Happy Friyay! Despite the fact that I had a short week, I am so stinkin' exhausted. Has anyone else been feeling that way lately? Burning the candle at both ends even though it doesn't seem like there's a reason for it?
I don't know why I have been so drained lately, but I do know that sometimes it's really hard to balance a day-job, VA work, driving to SC to see my family, blogging, and trying to grow my knowledge about the blogging world.
I know when I started blogging, there was a huge learning curve for me because I didn't understand any of the back-end/technologocal side of blogging. I was also 100% unfamiliar with any rules, tips, or tricks for blogging. What kept me from going completely insane was being able to find awesome bloggers who had been there before me and could help me out both through asking them direct questions, and through reading posts they had already written on the subject.
I don't know that I would have kept at it if it weren't for them. Life is crazy enough without having to learn everything from scratch on your own.
So today on Coffee Sips and Lovely Links, I've gotten together a few of my all-time favorite blogging resources and tips for you awesome peeps! Hopefully it will help you avoid pulling your hair out as you navigate the blogging world.
- Erica Gwyn of Coming Up Roses has an excellent post about crafting a killer "about me" section on your blog. Sooooo good!
- I discovered Allison of Wonderlass through The Genius Blogger's Toolkit that I purchased back in the Fall. I have been taking her branding course, Rave, and loving it. She's quirky, fun, and very knowledgeable in her expertise. I thought this video, Developing an Entrepreneurial Mindset was good. Nothing fancy, but encouraging.
- How to Fill Up Your Content Calendar in an Hour by Summer of Coffee with Summer was really good too. I always try to follow a content calendar, and I technically write one out, but I never end up following it all the way. I'll change my idea, switch dates around, or just get completely stuck. I read this post by Summer a few days ago and I think her tips will be helpful to you as well.
- Most people have heard all about Mailchimp and Convertkit for email marketing. But Rachel of The Confused Millennial recently published a post about The Best Email Marketing Provider and I absolutely agree with her and have for months now! Check it out and you may end up wanting to make the switch!
- Speaking of Rachel, she also had a great post about How to Create A Home Photography Studio on a Budget. There are definitely some good ideas in there!
- One thing that I hate is when Bloggers play the Follow/Unfollow Game. I'm over here working my butt off, trying to get genuine followers on my blog and social media, but a lot of bloggers play the game and I just don't like it. Want to know more? Summer had a great post about the issue. I was a contributor along with a couple other ladies. If you are interested in being a truly authentic blogger, read this post.
Peculiar friends, there are so many resources out there on the world wide interwebz. No, not all of them are trust-worthy, and some will be contradictory, but there are also some really amazing posts at your fingertips to help you navigate the blog world. Utilize them so you won't go completely nutsy!
I'd love to know which of these links was most helpful to you! Or, do you have another resource that you find particularly helpful? Happy weekending!
