Tag: content creator

blogmas, blogtober

Happy Halloween! A Blogtober Recap

mindbeautysimplicity

Happy Halloween & final day of Blogtober! I can’t believe I actually managed to accomplish such a challenge. To be honest, I thought I had too much personal things going on that would cause me to call off the entire thing. But since I had it all written & scheduled, I pushed forward & successfully made it through my first year of Blogtober. Here’s what I learned:

Writers Block Who?!

As a writer, I tend to give myself a hard time when I’m dealing with spouts of writer’s block. After this challenge, where I was able to come up with 31 pieces of content, I will no longer feel this way about myself. If I can successfully do this challenge, I can do anything. And if writer’s block does happen again, I now understand as writers, we are not machines & merely humans. Taking breaks are healthy & crucial to allow ourselves to ignite the inspiration again. And I’ve also come to the conclusion of determining a more a proper blogging schedule for the near future. I’ll talk about some of the blogging changes in another blog post coming soon.

Engaging is A Second Job

Replying back to comments & reading other people’s posts took up lots of time. One of the hardest parts of this challenge was being active on social media & engaging with other blogger’s work. There were definitely a few days I was more MIA than others. But it was a great reminder to know to have balance with your blogging life & real life. I learned to plan out at least one day where I spent time reading & replying back to comments. I found it important to support other bloggers even more this month whether they were participating in this challenge or not. But I made sure it wasn’t an everyday routine, as I knew this would lead to burnout.

I Got to Be More Creative

I was able to go outside my niche & experiment with other topics & writing styles. It was a great way to expand my craft. I mean, I even shared a poem with you all. LOL And I learned having a niche can be good but you shouldn’t limit yourself either. It’s your blog, so write what you enjoy. I hope to continue with this mindset in the future with my blog posts.

Blogging Became Fun Again

I returned with the mindset that blogging should be fun & a creative outlet. Before this challenge, I was in a rut with my blog. I didn’t have an interest in continuing it. But Blogtober sparked that love for writing in myself again. It was a reminder to myself that even when it comes to a passion, you can & will experience burn out at times. And it’s quite alright to make a few changes along the way.

Supporting Other Bloggers Feels Good

My favorite part of blogging is connecting with other writers in the community. Reading your Blogtober posts, sharing ideas & collaborating made it even more worth while. I’m always so impressed with the entire community & the amount of talented individuals we have here. Cheers to all of us!

Will I Do This Again?

It’s hard to say how I’ll be feeling a year from now & where I’ll be. But writing about spooky season & fall was something I really enjoyed. So, maybe I’ll do this again – maybe just not daily. LOL I also learned life can be pretty unpredictable & sometimes you need to re-evaluate your routine to combat changes along the way. This challenge solidified the fact quality is better than quantity. Perhaps in the future I won’t post daily & merely share a few Halloween blog posts & spend more time promoting the few I decide to share.

If you have the time though, I definitely recommend Blogtober to all bloggers. It’s a great way to feel connected to in the community & to express your writing skills. I’m so proud of myself, the bloggers who also participated & how far we’ve come. I managed to hit 1,500 subscribers on the blog this month which is quite a milestone in my book. I look forward to see this blogging family grow.

Happy Halloween everyone! 🎃

-B

blogging

Taking My Power Back: How A Break From Writing Rejuvenated My Creative Soul

mindbeautysimplicity

First & foremost, hello everyone! Hope you all are doing well. Did you miss me? A week ago, I decided to step away from blogging to give myself a proper break from all the responsibilities surrounding Mind Beauty Simplicity. I wasn’t sure how long of a break I would need, but only a week was really needed to gain a healthier mindset & routine. I’ve been blogging for about 9 months now & as much as I love the routine of waking up, uploading a blog post, promoting said blog post, planning future content & being on social media for hours each day, something had to finally give. For someone who preaches self care to her readers, I was being a hypocrite & not taking my own advice. It’s almost like I took the symbolic nature of spring – a renewal – & wanted to apply it to my blogging career & like a snake, shed that skin & old mindset. Basically, having a break from writing gave me my power back & I want to share with you what lessons I learned.

