Writer's block

I've really struggled to come up with new content for my blog over the last few weeks. So, ironically, I'm going to write about having nothing to write about.

I don't think anyone (apart from my mother) notices or cares if my blog is a bit quiet for a few weeks, but I do. I've set myself a schedule of publishing a new post every Monday at 5pm, and it irritates me if I have to deviate from that. As I mentioned in a previous post, I plan every aspect of my life with military precision and I'm also a perfectionist, so I hate it when my plans don't come together.

So, in the interest of having some new content to publish at the allocated time, why have I got writer's block at the moment?



No photos

I've got lots of ideas for new posts on my blogging Trello board, but so many of them need new photos to supplement them. New photos require time and good lighting, and I haven't had an abundance of either over the last few weeks. I haven't got a professional camera or fancy lights, and all my photos are taken on my phone. One way around this is to use stock photos, so I've made use of Unsplash a few times when I don't need highly specific photos. It's not something I want to do too regularly so a lack of decent photos can be a big barrier.

Photo by Jessica Lewis on Unsplash

No time

I'm always really busy during the week. By the time I've been to work, been to the gym, walked Jessie and eaten dinner, there's not much of the evening left. This makes it difficult to find time to blog, particularly if I want to write a more reflective piece of content that needs a lot of thought. Consequently I try to use my weekends to blog, but that also becomes impossible if I've got lots of plans or want a screen-free weekend.



No room in my head for new ideas

I've had a lot going on lately which means I've struggled to think of new ideas for my blog. My brain is chock-full of a jumble of various stresses and this isn't ideal for the creative process. I always make sure I use whatever brainpower I've got left to do my job well, so there hasn't been much left by the time I get home.

Photo by Hans-Peter Gauster on Unsplash

No energy

Following on from the last point, I've been feeling completely exhausted and wiped out for weeks. The last thing I've wanted to do is get my laptop out and write after getting home in the evening. I've barely been able to keep my eyes open long enough to watch Neighbours, let alone anything else.



No recent holidays!

Holidays usually provide me with lots of blogging content, but I haven't been away since our trip to Venice in March. We also haven't eaten out anywhere new recently which means I haven't had any opportunities to write new restaurant reviews. We've got some exciting plans for the next couple of months, including a trip back to the Gower with Jessie, so hopefully those plans will provide me with some new content.

Have you got any tips about how to overcome writer's block? Or do you just go with it and start writing again when you feel up to it? Let me know!

A recap of this year's blog posts

I've had a busy few weeks which means I haven't had time to come up with any new content for a little while. So, rather than leaving the blog blank for a week, I thought I'd put together a recap of this year's posts instead.

My blog stats have been quite disappointing for the last few months and I'm not too sure why. Hopefully this summary will remind my readers about posts they might have missed, giving my stats a much-needed boost at the same time!


Christmas and new year 

My first few posts of 2019 were all about Christmas and the new year, as you'd expect. I blogged about our Christmas and new year celebrations and my Christmas sale bargains, as well as my annual 'best of 2018' blog post which summarised all my highlights from last year.

New York 

I went to New York in December which meant some of my blog posts from that holiday spilt over into 2019. I posted a mouth-watering summary of what we ate in New York, and I also blogged about what I wore in New York.

Lifestyle 

I've written one very personal post this year about remembering what makes me 'me'. This post has had three times as many views as my other recent posts! People are nosey and we all love scrolling through a good personal post. I've also blogged about rediscovering my reading mojo, as well as blogging about why I love having a dog last week.

Venice 

Lastly, we went to Venice at the beginning of March and I managed to get three blog posts out of our lovely trip. One was a photographic summary, and I also blogged about what I ate in Venice and what I wore in Venice.

Hopefully there'll be some brand new content on the blog next week. In the meantime, feel free to catch up on any posts you've missed! 

Trello is my new best friend

Since starting my new job in March, I've become a little addicted to Trello. I haven't had much time to blog this week as I've been ill, so I thought I'd quickly summarise why I love Trello and what I use it for. 

Trello is basically a haven for list lovers and super organised people (a.k.a. me). You can set up boards for various categories, and within those boards you can set up numerous lists and cards. Cards can then be dragged and dropped into different lists when tasks get finished or priorities change. You can do lots of colour coding and add attachments, and it's completely free! 

Trello has a great mobile app as well as a user-friendly desktop version, and I'm now obsessively using it in my personal life as well as in work. 

So, what exactly do I use Trello for and why is it my new best friend? 

Work 

I'm a member of at least ten work-related Trello boards. As a communications team, we use Trello to plan our events and content, allocate tasks, organise workload, keep track of progress and keep on top of deadlines. We also use Trello to work with different areas of the business on wider campaigns and projects. It has a useful 'calendar' feature which allows you to look at the upcoming week or month in its entirety, and I honestly don't know how I'd be able to do some parts of my job without it! 

