Wow, the summer has really flown by! How is it September already?
I’m pretty proud of what I accomplished in August. It was another busy month, but I checked off most of my big goals.
August Recap
For my career:
- I published 14 blog posts! Considering my goal was only 10 blog posts, that is pretty awesome. Except for the first week, when I only blogged twice, I published 3-4 blog posts every week.
- I finished my editorial calendar through September, plus I have a handful of posts planned for October.
- I only wrote one political post, not two. Due to the timing of a sponsored post, I had to postpone my intended second political post until September.
- I did so much with MassPlanner! (affiliate link)
- I did finally finish one spreadsheet of posts to automate to my private Facebook group, The F-Word Feminist Community. MassPlanner is so handy!
- I also set up more repins.
- However, I did not connect the foundation Instagram account to MassPlanner.
- I reached over 3,800 Twitter followers! My goal was 3,500 followers, so I’m pretty happy.
- I am like thisclose to 17,000 Instagram followers. Getting to 16,900 was easy, but somehow getting to 17,000 has been ridiculously difficult.
- I didn’t reread the Instarevealed guides, alas.
- I did a lot of pitching to brands. Stay tuned!
My best posts from August:
7 Reasons to Reread Harry Potter
Why Attending Weddings is Good for Your Marriage
Why Bloggers Criticize the Follow/Unfollow Method
I’m a Christian, and I’m Not Voting for Donald Trump
For my health:
- My health insurance bullshit is frustrating, but I worked through it. My gastroenterologist finally gave me the letter to send to my insurance company to appeal a denied claim from January.
- The first half of August, I still wasn’t that consistent with my vitamins. I improved in the second half of the month, though!
- I only worked out three times all month. Yikes! Dan and I did get in lots of walking, but I really want to improve my flexibility and my strength.
For my marriage:
- Dan and I did a zoo date morning! We also had a Pokemon Go date night at The Forum. Stay tuned for a blog post on that!
For our household:
- I cleaned our master bathroom and the downstairs bathroom. Dan cleaned the guest bathroom.
- I dusted all the blinds!
- I did some weeding of the garden, but I didn’t finish. There are soooo many weeds, unfortunately.
- I moved the orchid into a larger pot!
September Goals:
I’m adding a new category this month! Last year I wrote out a list of 30 things I want to do before my 30th birthday. I have less than a year to go, so I really need to work to finish out my list.
For my career:
- Blog 3-4 times per week. If I keep up with my editorial calendar, this should be easy!
- Create editorial calendar through November.
- Line up guest posts for November vacation.
- Reach 4,500 Twitter followers.
- Reach 19,000 Instagram followers.
- Pitch at least two companies/brands for collaboration.
- Get pictures taken for collaborations with Headbands of Hope and LuLaRoe.
- Use the information from the Instarevealed guides to build the Instagram account for my mother’s foundation and my test account. (affiliate link)
For my health:
- Workout at least twice a week.
- Continue to be consistent with my vitamins.
- Get back into a good skincare regimen.
For my marriage:
- Stay in regular contact with Dan while I’m in Ohio. It’s easy for me to get distracted while visiting my friends, but I know Dan misses me while I’m gone.
For our household:
- Clean all three bathrooms.
- Weed the garden some more.
- Get all the laundry done before going to Ohio.
- Organize the office, file papers, and straighten up my desk.
30×30:
- Work on Muddling Through Again, my mother’s book of prayers.
- Read at least one nonfiction book.
- Send out at least five handwritten notes.
I’ll be in Ohio for a week and a half, so I tried not to be too ambitious with my goals. There’s only so much I can do while traveling!
What did you accomplish in August? What are your goals for September? Share your progress and ambitions in the comments below!
I think you’ve done amazingly at staying on track with all your goals! x
Thanks! I’m pretty proud of what I did in August. 😀
You did great in August! Does this mean you’re feeling better? I’m hoping to start monthly goals in the new year because I’m 30 now and I shouldn’t feel as bad as I do when I don’t accomplish a goal.
