Blogging Advice I Wish I Knew A Year Ago

I've been blogging for almost 1 year now and I've definitely learned a lot through this journey. It is something that requires a lot of time and dedication but it has become something that I really love doing, something that I am passionate about. It got me thinking about what advice I would have given myself 10 months ago when I first started out and I wanted to share those tips with you all. 

1. Scheduling posts will be your best friend- When I first started blogging I was unemployed and looking for something to fill my time in between job applications. During those first few months I had plenty of time to spend my days writing posts, researching topics and reading other peoples blogs. Fast forward a couple months later and I had a full time job and no free afternoons to spend brainstorming. I've developed somewhat of a routine where on Sunday afternoons I knock out at least 3 blog posts for the week and schedule them to post on their respective day. This prevents me from having that panic moment at 10:00 the night before searching the internet for inspiration.
2. Invest in a "Notebook of Inspiration"- Inspiration can happen at a moments notice and I have a terrible memory. I can't tell you how many times I thought of a post idea while I was out and say "I'll have to remember this for later" and then guess what... I forgot. Now I am constantly jotting down ideas to use in the future... the iPhone notes app is a bloggers best friend.
3. I get by with a little help from my friends- Despite having my "inspiration notebook" with me, there are some weeks where I am just BLANK and struggling for post ideas. This is when I turned to my best girlfriends and ask them for what they would want to hear more about. There have been so many instances where they thought of topics they wanted to learn more about that I never would have dreamed of myself... even just this week with the Outdoor Concert Fashion (thanks Meg!).
4. To quote the Lion King--- "Remember who you are"- In the beginning I was so concerned about getting followers that I wasn't necessarily posting on topics that interested me... BIG MISTAKE because it made my blog feel fake. Now I write posts based on how I'm feeling at the moment and I'm not worried about how many comments I get. This is my blog and I want it to be a reflection of me.
5.  Say "No" to Peer Pressure: Don't feel pressured to do something on your blog that doesn't reflect you. For example, I've stopped doing those Blogger Tags, not because I don't like them.... but it just wasn't what I wanted to get across on my blog. I was worried about hurting peoples feelings if I didn't participate but now I just send an email letting them know why. I no longer feel pressure to participate in something just because someone asked me to.
6. #BloggerFriends4Lyfe- One of my favorite things about blogging is the connections I have made along the way. I can honestly say that I have made several blogger friends since the start of this that I feel like are not only rooting for me, but are there for me if I had questions or needed recommendations for something. I learned to not be afraid to reach out and ask questions. This really has been a wonderful little community to express my ideas and make connections, and I truly thank you all for reading.

What would you tell your early blogger-self?

xoxo