Blogging

I use Trello to jot down ideas for blog posts whenever they pop into my head. I move cards to my 'blog content in progress' list once I start drafting a post, then they satisfyingly get moved to the 'published' list when they go live on a Friday at 5pm. Trello has a handy 'comment' section where I keep a rough summary of what I want to cover in each blog post, and it's so much neater than keeping a big long note on my phone as I used to do pre-Trello. 

Holidays 

We used Trello to organise our holiday to Florida in May, and we're now using it to plan our trip to New York next week. Neil and I both have access to our 'NYC 2018' board which means any updates we make will sync across all our devices. It's a great way of keeping track of the restaurants we want to visit and to make sure we've actually got enough days to do all the exciting activities we've got planned. 

Christmas 

I used to keep my Christmas shopping list in the back of my paper diary. Not any more! Trello has been a really fantastic tool for noting down who I need to buy for, quickly jotting down gift ideas, keeping track of what I've bought and how much I've spent, then moving cards to that hallowed 'people I've finished buying for' list once I'm happy with what I've bought for each person. 

Is anyone else obsessed with Trello? Let me know if you can think of anything else I could use it for! 

Ten things I love about blogging

If you've read last week's blog post, you'll already know that blogging is one of the new hobbies I've picked up over the last few years.

Inspired by Cat's blog post a couple of months ago, I thought it was about time I blogged about why I enjoy blogging so much. This also means I had the opportunity to make use of one of my greatest loves... a list!

1. I like to think of my blog as a digital journal or scrapbook. Although I look back at some of my older posts and cringe at the quality of the photography and sometimes even the writing, it's nice to be able to look back at the things I've shared over the years and to relive some of those memories.

2. I find it much easier to write about things than to talk about them. I've shared some very personal posts on this blog over the last two years since my cancer diagnosis, and it always feels very therapeutic to be able to get those feelings down on paper (or on screen).

3. Following on from the last point, writing is a great distraction for me when I need to escape from whatever thoughts I've got whirring around in my busy brain. Writing also helps me to be more mindful and to anchor myself in the present moment, which can only be a good thing.

4. Instagram is my favourite social networking platform, and I like to think of my blog as an extension or a supplement for my Instagram grid. If I've been somewhere instagrammable and shared lots of photos on Instagram, you can almost certainly expect a follow-up blog post on the topic.

5. I publish a new blog post every Friday at 5pm, and I've found that having such a defined schedule has really helped me to brainstorm and organise ideas for new content. When I used to publish hap-hazardly a few years ago, I'd either go for weeks without posting anything or I'd enthusiastically post a few times per week and use up all my ideas too quickly.

6. I particularly enjoy stretching blog posts on a certain topic into a series, such as my 'Twelve posts of Christmas' series or birthday haul posts. It makes my content last for a few weeks and also makes the posts more digestible for my readers.

7. Very few people read my blog, if I'm completely honest. However, although I'd be lying if I said I never got annoyed about this, I do blog for my own enjoyment first and foremost which means it doesn't really matter how many people read my posts in the grand scheme of things.

8. I'm pretty shy in real life. Blogging has allowed me to find my own voice and to share my experiences, all from the comfort of my laptop while wearing my pyjamas and drinking a hot chocolate.

9. I don't blog about divisive topics. This is partly because I've always worked in places where I have to remain politically neutral, but also because my blog is my happy place. I blog about whatever I want to blog about, and not necessarily about whatever everyone else is talking about.

10. Last but not least, my blog serves as my 'brain dump' for photos, exciting times, new adventures and, occasionally (see point 2!), difficult times. I love having a little corner of the internet that's all mine where I can document snippets of my life and blog about the simple little things that make me happy.



Have you blogged about why you love blogging? Let me know in the comments!

Hobbies of an early-30-something

During that hazy twenty minutes between my alarm going off and eventually forcing myself out of bed, I always have a quick scroll through the day's Timehop memories. I joined Facebook about 11 years ago which means that Timehop now shows me updates from as far back as 2007. I was in my third year of university for the first half of 2007 and worked in Tesco for the last half, so life was very different back then.

My daily trip down memory lane has made me realise that my hobbies and interests have changed quite a bit over the last ten years as I've got older and my lifestyle and priorities have changed. I enthusiastically decided a few weeks ago that this would make an excellent topic for a blog post.

So, here's a bit of an audit on how my hobbies have changed from my early 20s to my early 30s...

New hobbies

Blogging
I set up my blog in 2011 and have been blogging pretty regularly since, particularly over the last five years. Blogging is a great creative outlet for me and I do genuinely enjoy updating my own little corner of the internet.