I am! I had my Remicade infusion at the beginning of last week, so that’s been good for my Crohn’s. My skin has mostly cleared up, and what’s left doesn’t actively itch. I still had a lot of energy problems in August, but I think maybe that was because I was getting close to my next Remicade infusion. Basically that’s when the medication is wearing off, so your body starts to feel it.
Monthly goals are a godsend for me. November will mark two years of doing them! Month to month I don’t always see much of a difference, especially when I don’t tick them all off, but when I look at the healthy habits I’ve developed over a year, it’s amazing what I’ve done!
I would love to talk to you about how you’re achieving your social following goals. My goals are 2k for Twitter and Instagram, and I’m very close on each of them but seem to keep slipping backwards. Any advice you have would be awesome! 🙂
I’ll be honest, it is SO much work. What I do might be contrary to your blogging goal of just doing what you enjoy and not worrying about the numbers.
This blog post explains how I’ve grown my Instagram account. I use some of the principles for Twitter. Twitter moves so quickly, however, and I have to balance my own content with other people’s content, that it’s more of a challenge to grow. I want to do more with it, and I have a few things up my sleeve, but I haven’t started those ideas yet.
http://bellebrita.com/2016/07/gain-instagram-followers-fast/
You’re right – I do think that it is probably contrary to my goal. Haha! But that’s okay. Congrats to you for growing so quickly! I know you’ve worked very hard.
Thank you! Most people clearly have no idea how much work it is. They’re like, “Oh, wow, your Instagram is so pretty, and you get free stuff! I can do that too!” And I’m like… “Sure, if you’re willing to spend at least three hours every single day on Instagram.” But it’s the kind of work that genuinely brings me joy, so I don’t mind putting in that much time. It’s just not for everyone!
I’m turning 30 this month, and I kind of wish in some ways that I’d done a little 30 Before 30 list for myself for some extra motivation to check off some bucket list items. Kudos to you for being so on top of things!
By the way, I love what I’ve read so far–I’m a new reader coming over from Autumn’s blog 🙂
http://autodidacticambitions.blogspot.com
I mean, you could do 33 by 33! Or you could try the 101 in 1001, which is 101 goals in 1,001 days. I tried (and failed) that years ago, although I did get some of the big ones crossed off (a new tattoo and an engagement).
I’m always happy to meet new readers!
Nice job on the posting goals! I’m trying to combine my regular planner into an editorial calendar and so far that is not working out, haha.
I use Google calendar. So I have my regular calendar with my appointments/vacations/etc., my husband’s calendar shared with me, and my editorial calendar. I can look at just one, or I can look at all three of them. Each calendar has its own color so I can quickly see what kind of reminder it is.
You did great on your August goals! I’m jealous of your LuLaRoe collaboration! I love LLR!
Thank you! It’s my first time trying LLR. The consultant sent me leggings, a dress, and a top. I’m not sure how to wear the dress yet, since when I tried it on I had major VPL (visible pantyline). I love the leggings and top, but the challenge is getting cute pictures when it’s still too hot to wear leggings outside…
Your career goals are so ambitious and it’s really admirable! Congrats on all you have achieved so far, and keep moving forward! – Erin @ stay at home yogi . com
Aw, thank you! I’m headed into my productive season. Summer is a bit more carefree for me, and winter leaves me restless, but fall is the perfect time to work!
Wishing you the best of luck this month! You’ve totally inspired me to work on my editorial calendar — eek!
I have confidence in you!
Your August achievements are awesome! Also, you do seem to have a great list of do-able goals for September! I have a content calendar drafted out for September and hope to start working on one for October and November, too. Plus, I want to actually get ahead on my posts again, as I’m not currently and I don’t like the stress. Oh, and I love that flamingo in the pool! Have a great September! 🙂
I feel like every time I get ahead in content, I turn around and fall behind. Like last week’s posts were almost all written and scheduled in advance, but now I have zero future posts done. Oops.
P.S. Her name is Mingo, and she was a gift from GoFloats. I am sad that she is deflated for the season, but at least we live in the South where the pools open up in May!
wonderful achievements! wow that is some great IG growth, hope you reach your 17K soon!