up the courage to do it though!

Nazrin link

14/1/2019 02:13:16 pm

I also have a pretty good list of blog goals I want to achieve this year that correlate with a lot of yours! Here’s to hoping the fire under our bums stay lit so we can stay motivated!!

Sonia link

14/1/2019 02:30:52 pm

I really need to set myself some goals like this, I literally don't keep an eye on anything with regards to blogging and social media. Thanks for the inspiration I am going to set up a spreadsheet now and track some stats. Really well done on all you achieved last year! I hope 2019 is just as great for you :)

Rachel

14/1/2019 07:19:12 pm

Wow you had a very productive 2018! All sounds great! Let's hope 2019 is a good for you!

Melanie williams

14/1/2019 08:17:32 pm

I always set goals as it keeps me motivated and on track. Twitter is one on my list too - to tweet more lol xx

Jennifer Gladwin link

14/1/2019 08:20:41 pm

Your DA increase is inspiring! I feel like I've been stuck on 28 for ages now!

Steph link

14/1/2019 09:57:29 pm

2018 sounded like a great year for you, it's so hard to keep to a schedule so well done on nailing that. I know that feeling with social media, it's a hard to keep up isn't it.

Katie link

16/1/2019 07:17:59 am

I can highly recommend Pipdig if you'd like to change your blog design around. Super reasonable prices and the change is instant. No worry at all, I love mine :)

Katie xoxo

Jenni link

21/1/2019 03:22:28 pm

That sounds very productive. I keep meaning to record my monthly stats for forget to half of the time.

Hayley McLean link

28/1/2019 08:40:45 pm

Youve smashed it! Well done especially on the DA score, thats a great achievement and improvement...I need to take a leaf out of your book! I love the idea of recording follower stats too xx