Walking
Although I used to walk everywhere when I was a student, that was more out of necessity rather than because I enjoyed it. I couldn't afford to pay for taxis and I didn't pass my driving test until I was 21, so walking felt like a bit of a chore. Nowadays, I love going out for walks around our beautiful local areas.

Eating Believe it or not, I used to be quite a fussy eater when I was younger. While I was at university and for a couple of years afterwards, I didn't really appreciate the joy of food like I do now. I'm not a very good cook and I couldn't afford to eat out much, so I used to live on pasta and beans on toast. These days, it won't surprise you to hear that I LOVE eating. 

Walt Disney World
I went to Walt Disney World for the first time when I was 25 and I well and truly caught the bug. I've been six times since then and fully intend to go back next year.

Pyjamas
I've always worn pyjamas (obviously), but I've only started getting really excited about them during the last few years. I think I prefer shopping for new pyjamas than shopping for actual clothes.

Dogs
I was absolutely terrified of dogs in my early 20s. Now, I think I actually prefer dogs to people most of the time and I've even got my own amazing dog.

Old hobbies

Rugby
In my early 20s and for many years before that, I used to spend an absolute fortune on rugby tickets. I went to watch Swansea playing regularly when I was still in school, and I bought tickets to watch both Cardiff and Wales on a regular basis throughout my time at university. These days, I'm not bothered about watching the games on TV let alone in real life. I'm not sure when I fell out of love with it, but at some point it just stopped being a priority for me.

Collecting newspaper cuttings

Anyone who has ever lived with me will know that my bedroom walls and furniture used to be completely covered in newspaper cuttings featuring my favourite rugby memories, my favourite rugby players and my favourite celebrities. I also had separate folders full of cuttings which I couldn't fit on the walls. About six years ago, I decided that my bedroom walls looked much nicer without all that clutter and I haven't looked back since! 

Going out on a Friday and/or Saturday night
I used to go out quite regularly at the weekends in my early 20s, but these days I love nothing more than to curl up in my aforementioned pyjamas on a Saturday night with a film and a hot chocolate (and perhaps a glass of wine if I'm feeling adventurous).

Hobbies that have lasted the distance

Reading
I've loved reading since I was about four years old when I used to devour new Enid Blyton books every day. My love for reading has never wavered, and I hope it never will.

Gym
I started going to the gym during my second year at university. I've been a member of a few different gyms over the years and have experimented with exercise classes, cardio and weight training. This is definitely a hobby that's remained very constant over the last ten years or so.

Disney
My love for Disney has grown since I started visiting Walt Disney World (and so has my collection of Mickey ears), but it's always been there since I was a little girl who was obsessed with 101 Dalmatians, Bambi and the Jungle Book.

Music
Listening to music became a hobby in my mid teens, and it's still up there as one of my favourites. My music taste hasn't really changed since then... I'm currently listening to S Club 7's Greatest Hits.

Neighbours
I did have quite a big gap where I didn't watch Neighbours for a few years during my mid 20s, but it's well and truly back in my life now and brightening up my evenings.

Buying pink things 
This isn't really a hobby as such, but pink has been my favourite colour for as long as I can remember and that remains the case to this day!

How have your hobbies changed over the last ten years? 

Reminiscing about my last few posts...

I didn't have time to blog this week as I've been away on holiday, so I thought I'd cheat a little and use this week's regular slot to promote some of my recent content. I could have just had a week off but I've become really attached to this 'posting every Thursday' malarkey, as have my regular readers (hi, Mum).

Here are my last ten blog posts - feel free to re-read, read for the first time, or pretend to read!


My five favourite pampering rituals

Afternoon tea at Llanerch Vineyard 

Wizarding weekend in Watford 

Restaurant Review: Etc

Celebrating our third wedding anniversary 

My bow-tiful Mickey ears

Restaurant Review: Tony's 

Celebrating 20 years of Harry Potter 

We need to talk about mental health 

Disney Pandora has arrived in the UK! 


Look out for a brand new blog post next week.

My frustrations with the blogging world

I've recently got my blogging mojo back and have been posting fairly regularly over the last few months. However, the general blogging world seems to be much more difficult to crack than it used to be when I first started out a few years ago.

Although I never write particularly personal posts as I don't have the confidence to publish and share them, I thought I'd go halfway there by sharing some of my blogging frustrations. Apologies in advance for the self-indulgent post, but I'm sure I won't be alone in some of these thoughts!

1. When you spend hours on a post and no one reads it

I know blogging isn't supposed to be about the numbers, but... let's be honest, the numbers are important. I blog as a way of keeping a digital scrapbook of what I've been up to and to focus on those things which interest me most, and I do obviously like it when lots of people read my posts. Who doesn't? I'm always keen to gather more views on posts I've spent a significant amount of time on just to see some return on my investment, but these are often the ones with the most disappointing take-up. For example, I literally spent hours on my recent Disney A-Z posts (here and here) and had low views for both even though people who have written similar posts have had lots of interest. It's difficult not to take it personally when you write at length about something you find interesting and are passionate about and no one takes a look!



