Can you believe it? It’s already September! I just love September. My husband and I will be celebrating our second wedding anniversary on September 18. Fall will officially arrive on September 22 which means I no longer have to feel guilty about wearing dark lipstick and jewel tones. I can finally wear jeans in public and people don’t look at me like I’m crazy (because I’m pretty convinced I’m cold-blooded). Oh, and Pumpkin Spice everything is officially back. Can I be real with y’all for a sec? Pumpkin Spice isn’t my fave. (Cue the GASPS.) I would never turn down a PSL, but if I really had to choose, I’d pick cake donuts and hot apple cider any day. Anyone else?
August was a good month for me for blogging, and a not so good month for me for real life schtuff. The Light Owl saw an increase of almost 2000 views this month compared to July! Almost 4100 users came by to see what I had to say and they viewed my site over 6300 times. Guys, that is AMAZING. Thank you so much. Imma be honest with you. There were days this week where I felt like I was in over my head. (Related reading: How to Recognize and Reduce Burnout) But as I’m looking at those numbers, it’s making me remember that my blog was put on my heart for a reason. There is a purpose through the pain. There is strength in adversity. The hours and hours I pour into this project are paying off, and I am grateful beyond words that you all have found purpose, reason, and strength through the blood, sweat, and tears that I pour into this blog.
In August, I celebrated my little 3 Month Blogiversary (ICYMI: What I’ve Learned in 3 Months of Blogging). It blows my mind that I’ve only been blogging for three months because it feels like a lifetime to me. And at the same time, it feels like I’m still getting started. I am finally feeling like I’m getting established, finding my people (that’s YOU), and finding flow. At least in Blogland. You may have noticed that I upgraded my theme too. I love that my blog now looks much cleaner and more professional.
In my personal life, things have been a little more dicey. I’ve been pretty vague with you about some of the health issues I’ve been facing. In the coming months, I’m hoping I’ll find the courage to tell you more about what’s going on, but right now I am trying to practice the wise words of Newt Scamander from Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them: “My philosophy is that worrying means you suffer twice.” So until I know for myself what’s going on, I’m choosing to Stay Strong During Tough Times. I’m trying to keep an attitude of openness to whatever experiences I’m given in life. I’m working on recognizing that The Bad Days are Making Me Better.
With that being said, there was plenty of good that came out of August. I got to spend lots of quality time with my friends, family, and husband. He and I went to a beautiful greenhouse with a dear work friend. I got in touch with my midwest roots at the fair tractor pull, checked out my favorite animals on a zoo double date, went to a Fleet Foxes show, and celebrated a lot of things on Game of Thrones. I feel satisfied that I got all my favorite summer activities accomplished (I finally squeezed in a dip in the pool last weekend!) and now I can move forward to fall.
August Goals Recap
So how did I do on July’s goals? I was hesitant to even write this post because… it isn’t good. But you know, that’s how you learn. I think my downfall here was that I wrote out my goals and never looked back at them. Seriously, I had to look back and check out what I wrote as my goals because I could not remember them at all.
Personal Goals:
1. Have a Consistent Workout Routine
Verdict: FAIL
Yeah… about that workout routine. If I have learned anything about blogging, it’s that it is literally my second full time job. Working out is still important to me. I love how I feel when I work out. I know all the benefits to doing so. But the point is, I simply didn’t make the time.
2. Keep up with the Housework Daily
Verdict: Pass?
I’m pretty proud of us because we’ve actually been pretty good about keeping up with the housework. I didn’t do as much as I would have liked, but I also acknowledge that I’m a perfectionist. There was a day or two this month that I felt like our house was pretty messy, but other than that, I’m content.
3. Recreate our Household Budget
Verdict: Mostly Pass
So we did this… mostly. We wrote out all our expenses and figured out how much we’ll have left over after our bills are paid. We wrote up a meal plan and purchased our groceries according to our meal plan. And we decided to give ourselves some fun money each week which we can spend or save on whatever. (Think an allowance but for adults.) I am hoping that this will help us to not spend so frivolously. We used to be very careful with our money until we realized that we actually had a little bit to spend on fun things from time to time. We still have a bit of work to do on our budget, but I feel a lot better about it than I did last month.
Blog Goals:
1. Reach out to Brands/Secure a Sponsored Post
Verdict: Fail
You know, I thought I’d be more bummed about this, but I’m really not. Of course I’d like to make more money from my blog, but that’s not really my priority. My priority is producing lots of content that you guys love to read. I didn’t fail this goal for lack of trying. Instead, I just didn’t find any sponsored posts that fit with my blog mission and that I thought you all would love. So as much as I would still like to do a sponsored post, I’m not going to continue this goal into next month. I’m going to wait for the timing to be right instead. Can’t force it.
2. Write Ahead
Verdict: PASS!
I’m pretty proud of this. I didn’t write ahead EVERYTHING but I did way better than before. I created a content calendar, I started drafting posts, and I got posts written on Saturdays! There’s always improvement to be made but I’m happy with what I was able to accomplish.
3. Develop an Instagram Strategy
Verdict: Mostly Fail
Instagram is an enigma to me. I was big into instagram before I was a blogger and then I stopped using it for a long time. Now that I’m back on Insta, things have changed. A LOT. And not in a good way. All my blogging girls know what I’m talking about (algorithm, of course.) I have started using InstaStories, which are more fun than I thought. But I’m not using them as consistently as I’d like. And I’m still working on a theme. But I do think I’ve put in a good effort into my Instagram strategy. Now to somehow learn how to get blog traffic from Instagram.
September Goals
Personal Goals:
1. Focus on Getting Healthier
I’m not doing a workout goal this month because at this point, I’m not totally sure I can commit to it. So instead I’m going to change my focus to better overall health and wellness. My habits are all over the place right now because of a lot of reasons– the biggest of which is because I’m not prioritizing it like I want to.
2. Prioritize Self-Care
This goal is similar to #1. My self-care routine has been all over the place too. Some days I’m really good about taking some deep breaths, taking a nap, and slowing down. But there was also a day in August where I only left my bed to get food, soooo I know there is room for improvement here.
3. Find More Balance
Are you sensing a theme here? This month, I was either SUPER busy in every aspect of my life (think 5 different plans over a 2-day weekend), or I was literally doing nothing at all. In September, I want to strike more of a balance in my life, so that I don’t feel so scattered.
Blog Goals:
1. Continue to Write Ahead
Yup. Gonna keep this one because it’s so satisfying and it is one of the only ways I stayed sane in blogging. Knowing that my content is all ready for the next week helps me to breath so much easier.
2. Focus on Instagram
TBH, totally forgot this one was a goal for last month. Even though I still worked on my Instagram, I want to pour more of my energy into it this month.
3. Post more Personal Photos
One thing I learned last month about securing sponsored posts is that brands like to see a lot of photos taken by bloggers. I’ve been hesitant to post a lot of personal photos on my blog because I don’t have a nice camera. But I’ve decided I’m not going to let that hold me back. Expect to see a lot more images in my posts in September!
How did you do on your goals last month? What are you hoping to accomplish in September? And where do you fall on the PSL controversy? Let me know below!
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