Let’s start with the big news.
Remember my secret goals of the last few months?
Have you noticed how infrequently I blogged in March, and even how rarely I posted to Instagram last month?
Yeah, that’s all because of one big change in my life.
Dan and I bought a house.
So we spent January and February looking at houses. We put an offer on our house on February 16th, which the sellers accepted. Since then, Dan and I have been working nonstop on house stuff, from getting inspections to signing paperwork to packing ALL THE THINGS.
We just closed this past Thursday. As I type this blog post late Saturday night, I am on my laptop for the first time since Wednesday night. That is how jam-packed our schedule has been.
While I did okay in March with my goals, clearly I prioritized anything related to moving.
This also means life on the blog and Instagram will continue to be a little quieter for the next few months. Besides having to unpack everything in a new house, Dan and I have several minor fixes we want to do in the first month. And several medium-sized projects we want to accomplish in the next few months.
Also, did I mention we’re going to Florida for a work/fun trip this month? And California next month for a work/fun trip? (As in, I tag along on Dan’s work trips).
CAN’T STOP WON’T STOP I MUST BE DREAMING
March Recap:
For my career:
- BONUS: I attended an amazing leadership conference in my hometown.
- Long-term: I finished neither goal.
- I’m not sure what’s going on with Twitter, since I’m only at 7,300 followers, very short of my 8,000 goal. Although, I did tweet less this month with all the house stuff going on.
- I smashed my Instagram goal of 27,500 followers. Now I have 28,000 followers!
- But I did not look at Instagram Decoded at all. Oops. (affiliate link)
- I learned more about Mailer Lite, but I didn’t do much with that learning.
- I did not finish the rest of my free training with Mariah Cox. It’s for an email series, by the way. Email stuff is HARD.
- Yes! I did work on SEO training for lifestyle bloggers! I’m seriously so excited about this. While I’m still not ready to announce the full badass collaboration I have going on, I can tell you that I sent over the first part of the video I’m putting together on SEO.
March 2017 Blog Posts:
- March 2017 Goals // February Recap
- How to Update Old Blog Posts for SEO
- LEGOLAND: Building Blocks of Fun (sponsored)
- Deep-Clean Your Skin with DERMA E Purifying Skincare (sponsored)
- The Biggest Mistake I Made on Instagram (very popular!)
- 7 Tips for the Perfect Day at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay (sponsored)
- Meet the Flongs // Religion (not to late to add your link to the blog link-up!)
For my health:
- While I didn’t maintain my high-fiber diet every single day, my overall diet in March was way healthier than it’s been the last few months.
- Most nights I got off my laptop by 9pm. However, I’m writing this after 10pm, so…
- I did go one whole week without alcohol OR soda!
- I did not do a single “real” workout all month. Dan and I walked a LOT–we have the blisters to prove it. But I really intended on doing proper yoga or strength-training, not just walking.
For my marriage:
- Dan and I had an amazing trip to San Antonio, where I barely worked at all. I think I posted to Instagram once? Maybe twice? And didn’t do anything blog writing or reading. Win!
- I’ve tried to support Dan this month during the move. He has been amazing with all the paperwork and phone calls needed to move into a new house.
For our household:
- Dan and I purged more than 30 books alone. We probably donated at least 100 items from around the house, possibly even more. Clothes, books, cookware, random things that I’m sure we liked once upon a time…
- Today is when we clean the townhouse top to bottom. Our closing inspection of our rental isn’t until Tuesday, so that March goal moved to the very beginning of April.
- Ha, I obviously decluttered my desk and my dresser since both were necessary to MOVE!
- Secret goal accomplished: we moved from our rental townhouse in Duluth to our own HOUSE in Cumming!
- Bonus: We have deep-cleaned our new house SO well. I dusted every single baseboard, window sill, blind, closet rack, door, etc. Dan and I vacuumed each floor at least once, if not twice, and we used an attachment on all the edges. Plus he shampooed all the carpets and mopped plus polished all the wood floors. We had the air ducts professionally cleaned, plus those guys got down all the cobwebs and dust from the ceiling corners and ceiling fans.
30×30:
- Dan and I drank real champagne for our 3rd wedding anniversary!
- I wrote 2 letters, but I haven’t mailed them yet because we packed our stamps…
- Dan and I hosted a small dinner party during which we played a Harry Potter board game. I’m counting that as hosting a Harry Potter party!
- I read 2 nonfiction books, although they were both really short ebooks.
- How to Publish and Sell Your Article on the Kindle
- Teach and Grow Rich: The Emerging Opportunity for Global Impact, Freedom, and Wealth
April Goals:
Long-term:
- Self-publish my mom’s book of prayers.
- Market this book:
- Blog posts about prayer
- Opt-in freebies
- An email series on prayer
- Earn affiliate commissions on Breakthru Branding. (affiliate link)
- Market this course:
- At least two blog posts
- An opt-in freebie
- Teach SEO for lifestyle bloggers
For my career:
- Promote and attend the two Millennial-focused webinars for Breakthru Branding. I’m really excited about these. I attended one of the first webinars that Kim hosted, and it was SO good. (affiliate link)
- Finishing typing up the prayers for Muddling Through Again.
- Film SEO video!!!
- Pitch brands for a Father’s Day collaboration.
- Plan editorial calendar through June.
- Reach 8,000 Twitter followers.
- Reach 29,500 Instagram followers.
- Line up guest posts. I have two already that I just need to schedule… But I’ve been moving.
For my health:
- Get lab work done.
- Go one whole week without soda or alcohol.
- Do yoga at least once per week.
- Get off my laptop by 9pm… starting tonight.
- Eat a salad at least 3 times per week.
For my marriage:
- Plan one real date night outside the home, not counting our trip to Florida.
- Eat at least one meal per week without screens.
For our household:
- Unpack, unpack, unpack!
- Weed the front garden.
- Weed the back mulched area.
- Design (and create a budget for) my butterfly garden!
- Clean every single piece of furniture we own.
- Make a shopping list for new furniture, start searching Craig’s List, visit antique stores, and maybe go to yard sales.
- Clean all the bathrooms (again).
- Hand-wash my pile of delicates.
- Prepare both guest bedrooms for my father-in-law and my brother-in-law.
- Note: Dan has his own long list for the month, although we’re both working on the furniture together.
30×30:
- Mail the 2 letters I wrote last month.
- Write 5 letters.
- Read 2 nonfiction books.
Clearly, I have a lot going on this month. My plan is to prioritize my household and my marriage above all else, even if that means blogging less and posting less often to Instagram.
Honestly, I’ve been on Belle Brita for almost 3 years now, which means I have some amazing content in my archives just dying to be read! I’m trying to be better at promoting old posts and not worrying so much about blogging 3-4 times each week.
What did you do in March? What are your April goals? Share your thoughts with me!