My Professional Mindset Was Out of Whack:

I remember waking up the first Monday of my break not knowing what to do with my day. Although blogging has been the best distraction during such a chaotic year, I had to understand I was neglecting other parts of my life. I would literally wake up & only have blogging on my mind. When I’m passionate about something, I tend to become rather obsessive. On one hand, that type of personality can get a person pretty far in life but eventually if you don’t keep a healthy balance, you will hit a wall. And that’s exactly how I was beginning to feel. I wasn’t prioritizing working out or eating healthy, I was letting the house get messy & just losing all motivation to do anything else. I couldn’t even have the attention span to sit & enjoy a new book. Every time I tried, I would last 2 pages & then get up & scroll through Twitter or check comments. During this hiatus, luckily the weather broke & I was able to enjoy the sunshine. Being outside has really changed my mood & given me that inner peace I had lost in the winter time. 

Social Media Addiction Is Real & Bloggers Need To Take Note

Since I wasn’t posting new content on my blog, I didn’t want to be completely MIA from my audience. So, in the beginning of my break my social media presence & routine stayed the same. I had scheduled tweets to go out periodically, I was promoting old blog posts, making tons of reels on Instagram & even dipping my toes back into Tiktok. It was fun for  a while because my first thought was I would have more time being creative on these platforms. But I realized how much time I spend online in a given day. I’ll be honest, I have an attachment to my phone. And blogging has made it even more difficult. Other creators make you feel like you have to be on socials all day to become successful & it’s truly such a waste of time. I knew in that moment, when I returned to blogging, I would make serious changes to my digital routines & set boundaries for myself regularly. For instance, I removed the Instagram & Twitter app from my phone completely & even discovered how to upload photos to Instagram from my laptop. This way, the temptation of scrolling through socials is at a more difficult reach & I can set aside time in my routine to scroll through these platforms. I remember I read a tweet that said something along the lines of not making social media an unpaid part time job & that really opened my eyes. 

I Needed To Create a Schedule That Works Best For Me

I realized with blogging, you can get in the mindset of thinking you are only as good as your last blog post & having to one up yourself. That feeling of being proud of a blog post & letting it marinate for a few days but then not being able to fully celebrate because you are quickly onto the next idea. It’s an exhausting cycle if you let it be. I knew I wanted to return with the notion of focusing on quality over quantity. I started off posting 3 days a week & then it slowly became one to two days a week. I understand schedules keep a creator honest & on a routine. But since I’m my own boss, I decided I wasn’t going to place strict expectations on keeping a set posting schedule. If I am not proud of a piece of content, I will refrain from posting & wait until it’s up to my standards. That way, the pressure of always having to have something to share every week is gone. We need to remember as creators, we are in charge of ourselves, so we mustn’t block such freedoms. 

If You Are Reading This & Want A Break, Take It 

I had this scarcity mindset where I felt like I couldn’t take a break. If I left for a while, all that hard work was going to go down the drain. Thankfully, you all sent the most supportive comments & even private messages on social media that helped me continue in the direction of R&R because I really did need it. And I’m here to let you know, if you are feeling at all burnt out or just needing a step back, it’s completely ok. Every single creator deserves a break once in a while. We shouldn’t think we need to work ourselves to the bone to become successful. Our wellbeing must always be first on our priority list.

Have you considered taking a break?

~ B

advice, blogging

How To Be More Intentional As a Blogger

mindbeautysimplicity

As a blogger, it’s incredibly easy to be on the grind 24 hours a day & 7 days a week. Especially when it starts out as a passion, sometimes that energy causes you to be a bit obsessive about it. Or maybe I’m just projecting. Recently, I wanted to be more intentional with my time when it came to blogging. I’ve managed to be this way with the rest of my life, but when it came to blogging, I didn’t know how to step back, create a schedule & breathe. So, today I wanted to share with you some things I’ve learned to become more present in my blogging career & I figured other bloggers could relate.