2. When you try to take part in blogger chats but can't penetrate the clique 

This is something I've always struggled with, both in the blogging world and in real life. I've never been any good at becoming part of the 'clique' in my everyday life and it seems that it's no different when it comes to online interaction. How does one become part of that esteemed blogging circle? Everyone already seems to know each other and there often isn't room for someone who sits on the sidelines and isn't part of the 'in' crowd. I know engagement is the key to growing your following, but it's discouraging when you do try to engage and don't get acknowledged.

I gave up on the #lbloggers chats a long time ago for this very reason. I was hoping the more recent #disneybloggerschat would be different as the topic is right up my street and it's a bit smaller and more contained than the #lbloggers chat. Unfortunately not... it's exactly the same. When you feel as if you're standing on your tiptoes knocking on the window and no one's taking any notice of you, it gets a bit tiring and it's just easier not to take part. I used to contemplate attending a blogger meet-up but the thought of the same thing happening in real life where I can't escape or ignore it strikes fear into my very core!



3. When you can't get good lighting for your photos

This is a more light-hearted gripe, but how irritating is it when you've got lots of blog posts lined up which require a decent amount of photography and the weather is dull and grey for two weeks? Living in Wales, this is a frequent annoyance! There's only so much editing you can do to pretend you've had the perfect lighting, and I don't like using heavily edited photos on my blog.



4. When you proofread all your posts within an inch of their life and yet the badly written ones are still more popular

Those of you who know me in real life will be painfully aware that I'm a stickler for accuracy. I constantly and compulsively proofread everything from signage to labels to menus to my favourite books.. It goes without saying that I proofread all my blog posts dozens of times as they form an important part of my personal online 'brand', and I don't want any inaccuracies associated with anything I've written. However, I frequently read posts from all corners of the blogging world which are badly written and have been read and commented on tens of times. Doesn't good writing count for anything any more? I realise I sound as if I'm throwing my toys out of my pram here but it's something I feel very strongly about!



So... is there anything I can do about it? I could certainly improve on reading and commenting on other people's blogs which is something I'm determined to do more of. I read lots of blogs but hardly ever comment, and I'm also quite forgetful when it comes to replying to the few comments I get on my own blog. I also need to get better at reading through my Bloglovin feed - I often click on blog posts promoted on Twitter but haven't been very good at actively seeking out the posts from my favourite blogs in recent years. However, part of me feels that no amount of interaction will help with some of the issues above as it's just the way things are.

Does anyone else feel the same? Do you have any blogging gripes you'd like to share? Let me know!

As an aside... wouldn't it be ironic if this post wasn't well read?!

Social media objectives... a review of 2014 and new goals for 2015!

I wrote a blog post on my social media objectives for 2014 back in January 2014, and posted a 'halfway through the year' progress checker last July. Now that 2015 has arrived and it's already February (how did that happen?), I thought I'd take a final look at last year's objectives and set some new ones for the year ahead.

It might seem a bit OTT to set myself objectives for my personal social media presence... I really am that organised and like a challenge!


Blog objectives - 2014

• To revamp and rename my blog by April 2014. Done!
• To set up a Google Analytics account for my blog by April 2014. Done!
• To reach 100 followers on Bloglovin by the end of the year. I have 35, so not even halfway there!
• To ensure that I read other blogs and comment on them for at least half an hour every week throughout the year. I think I managed this most weeks. 
• To take part in at least two blogger chats per month throughout the year. I've given up on blogger chats if I'm honest... I find that they're very cliquey and quite critical, and not always in a constructive way. 
• To attend at least one blogger meet-up before the end of the year. Still no progress here!

Blog objectives - 2015

I do get quite demoralised with my blog at times as I put a lot of time into writing my posts and my follower base isn't really growing. However, if I enjoy writing (which I do), does it really matter if I haven't got hundreds of followers? My friends and family enjoy reading my blog, and I've made some great friends on Twitter who are also regular readers. I don't interact with other bloggers as much as I could as the blogging world can be so cliquey at times (see above). However, on the other hand, I think my blog would be slightly more successful if it was more professionally designed. Bearing all this in mind, I've only made a few objectives this year and I believe that they're achievable:

• To reach 50 followers on Bloglovin by the end of the year. 
• To post twice a week.
• To get my blog professionally designed by the end of the year... need to do some Twitter research for this one.  

