Goodbye 2019 and Hello 2020
2019 is over, and it’s the start of a new year. And today is my blog’s second anniversary. My second year of blogging went a lot smoother than my first. And I was able to stay on a consistent blogging schedule. As well as interact more with other bloggers and open an online store to accompany my blog. Outside of blogging, I was able to a lot more in 2019 than I was in 2018. Since I wasn’t working two jobs I was able to travel, hang out with my little sister, and attend different events. With it being the start of the year, I wanted to take a look back at my second year of blogging. So here’s my blogging wrap-up of 2019, what I learned, and what I have planned for 2020.
2019 Blogging Wrap-up
2019 was the year I was able to take blogging seriously. When I started blogging I was working a full-time and a part-time job. So I wasn’t able to dedicate a lot of time to blogging. I would just work on posts when I had free time and didn’t interact much with others in the blogging community. But, after months of being stressed out, I decided to quit my full-time job and just work part-time. It opened up my schedule, and I was able to put more into blogging. So I made my goal for 2019 to improve my blog, support other bloggers, and start an online store.
Improvements
My first step to improving my blog was doing a SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats) analysis. I identified my blog’s weaknesses, opportunities, strengths, as well as anything that could negatively affect it. After that, I developed a plan and slowly made improvements. Next, I created a posting schedule and planned out all my posts in advance. In doing this, it allowed me to stay consistent with my blog post. Next, I updated old posts and improved my SEO. I also identified my top 3 sources of traffic and invested time into those platforms. After doing all that I saw an increase in my blog’s traffic. Then I focused on supporting other bloggers and finding new opportunities for my blog.
Supporting Others and Opening an Online Store
Throughout the week, I took an hour to explore other blogs, leave comments, and share their content on social media. In doing this, I was able to connect with other bloggers. I didn’t have the time to do this during my first year of blogging. So, it was nice to support others and learn new things through reading their blog posts. Then I started looking for blogging opportunities. I started by making a media kit and reaching out to events and brands. While doing this, I got some nos and some yeses and was able to do more with my blog. While I was working on finding opportunities and supporting other bloggers, I was also working on opening an online store.
After months of research and late nights, I was able to open the Socially Awkward Club. It’s still a work in progress, and I’m hoping to do more with it this year.Β Since I’ve gotten over the challenges of opening an online store, and I’m comfortable with it now.
What I learned in 2019
I didn’t have the best year in 2018, so I went into 2019 intending to have a great year. Which was a good thing, but I took on too much on trying to make that happen. And as a result, I didn’t have a lot of free time to rest and relax. I found myself feeling burnt out and would have a hard time focusing. It wasn’t until towards the end of 2019 I realized I had too much going on at one time. Even though I had a great time in 2019 going to events, spending time, with my sister, and traveling. I wouldn’t take on as much as I did again. So going into 2020 I’m going to make it a habit to incorporate downtime into my schedule. No more back to back trips or multiple events in one week, but more downtime to laze around and watch TV.
What’s Next for 2020
To kick off 2020, I’m going to analyze not only my blog but my online store as well. Then make a plan to improve both. I’m also going to continue to support other bloggers, as well as do weekly shot-outs on Twitter for content creators. As far as my store, I’m going to take a back seat in designing and start featuring other artists. So if you’re an artist interested in creating a design for the Socially Awkward Club please contact me. I have some other things planned for 2020, but I’m going to keep that a secret for now.
Well, that’s my wrap-up of 2019. Overall 2019 was a good year, and I’m looking forward to seeing what 2020 has in store. How was your 2019 and what are you looking forward to in 2020?
Related post:Β A Look Back at 2018: My First Year of Blogging
Pin me!
I enjoyed reading about your wonderful 2019! Happy 2 year blog anniversary πΈ. Cheers π₯ to 2020. I am looking forward to to finishing my Associates Degree in 2020, my Fall 2019 class went great! Miss blogging on a regular basis however I do enjoy blogging when I have spare time.
Thank you, and Happy New year. Good Luck with finishing your Associates Degree. I hope that you’ll be able to do a little more blogging this year.
Happy two year anniversary! 2020 is the year I want to take my blog seriously and do all of the things I have been putting off with it. I’m excited to see what you have planned for posts this year! You are definitely one of my biggest role models in this community!
Thank you so much for your kind words. I hope that you are able to blog seriously and do things you’ve been putting off. I’m looking forward to seeing what you have planned. Good luck.
Great post. Itβs already been a month since Iβve started my blog. I feel that Iβve learned so much in this amount of time which makes me more excited to continue learning throughout this journey. Staying on top of my blogging schedule is something that I am wanting to maintain being that I currently work full time. My ultimate goal would be to pursue blogging full time
I hope that you achieve your goal and can pursue blogging full-time. It gets easier with time even with a full-time job and eventually, you find your grove. Good luck!
The goals you had for 2019 are what I have for 2020 for my blog! I’m really hoping to succeed more and get my online store up as well. This will be my 2nd year of blogging coming up in June and I really want this to be my career. Hoping for amazing things in 2020 for the both of us!
Good luck with all your goals this year. You’ve got a great blog with some great content, so I 100% believe that you’ll be able to make blogging a career and set up an online store.