Things Iv Learnt about blogging: 'start as you mean to go on'

 Iv been blogging for a few years now and boy do I wish I knew then what I knew now. I could have saved myself some sleepless nights and trouble if only I followed the simple guidelines below.

Whether you are knew to blogging, thinking of starting up or just taking a step back here are my simple tips to save you some tantrums and tears.

One of the main things I have learnt over the last four (nearly five) years of blogging is to 'start as you mean to go on'. Your blog name is the very first thing people see when they look at your blog and defines what people think and how they continue to read it. It (should) be your URL and stamp on the internet. 

I started blogging when I was 17, a young free teen living with my parents with the whole world in front of me. I sit here now 22, living in my own flat with baby and partner and a few fur baby's. These two lives are very different and so is my thoughts and feelings towards subjects. I started off believing in doing a beauty blog, i'm now lifestyle and free to roam all channels of reviews and life. If I had stuck to doing beauty I would have landed up in an unhappy rut and out of ideas. The choice to let myself out of a narrow field helped my inspiration to flow and enjoy writing again.

I was lucky my original blog name 'My Make Up Life' can be taken to show case what I have to 'make up' my life, others however are not so lucky.

My blog www.mymakeuplife.co.uk did not start off with that URL. Its only recently iv came to my senses to have my own domain. I'm paying for that currently in DA (domain authority) as over the years my links have changed so much. Not only this all previous link backs are broken as iv jumped username over the .blogspot.co.uk system from crystaldark, klayerd, mymakeuplife and umberphoenix. These can be reused by other members leading your hard earned traffic to them. So if you ditch a URL remember to redirect.

Social media is so important these days and in its hand is having a recognisable brand. Everything you write should come under one header so that any fans or company's looking at your work can find you with ease. In my case when I started out everything was mixed under childish usernames which frankly looks unprofessional. Ditch the internet lingo and link up your accounts, even better if you use the same on every place so all '@username' leads to your account across the board. Cant get the same username? Create your own personal #hashtag.

  

My Top Tips are;

•  Don't Be afraid to let your blog breathe over time, allow for expansion.
• Purchase a domain from the beginning - even if its just a vanity one and stick with it
• Don't tie yourself down to a niche unless you are 110% that's what you will focus on.  
• Keep it professional, fans and potential business are not interested in a childish username.
• Link your accounts for easier searching

Stay tuned for the rest of my "pre-blogging" series where I will be tackling making yourself visible, Image plus much more. Hit subscribe down below so you never miss the next post.

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Arc Planner & Give Away

I'm a huge lover of the Arc Notebook from Staples. So today I just wanted to write a little bit about what I have done with the inside of mine.  Its so easy to buy a planner then forget about it, which is why I love this one. It's so easy to sort out and personalise it to just how I want it. Meaning ill want to use it rather than a 'one and done' job.

In my last post i wrote about wanting to buy a few things for it such as extension disks. I landed up going with the largest ones which are 38mm and can hold up to 150 sheets. These are far larger than the ones which come with the notebook at 19mm.  They look really chunky but I know when i start to add further pages ill be thankful I have the room to expand. 

I had also purchased the blank pages which honestly have completely changed how I look at my planner. These blank pages are thick enough to safely print on at 100gsm. I love designing my own pages for this book. Some of the ones I have made are the one above for helping me stay on track with saving money. I really love the workout scheduale one I designed. I have it in a few colours in my planner to swap out my routen every few weeks.

Other purchases for my planner were picking up the Diary, Zip Pockets, Page Flags and more plastic dividers. I love the plastic dividers and have colour coded the whole planner so finding what I need could not be easier. These little page flags are also really handy, not just for this planner, but to have when I'm sorting out paperwork.

The only thing i would change is not purchasing the diary insert, since buying the blank pages I'm able to make up my own weekly and monthly overviews. I find the weekly views inconvenient as there are no dates on them. There's nothing wrong with them quality wise, just doesn't work for what I want to do with my planner. My next goals for this planner is to upgrade the cover to the purple leather version plus get my hands on more blank pages (I got rather carried away with printing out).

However don't take my word for all this, I'm offering the change to get your hands on your very own black a5 starter Arc planner which has eveything you see in the image below.

Its a brand new day and with it brought a brand new year. So I would like to give you all the chance to win your own Arc notebook which has really changed the way I organise my blogging and life.  To take part just follow the instructions below.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

This is open to UK only at this time and there is no cash alternative. You must enter with all the mandatory votes or you will be disqualified. Winner will be notified within 24 hours of comp ending.

What add-ons would you give to your planner?
 

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PS: Staples did offer discount on the give away items. I have purchased everything else with my own money at full price. I belive in giving an honest review on items on this blog and money will never sway my opinion.

 
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2016 Blogging Goals

As 2016 looms ever closer its time to start thinking about what we want to achieve. I have already covered what I would like to achieve personally but its time to cast an eye towards how I want to grow my blog and how I will achieve my goals. After all one of the points of blogging is to meet like minded foke who enjoy reading as much as you love writing. So below are my top goals for 2016.