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YOU ARE IN CHARGE OF YOUR TIME

Chances are if you are a blogger with your own site, you are your own boss. You make your schedule, your to-do list & your overall routine. It’s both a blessing & a curse when the only one you need to answer to is yourself. And with that, you need to be responsible with how you conduct your time. From my personal experience , I can really work myself to the bone. Especially when I’m doing something that doesn’t necessarily feel like work, I forget to take breaks. When I’m passionate about something I can almost become obsessive. And I feel like a lot of creative souls have this same mentality. On good days, this is what drives our success. But we need to work smarter instead of harder. No amount of success is truly worth it if your mental wellbeing is in jeopardy. So, be sure to set some time where you put away the laptop, go charge your phone & spend quality time with others or even with yourself unplugged. I recently decided to follow suit of another blogger, Restless I Roam who does #SocialmediadetoxSundays & be completely off socials one day a week. This time away can actually better fuel your creativity & inspiration.

LIMIT YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA USE

Like I was saying, being on social media all day everyday isn’t healthy. And as much of a obvious statement that is, I’m sure we’ve all had days where all we do is scroll, like & follow. And we finally check the time & our entire day is lost. As a blogger, social media is how we succeed. We can’t just write a blog post & let it sit in hopes the world will find it. A huge part of blogging is promoting your work. My saving grace was learning you can actually schedule out your content, tweets & posts. The thought of having my social media platforms act as a ghost & promote my work while I’m out doing other things is magic to my ears. Ever since I started scheduling my tweets, I felt like a superhero of multitasking. And personally, I find social media to be a waste of time if you let it. Granted, the blogging community is a wonderful group of people & interacting with you all especially during such isolating times has been a gift. But with everything in life, you need to have balance. And I felt like I personally needed to make room for other priorities. Not to mention, taking breaks from the digital world is quite freeing & eye opening. Sometimes you just need to leave the desk & get outside.

RETURNING ALL COMMENTS ISN’T REALISTIC

I think the biggest task in blogging that not a lot of people talk about is the process of replying to comments. I thought replying to the five comments I received in my first month was tough. But when it started jumping to 50+ comments, mentions & DM’s on all platforms, it was quite overwhelming. And I’m not trying to sound like I’m complaining because believe me, the fact that anyone cares to read & let alone comment on my work is amazing to me. So, please keep doing it. But I did realize it’s ok not to reply back right away. I would seriously feel bad if someone’s comment ended up in spam or I simply forgot. But now, I give myself more time & eventually I will get back to most of you. But know, even if I don’t reply, I appreciate all your words & support.

LOOK UP FROM THE LAPTOP ONCE IN A WHILE

I get it, blogging is a lot of fun & I love spending my time writing, planning & creating. But you NEED to step away from your passion a few hours each day & focus on quality time. Whether it’s watching a specific show in the evening with my boyfriend, cooking together or even just reading a book ; it’s so important to have other priorities. As much as I love what I do, I need to not let it consume me either. Success doesn’t happen in a night, unless you are a viral internet video. I digress. But usually things take time. I plan to write & blog for a long time. So, there’s no need to overwhelm myself by writing constantly. Quality over quantity is my motto. And part of being a great writer is living & taking in this moments so then later you can come back & tell your story.

REFOCUS YOUR INTENTIONS

It’s so easy to get caught up in the statistics & lose track of your initial purpose. Don’t let yourself be too critical. As a minimalist, I have learned the benefits of setting goals & embodying better habits. It can be so easy to loss your luster when you are overwhelmed with social media & all the behind the scenes tasks that revolve around your blog / brand. It’s important to ask yourself what you want your readers to get out of your content & if you are being true to yourself in the process.

HAVE FUN

Whether your blog is monetized or not, you started on this journey because it brought you happiness. Don’t lose that passion. I was upset I was headed in that toxic direction with numbers so early on but I’m glad I caught it when I did. I want to write about things I enjoy. The readers that stay are the loyal ones. And I’m understanding it’s ok when there are people who may not enjoy what I write about. That’s life. I’m just here because I love writing & inspiring others. Everything else is a bonus.

I hope these tips help you in your own blogging journey. I think we all need that reality check sometimes. I have a question for you all, what made you start blogging?