Follow me on Bloglovin

Twitter objectives - 2014

• To reach 350 Twitter followers by the end of the year. I have 342... so close! However, I do have 624 followers on my professional account. 
• To ensure that I engage with at least 5 new people on Twitter every week throughout the year. I've managed this most weeks, between my personal account and my professional one. 
• To ensure that at least 40% of traffic to my blog is driven there from Twitter. The figure is actually 12% but I'm quite pleased with this as I'm also having a decent amount of traffic to my blog from Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram. 

Twitter objectives - 2015

I really love Twitter and use it extensively in a professional and a personal context. When it comes to the apparent battle between Twitter and Facebook, Twitter is king!

• To reach 400 followers by the end of the year. 
• To increase my blog traffic from Twitter to 25%.

Follow me on Twitter 

Pinterest objectives - 2014

• To reach 100 followers by the end of the year. I have 53... I didn't spend enough time on Pinterest last year!
• To follow at least 100 new people/boards by the end of the year. I'm following 55, so again this was over ambitious. 
• To have at least one Pinterest 'binge' per week! I've had quite a few binges recently... hopefully this will continue. 
• To comment on at least 5 pins per week as well as re-pin. I haven't done much commenting, just re-pinning!

Pinterest objectives - 2015

Pinterest is my 'go to' place when I'm planning a holiday, looking for a new hairstyle, looking for colour inspiration and so on. It's not a site I use daily so it's unrealistic to expect big numbers from this one.

• To reach 100 followers by the end of the year. 
• To follow 100 boards by the end of the year.
• To continue to pin every image from my blog on a relevant Pinterest board.

Follow me on Pinterest

Instagram objectives - 2014

• To reach 150 followers by the end of the year. Done, I have 244! 
• To follow 100 new people by the end of the year. Done, I'm following 392...
• To make better links between Instagram and my blog by promoting at least one photo from my blog on Instagram every week. I do this for every blog post which contains photos. 
• To have an Instagram 'binge' at least once per week where I like and comment on other people's photos. This is a daily thing... I love Instagram!

Instagram objectives - 2015

It's safe to say that Instagram is my fastest growing social network, and it's quickly becoming my favourite. It's such a simple concept but I absolutely love it. Consequently, this is one social network where I think it's safe for me to set ambitious objectives!

• To reach 400 followers by the end of the year.
• To ensure that 5% of traffic to my blog is driven there from Instagram (currently 2%). 

Follow me on Instagram

LinkedIn objectives - 2014

• To reach 300 connections by the end of the year. Done, I have 346!
• To follow 10 new company pages before the end of the year. Done!
• To join 5 new LinkedIn groups before the end of the year, and to engage with these groups as and when interesting topics arise. Haven't had time for this one!

LinkedIn objectives - 2015

LinkedIn definitely isn't anywhere near my list of top five social networking sites, but it does serve a purpose so it's useful to have a presence on there.

• To reach 450 connections by the end of the year

I know some people think setting objectives for personal social media sites is silly and a bit overly meticulous, but I like having something to aim for and to benchmark myself against. 

Here's to more social media obsession in 2015! 

300 posts!

Happy new year! I've somehow timed my latest blogging milestone to coincide with the new year... what a convenient coincidence.

I thought I'd continue with my milestone tradition by discovering which posts have been most popular since I started my blog. I changed my blog name and URL in the first half of 2014 which had a detrimental effect on my blog views, so a lot of the posts below also featured in my '200 posts' entry. However, there are a few newbies in there (specifically the restaurant reviews!) and I'm hoping there'll be a few more new posts in my '400 posts' entry, whenever that milestone comes around.

So without further waffle (I do love a good waffle), here are my ten most popular posts...

1. Hollister Addison... best perfume ever?
2. Film review: The Great Gatsby
3. Frantic about Florida #2
4. Duffy the Disney Bear
5. Costa, Nero or Starbucks?
6. Cineworld Unlimited card
7. There's no surprise quite like a McFly surprise 
8. New York #4 - Rockefeller Center
9. Restaurant review: Harvester
10. Restaurant review: Cedar Tree Farm 

The ten posts above are clearly a very eclectic mix... from beauty to film reviews to Disney to holidays to restaurant reviews! This proves that all kinds of unique people with different interests read my blog, and also that people seem to enjoy reading a wide variety of posts from contrasing categories on a lifestyle blog. I've never liked to pigeonhole myself into a particular category in any aspect of my life, and this philosophy applies to my blog too.

Have you read any of the posts featured above? What posts would you like to see more of in 2015? Let me know!

My second guest blog post

Hot on the heels of my first guest blog post for Danielle a few weeks ago, Cheryl recently asked me to write a guest post for her while she was on holiday. Cheryl's blog, Peppermint and Pearls, is one of my favourite lifestyle blogs so I was delighted to be given the opportunity to contribute.