Attend a Blogging Event

Aberdeen isn't the greatest area to live when it comes to blogging events. So hopefully by the end of 2016 ill have attended at least two even if it means I have to travel a little bit. I have attended some in the past and really enjoyed myself so it would be nice to get back in that social scene.

Feature and be Featured

Id love this year to feature some amazing bloggers on here in the hopes that we will all find new hidden gems and explore new blogs. There are so many fantastic talents out there if you know where to look so Id love to offer my blog space as a platform. In the same light id love to be featured myself and hopefully meet some new faces.

Grow My Social Media

Iv set myself a goal of having 2k twitter followers by the end of 2016 and continue to grow my other platforms like Instagram and Facebook page. Iv only recently started up with twitter and only just getting the hang of it. Though I hope by this time next year I will have adopted it into my blogging plans and hopefully take part in lots of twitter chats and #hash-tag until my little hearts content. 

Bloglovin'

On the same stream as growing my other social media's I would love to get the hang of Bloglovin' and hopefully grow there as well as follow (and keep reading) other blogs. Iv set a goal of 200 followers there.

Domain Authority

Its only since coming across amazing Facebook groups like 'UK Bloggers', that I have really came to terms that blogging is so much more than writing down words and hoping for the best. The one thing popping up more and more was DA (domain Authority) and how important it is. So iv set myself a mission to reach DA 20, even higher would be better but 20 will do for now.

Cha-Ching

I think this can be a goal of pretty much anyone in any hobby/job. Who wouldn't want to see a little return on there hard work? I know I would. I would love the chance to turn my blog into something that makes me a little money – just so I can keep affording to buy items to review. So hopefully this time next year ill have a few blogging penny's.

If you blog, what's your blogging goals? Or do you have any other goals for 2016? Let me know down below. 
 

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Arc customisable notebook

 One thing I always struggle with is organising my life. I write to do's about my to-do lists and have random notes jotted down everywhere. I guess you could say I have a bit of organised chaos. It often gets to the point I just ignore what's piling up hoping it will go away. However not anymore.

For the longest time I have wanted a filofax. I remember being in collage going to WHSmiths for some new pens and having a look at them. With there sleek leather exteriors and the options to customise what's inside; I couldn't afford it then and I cant afford them now. After all it is a lot of money for a fancy notebook. So when popping into staples a few days ago to actually see if a 'to-do' notebook existed I came across there Arc range. A budget friendly planner but still in same idea as a filofax.

After weighing up my options I landed up walking out with the basic a5 notebook, to-do pages and side index dividers. So hopefully now I will have no excuse not to keep myself in line. The price was above what you would pay for a notebook, but not extortionate.

The basic package is an a5 notebook costing £6.49 and is the cheapest available. With a plastic cover complete with thick 60 pages of lined paper I honestly would pay this again for another notebook if I needed too. Each page is double sided, and with being 100gsm paper ink is not visible from the other side. There is an option of a leather cover and lots of colours to choose from too. 

The 'to-do' pages come in a pack of 50 sheets for £2.80, also thick paper. This is fantastic value as the paper, verging on card, really does feel like its worth more than that. Each page comes with a handy tick box so its clear what still has to be done. 

I wasn't sure whether or not to get the side index dividers, but I'm glad I did. At £2.80 it was not a huge loss if I didn't like them. I'm finding that I'm using them more than I thought I would, and my folder is already becoming a neatly divided book with organised thoughts. These come with 5 in a pack, with random colours. You are able to get tabs that are seen from the top for the same cost.

Images From Staples.co.uk

The book is a little different from what I was used too. Each page is able to be slipped in and out of the book around plastic disks that make up spine. Unlike a ring binder, the spine in this is solid. This means that any poly pockets will not be able to fit, and if you already have a system in place everything will need to be converted. The pages can be a little tricky to add into the binder, with it being far easier to add in a small amount at a time. Once they're in however the pages glide nicely and stay secure.

I'm already noticing that with these two add-ons, that I will have to purchase the extender rings. The cover bows very slightly already with the standard disks. I wish there was something on the shelf at the time to help with putting together a perfect planner. Information like which size of disks are needed to hold so many pages would have been welcome information on how the planners work, plus saved a trip back to there shop. This has not put me off however and I look forward to adding further things into the binder such as a diary so everything will be in one place.

Some other options Include Diary, Zip Pockets and page flags.

Over all my note book cost £12.09 and its a price I would very happily pay again. I plan on very soon enlarging it to hold everything I need to keep my life, blogging, modelling and mum stuff together. It is avalible on there website or instore Staples.

How do you organise your thoughts? Let me know down below what you use.

Plus don't forget to subscribe so you wont miss out on any further organisation posts.

PS You can find out what I did next with my planner by clicking here. 

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