I Need A Schedule.

2017 Planner from Bando. 

Less than a month ago you might remember I wrote this post on how I didn't really like my blog content anymore. I wrote about how I wasn't in a rut per se and I still liked publishing and writing but that I just didn't feel proud of all of it, like it wasn't all my best work. 

So I set upon a new mission to change up the way I write, I saw October out with the last in a few of my series' and the last of my blog schedule and then I was all like 'starting from November I'm not going to schedule, I'll plan a few days a month and leave the rest up to how I feel on the day". 

So one week in how do I feel?

I feel like I'm heading for a blog rut. 

A week into unscheduled unplanned content, I feel like I'm heading for a rut, a break, a pause in my blog. I detest it. Like I actually can't bring myself to write anything. 

Since starting blogging I've always had a schedule with content ideas locked in for most of the month and a few gaps for inspiration, topical trending pieces and room for brand collabs but when I decided I didn't like everything I was writing I thought maybe it was the schedules fault. Like maybe I was planning so much it was stifling my creativity and what I actually wanted to write not what I had planned. I love my off the cuff pieces and they're always (with the exception of bujo bits) the most popular posts so I thought fuck the schedule, let's refocus. 

On the 1st of this month a mere week ago I sat down with my new Bando planner and allocated just NINE days for blog posts I knew I had to write for whatever reasons. Just nine for a whole month and I was all pumped up and like YASSS GURL THIS IS A REVOLUTION. 

And what's happened since? I wrote my first of the month post and my social media post and yesterday's meet the advertisers and they were all hunky dory because they're regular segments and I know where I am when writing them. All fine. 

The other days? Nightmare. I've done two Christmassy posts and missed a day so far this month and the Christmas ones weren't my favs. I liked the idea of 'are we starting too early' but not so proud of it's execution and I DO like my wishlist post but I wrote it knowing it was a cop out because it doesn't take much time and effort. All my posts have gone up late at night on the day of publishing when most of the week I write them the night before, I've scheduled nothing on Twitter (not that it's changed my stats, they have in fact improved) and I just felt like writing was such a task. 

The problem is I LOVE writing my blog and whilst sometimes I think writing some posts have become a bit stale, hence the need for a change I have never yet sat down to write and thought jesus christ I cba. Or not wanted to pick up my laptop cos omg I have to write a blog post. And that's the crux of it, I don't HAVE to of course not, a break is good and healthy but the problem is I don't WANT a break. 

I like publishing content everyday. I don't get mad if I miss 3 days a month because sometimes it just ain't feasible but mostly, I like the way I do things.

I had such good intentions and such grand plans for ditching the schedule and I still think there needs to be a change on my blog. I still needed to end those series I wasn't happy with anymore or slightly tweak the ones I did mostly enjoy and I still want to write off the cuff.

I sat down today to write a post about Vogue saying breasts are out of fashion (like that's fine guys I didn't realise a body was out of fashion but thanks) and maybe I still will write that post one day but I decided to just type this and I've whizzed it down on paper (screen let's not lie) in about 15 minutes. At one point Joss turned around and was like wtf are you typing so quick?? My fingers have been flying off the keys and I am sat bolt upright and focused because I am writing as I think about something I am passionate about. And that for me is what my blog is about, being excited about the content. 

So. A week after my revolutionary overhaul of my blog I am here to say it didn't work, it just totally put me off my own site so I am back on the schedule. I am going to sit down after this and plan out some content and still leaves gaps for that spurt of inspiration but instead, I am going to just write GOOD content, content I am pleased with....just albeit a bit more planned than the past week. 

Just forgive the promo photos for a few days because my mini blog panic meant there was nothing I wanted to do less than set up a station for bulk photography and I can't access it again till Thursday at the earliest. 

Oh also I am hideously busy finishing everything for my Etsy shop launch which I wanted to be last week but is going to be this Saturday now because life. Just life. 

Rant over. -drops mic-