31 Days 2013: Reflection
So what have I learned in one month of not buying anything for my house and writing about it? SO MUCH! The posts speak for themselves in terms of what I've done or made or thought about (like use a LOT of gifs in the Sunday Home Inspiration Posts, or my very first pie, or how sometimes function beats beauty - even if you're a blogger!).
Here's what I've learned:
Blogging more often makes people read your blog more often. Common sense? Maybe... but honestly, the month of October is one of total connection for me because there is SO much to interact with my readers on and there's so much to learn from other bloggers taking part in this series.I became so focused on my goal and my theme that I stopped really thinking about what to buy for my house and started just focusing on enjoying it. The whole point of my series was to talk about how to do this, and let me tell you, I really felt it working!Having a cleaning schedule WORKS! I know I didn't update you guys after I wrote a post on this, but it's been a really helpful part of our day to day and has totally helped me not to feel so overwhelmed by housework.Bloggers can be so supportive and amazing, and opening yourself up to real conversations with your fellow bloggy people is a total blessing. Julia inspired a whole series for the month of October, and I'm truly thankful for that. Taking part in this series always makes me want to blog more. I already have posts planned for this upcoming week and I'm more excited now about what's next for our home and this blog after taking the time to focus more on writing, observing and reading and less on being bogged down by 96 different projects or things I need around the house.
Yeah... I learned what it REALLY means to write for a full 31 days, not just a measly 24 or whatever I did last year, and to put posts out (somewhat) on time and not write 2 or 3 in one day to get "caught up." I learned a lot about discipline.I learned that not every blog post needs to have 7 pictures of what I did with watermarks and perfect lighting and editing... HAHAHA I know what you're thinking... My photos have never had those things! But what I mean is that it's ok to put out a post with 100 words and no original photos (even though your SEO checker will hate it).My husband is a pro blogger in disguise! PROOF!Personal posts, deep and intimate details of my life matter to my readers. Thank you for that. Thank you for responding so lovingly and gently to posts that I struggled (really hard) to hit "publish" on.I am my own worst critic. I already knew that, but I need to be more aware of it. I honestly have the coolest, bestest readers ever. Mean it.You can catch all 31 posts right here!
Ok so now what?
Now I start planning for 31 Days 2014.HAHAHAHA Just kidding.I'm not going to think about that for at least another 6 months! As amazing as doing this can be, it's also slightly traumatizing! 31 days of solid writing? Yeesh!But seriously, though, how many of you are going to join me next year?
I hope every last one of you. (Those of you who blog, anyway.)I completely encourage you to challenge yourself, get out of your comfort zone, and commit to something that can scare the crap out of you.Because it's worth it.The sense of accomplishment after this month is really so rewarding, and I wouldn't want anyone to miss out on that.Love you guys!
See you tomorrow for The Friday Five!!!
