What I've learned about blogging...

Four months ago I was getting a bit weary of blogging so I took the Blog Love e-course by Elsie. I loved it. In fact read the whole thing in one afternoon. I redesigned my blog, planned a schedule (you can download my Blog Schedule Template at the bottom of this post) and made some decisions about what I wanted my blog to be. Blogging is back to being one of my favourite hobbies again. 

Here's some things I've learned over the last few months...

I've found it so helpful to have a little guide for my blog. I don't have to sit there wondering what to blog about, I never feel bad because I haven't blogged in ages and it isn't set in stone (pencil in fact) so I can swap things around when I need/want to. At the start of each month I have a wee brainstorm session and write down any ideas for blog posts. Add in some regular features and you have yourself a wee schedule.

There are just some days (weeks) when I know I am not going to get the time to blog. I don't want to be a slave to my blog but I also want to be consistent with the amount of posts I am putting up. This is where scheduled posts are a life saver. If I know I have a couple of hours free, then I can start or finish some posts ahead of time. It feels good to know that my blog will keep rolling even if I'm flat out with life.

There are some days when I want nothing more than to sit on the couch and watch movies. And while sometimes this is the perfect plan, it doesn't really make for great blog reading. Knowing that I could write a great post makes me more likely to have adventures, create pretty things and get out and enjoy life.

One of the great things about my blog is the way it has encouraged me to improve some of my other hobbies. I've always loved taking photos and now I have a reason to keep taking better and better photos, find more creative ways to shoot and keeping improving my editing skills.

Here is my Blog Schedule Template if you want to try it out.