I decided to blog about five places I want to visit before I'm 40 as I'm a bit obsessed with daydreaming about various unattainable holidays at the moment. I also thought it would be a nice touch as Cheryl was away on holiday herself while my guest post was published. You can read my post here.

Here's a sneak preview of one place I want to visit... can you guess where this is?

Source

Let me know what you think of the post!

My social media objectives for 2014 - a mid year update!

You might remember that I wrote a blog post on my social media objectives for 2014 back in January. I thought I'd revisit these objectives six months on to see how I'm progressing and to make sure I'm on track. I love a bit of measuring and evaluating!


Blog objectives

• To revamp and rename my blog by April 2014. Done!
• To set up a Google Analytics account for my blog by April 2014. Done!
• To reach 100 followers on Bloglovin by the end of the year. Still a lot of work to do on this... I'm only on 28. 
• To ensure that I read other blogs and comment on them for at least half an hour every week throughout the year. I've managed to achieve this most weeks, but some weeks are too busy to fit in even half an hour!
• To take part in at least two blogger chats per month throughout the year. I started well at the beginning of the year, but haven't had time to take part in any chats for the last few months. 
• To attend at least one blogger meet-up before the end of the year. No progress on this one!

Follow me on Bloglovin

Twitter objectives

• To reach 350 Twitter followers by the end of the year. I'm on 314... not bad!
• To ensure that I engage with at least 5 new people on Twitter every week throughout the year. I'm doing pretty well with this one. 
• To ensure that at least 40% of traffic to my blog is driven there from Twitter. I'll have more definite statistics when my Google Analytics account has been up and running for a longer period of time, but initial impressions suggest that around a third of my blog traffic comes from Twitter. 

Follow me on Twitter 

Pinterest objectives

• To reach 100 followers by the end of the year. I currently have 44... I must admit, I've neglected Pinterest this year! 
• To follow at least 100 new people/boards by the end of the year. I'm following 47, so still some work to do here. 
• To have at least one Pinterest 'binge' per week! I definitely haven't had time to do this very often. 
• To comment on at least 5 pins per week as well as re-pin. No time to do this either!

Follow me on Pinterest

Instagram objectives

• To reach 150 followers by the end of the year. I currently have 132, so doing pretty well on this one. 
• To follow 100 new people by the end of the year. I'm following 388, so I've smashed this objective!
• To make better links between Instagram and my blog by promoting at least one photo from my blog on Instagram every week. I've been doing this for every blog post which contains photos. 
• To have an Instagram 'binge' at least once per week where I like and comment on other people's photos. I'm a bit obsessed with Instagram so have been doing this much more often than once per week!

Follow me on Instagram

LinkedIn objectives

• To reach 300 connections by the end of the year. At the time of writing, I'm on 299!
• To follow 10 new company pages before the end of the year. I've followed 4 company pages so far this year.  
• To join 5 new LinkedIn groups before the end of the year, and to engage with these groups as and when interesting topics arise. I haven't started on this one yet. 

Considering how busy this year has been so far, I'm pretty pleased with my progress. My Pinterest presence needs a lot of work, but I'm hoping I'll have more time to have guilt-free Pinterest binges after the wedding. Although planning a wedding should encourage a lot of Pinterest binges, I've got to the stage where looking at people's perfect weddings is stressing me out! I did enjoy looking on there for ideas right at the beginning of the planning process as I was still deciding on colours and so on, but it doesn't appeal to me at the moment. 

I'm very pleased with my progress on Instagram and it's quickly joining Twitter as my favourite social networking site. I love sharing my own photos as well as nosing at other people's. Don't we all?

Does anyone else set themselves objectives for their personal social media presence? Is it just me...?

My very first guest blog post!

So something exciting happened recently... Danielle asked me to write a guest blog post for her lovely blog, Underland to Wonderland.

I've never written a guest blog post before so I was really excited to be given this opportunity, especially as I'm an avid reader of Danielle's blog. I think guest blog posts are a great way to populate your blog while you're busy as they provide some variety and take off the pressure of creating content during these busy times. We both thought a Disney themed post would be appropriate so I got my thinking cap on...

I decided my post just had to focus on my love for Florida's Walt Disney World and why no other holiday will ever live up to this amazing place.

Here's a little snippet...

'I first visited Florida’s Walt Disney World in April 2012. I’ve always been a big Disney fan and have been watching classic Disney films such as The Lion King and 101 Dalmatians ever since I can remember, but I’d never been to a Disney park before 2012. My fiancé convinced me to go as he’d been with his family so many times and he was convinced that I’d love it there. After much deliberation and dithering, I agreed to go. Although I was very excited about the prospect of going all the way to Florida, I insisted that it would be a once in a lifetime thing as it was quite pricey compared to my usual holidays. After our very first evening in Walt Disney World, I was hooked and definitely needed to re think my ‘once in a lifetime’ stance!'

You can head over to Danielle's blog to read the rest of the post, and to see lots of photos from my two trips to Walt Disney World. 

Has anyone else written a guest blog post recently? Let me know, I love reading them! 

My social media objectives for 2014

I love a good SMART objective. All objectives should be Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Time Bound. If they're not SMART, they're not objectives!

I've decided to set myself a few objectives for my social networking sites this year as it's useful to have some goals to measure yourself against to make sure you're making progress and achieving everything you set out to achieve. I work in communications so I've been busy setting objectives and writing a strategy for my professional social media sites, so I thought it would be beneficial to set some for my personal sites too. I'm a self confessed social media addict and I'm keen to achieve more on my social networking sites this year than I ever have before.

So here are my personal social media objectives for 2014!

My blog 

• To revamp and rename my blog by April 2014. Although I like the way blog looks at the moment, it could look a lot more professional. I also really like the name of my blog, but unfortunately the littlemissbusy.blogspot.co.uk URL isn't available and I want the name to match the URL. 
• To set up a Google Analytics account for my blog by April 2014. I use Google Analytics for work and absolutely love it, but it's always been set up for me by web developers so I need to figure out how to set an account up myself for my own blog. Can anyone link me to any blog posts on how to do this?
• To reach 100 followers on Bloglovin by the end of the year. I will (hopefully) achieve this by publicising my Bloglovin presence a lot more and taking part in more blogger chats. 
• To ensure that I read other blogs and comment on them for at least half an hour every week throughout the year. I'm very busy at the moment with wedding planning so I think this is a realistic time commitment to set for this objective. Achieving this objective will also help me to achieve the second objective!
• To take part in at least two blogger chats per month throughout the year. Blogger chats are a great way to engage with other bloggers and to find new blogs to read. They're also very helpful as you often find out that other bloggers have exactly the same insecurities about their blog as you have. 
• To attend at least one blogger meet-up before the end of the year. I'm very scared about this one, but I'm determined to step out of my comfort zone and just do it!

Follow me on Bloglovin

Twitter

• To reach 350 Twitter followers by the end of the year. I currently have 255 so this is a realistic objective. I will achieve this milestone by taking part in more blogger chats as I've mentioned above and tweeting more about current affairs which are of interest to me, using the relevant hashtags for increased exposure.
• To ensure that I engage with at least 5 new people on Twitter every week throughout the year. These could be fellow bloggers, authors, retailers and so on. 
• To ensure that at least 40% of traffic to my blog is driven there from Twitter. Twitter is the biggest promotional tool I have for my blog at the moment and I'm hoping this will continue throughout 2014.
   

Follow me on Twitter

Pinterest

• To reach 100 followers by the end of the year. Achieving the set objectives below will help me to achieve this milestone. 
• To follow at least 100 new people/boards by the end of the year.
• To have at least one Pinterest 'binge' per week! I absolutely adore Pinterest but I do sometimes forget to visit the site for weeks at a time if I'm particularly busy. 
• To comment on at least 5 pins per week as well as re-pin. I re-pin loads of pins on Pinterest but never take the time to comment, which means I'm not making the most of my engagement opportunities.
   

Follow me on Pinterest

Instagram

• To reach 150 followers by the end of the year. I currently only have 30 followers as I've only had an Instagram account for two months, but I think it has huge potential for me so I think this is a realistic objective. 
• To follow 100 new people by the end of the year. I currently follow 115 people, most of which are bloggers or Disney people.
• To make better links between Instagram and my blog by promoting at least one photo from my blog on Instagram every week. I love a bit of social media integration. 
• To have an Instagram 'binge' at least once per week where I like and comment on other people's photos. Again, I can't expect people to engage with my photos if I'm not reciprocating. It's all about two-way communication. I do have difficulty with Instagram as I have a Blackberry which means that I don't have the official Instagram app. The Blackberry version is called 'Blackgram' (I know, awful name) and is very glitchy, to put it nicely!

Follow me on Instagram 

LinkedIn

• To reach 300 connections by the end of the year. I currently have 240 connections and this number tends to creep up quite slowly, so this is a realistic objective. 
• To follow 10 new company pages before the end of the year. There are lots of relevant company pages on LinkedIn with interesting content, both from a professional and a personal perspective. 
• To join 5 new LinkedIn groups before the end of the year, and to engage with these groups as and when interesting topics arise. This will be a great way of engaging with like-minded people and picking up tips on various topics which interest me. 

I'll write a 'Halfway through the year' post in June to let you know how I'm getting on these objectives. I'm now off to read and comment on some blogs... I'm going to start as I mean to go on! 

200 posts!

Newsflash... I've reached the very exciting (for me) 200 post landmark! I'm very pleased with this achievement as I've only been blogging properly for just over a year, and last year was an extremely busy one where I sometimes struggled to fit everything in.

When I first decided to start blogging regularly, I was worried that I'd constantly struggle to fit it in with my hectic schedule. However, I've found that writing is a good way to relax and to make sure I put aside some time in the evenings to do something I'm interested in, even if it's only for fifteen minutes.

When I reached my 100th post a few months ago, I wrote a blog post about my ten most read posts up to that point. I've decided to do the same for my 200th post... not very imaginative, I know.

So here are my top ten most read posts so far...

Film review: The Great Gatsby
Frantic about Florida #2
Cineworld Unlimited Card
There's no surprise quite like a McFly surprise
Duffy the Disney Bear
Hollister Addison... best perfume ever?
Costa, Nero or Starbucks?
New York #4: Rockefeller Center
Barry M's Gelly Range
Marks & Spencer's £10 Dine in for two

Apparently the people who stumble upon my blog are interested in films and the cinema, Florida, McFly, Duffy the Disney Bear, perfume, hot chocolate, New York, nail varnish and food! I am genuinely curious about the reading trends on my blog so it's good to have a rough idea about what posts people are most interested in.

Have you read the posts above? Which posts would you like to see more of in 2014?

100th post!

I'm pretty excited that this is my 100th post. One of my resolutions for this year was to post regularly on my blog, so I'm really pleased that I've achieved this aim especially as I've been so busy this year.

I thought I'd celebrate my 100th post by finding out which ten posts have been most popular with readers and linking back to those posts so that new readers can get a flavour of my blog. As you can see, there's a wide variety of posts in this list which shows that different people are attracted to all kinds of a different posts.

1. There's no surprise quite like a McFly surprise
2. Frantic about Florida #2
3. New shoes!
4. The Body Shop's satsuma shower gel
5. New York #6: Times Square
6. Frantic about Florida #1
7. Date day :)
8. Tim and Jen's wedding
9. Cineworld unlimited card
10. Packing for New York!

I'm not surprised to see that New York and Florida feature heavily in the top ten, and everyone loves reading about the Body Shop, shoes and weddings. I'm quite surprised that the Cineworld post is so popular... I wonder if Cineworld have seen a surge in their unlimited card holders recently? If only my blog was that influential.

Have you read all the posts above? Please feel free to leave some feedback on what you think of the blog, I love reading people's comments.

Now on to the next hundred posts...

11 random facts... getting to know you!

I've been nominated for the awards above by the lovely Rebecca from All About U... How exciting! It's so nice to know that others read and enjoy my blog. These awards are a great way to share favourite blogs, give recognition to other bloggers and hopefully gain some new contacts. Here are the rules:

1. Each blogger posts 11 random facts about themselves

2. Each blogger nominates up to 11 blogs (with links)

3. The tagged (that's me) tells the nominees

4. Copy the Award pictures above into your post and you can display on your blog elsewhere too, if you wish

So here are my 11 random facts...

1. When I was younger, I used to fancy fictional characters such as Little Cousin Scampy and James from Fireman Sam. 

2. I'm currently obsessed with marshmallows and think about them far too much. 

3. I would love to live in America if I could swap their gun laws, health care system and toilet seats for the British equivalents.

4. I didn't try any kind of curry until I was 19.

5. I love things with stars on, especially if they're pink stars. 

6. Following on from the last point, I have a silver Ford Ka called Bobby. He's decorated with some pink stars I bought off the internet.

7. I love my Tesco Clubcard and am always a bit gutted when I have to shop anywhere else. 

8. I am a big fan of carbohydrates... my diet mainly consists of bread, beans, pasta, noodles and rice.

9. I proofread everything in sight. Absolutely everything. 

10. I didn't get a passport until I was 21. 

11. I am a fluent Welsh speaker. 

Aaaaand here are the blogs I nominate... these are just a few of the blogs I'm enjoying at the moment. Sorry to anyone I've left out!

Amy - Cocktails in Teacups
Bess - Thoroughly English

Cat - Cat's Chronology 

Catherine - It's all about me
Emma Louise - Not your average

Liz - Distract me now please 

Nikki - The Lunar Lights 

Enjoy!

To blog or not to blog...?

I've been reading a crazy amount of blogs during the last few days (there's not much to do in Upper Tumble), and feel as if I should join the party. I suspect this will just be an extension of my frequent Twitter rants, where I can moan about things that annoy me for longer than 140 characters. Or get excited about things that excite me... these will usually involve Wales, Bobby, Harry Potter or Neighbours.

I'm currently watching Ding v Trump, World Snooker Championship semi final... I don't care what other people say, snooker is brilliant. Not as brilliant as rugby, but still brilliant.

Have a look at my Twitter page. Please.