Category: Blogmas

12 Days of Blogmas 2021, Day 12 – Recap: Lessons Learnt

To recap, in late November, I decided that I was going to get involved in Blogmas. I knew that there was no way I’d be able to commit to the 24 or 31 days so I went for the 12 days of Blogmas. So here are some of the lessons I have learnt along the way.

What have I learnt whilst doing this?

Be flexible!

I started off with a list of topics that I wanted to highlight over the course of Blogmas but I had to change them. I didn’t account for giving you a recap of the State of Word, it seems so obvious now but it wasn’t something that crossed my mind at the time.

There were topics on the original list that I was no longer interested in writing about, which meant I had to find a new topic. What would have been useful is having a range of topics to hand that I could easily substitute.

I spent a lot of time writing the content on the day. Writing every day for 12 days alongside everything else one has to do is a lot, can you imagine if I’d decided to go for the 24 or 31 days? I’d definitely miss a few days.

What I will do differently

I made the decision to start Blogmas in December. What I should have done was start this process earlier, this would have given me more time to research different topics and give you better content.

Draft an outline of the posts in advance as it would mean less time spent on writing the content so close to the deadline.

Conclusion

Plan better and early on.

I did enjoy the writing process and I will do this again but the planning will start in October.

24 December 2021
12 Days of Blogmas 2021, Day 11 – Sewing: Why it is my Therapy
Looking at the planned schedule, I realise that I haven’t written a post about sewing. Well, here it is.

Sewing is my Therapy

I find the act of sewing very therapeutic, the act of feeding the fabric through the machine relaxes me. But it isn’t just that, here are 6 reasons why sewing is my therapy.
1. It is my me-time, I get to be selfish. I find that taking time out for myself helps me avoid burnout. This is very important, we all need that balance in our life.
2. It allows me to disengage from the digital world. There are so many distractions on our devices (phones, laptops and TV). Sometimes you need to step away from all that white noise and reset your internal batteries.
3. It helps me be more mindful. I am forced to concentrate on that task alone and go through the steps one-by-one. I’m not trying to juggle 2 or 3 things at the same time, my mind is fully occupied with what I’m doing at that moment.
4. I get to create something with my own hands that actually fits me. At 5 foot nothing with an African ass (you get the picture) it can sometimes be difficult to find clothes that fit me. When I sew my own clothes, they not only fit they way I want them to but I get to dictate my fashion sense not someone else.
5. It helps me learn new skills, not just sewing but also learning to be being patient and not rush through things unneccessarily. Rushing through things can result in a lot of unpicking because I’ve done something wrong, I hate unpicking.
6. It helps me learn to love my imperfections. Sewing is meant to be a creative process and as such learning to love my imperfections not just with my body but also on the things I make. There are no mistakesin sewing, just design choices.
And when all those pieces come together to reveal the final ensemble, the feeling is truly a great sense of accomplishment. I made that, yes indeed I did!

I hope you enjoyed reading this post and have a hobby that you find therapeutic.
23 December 2021
12 Days of Blogmas 2021, Day 10 – Project Management: Planning for 2022

I’ve been thinking about planning for 2022. Normally I would start thinking about the year ahead in October, but not this year (or the last). In fact, looking through the last year, I didn’t plan for 2021 at all and all my plans for 2020 got derailed. So how do you plan for the year ahead when there is so much uncertainty?

Planning for 2022

Remember that nothing is set in stone and when things change it is ok to take things slowly, fail and pivot when you need to.

For a number of years now, I have used the Bullet Journal Method by Ryder Carroll in my business and personal life.

Track Your Past, Order Your Present, Plan Your Future
Ryder Carroll, Creator of the Bullet Journal

Ryder takes you through the preparation where you brainstorm before introducing you to the system and how to get your thoughts and ideas organised. It causes you to be more intentional about your goals and the tasks you need to complete in order to reach those goals. Although I love technology, there is something freeing about being able to put pen to paper and write with no distractions.

In planning for 2022, I’ve decided I want to include the reflection stages of the system and be more intentional in what I do and how I do it. What 2020 and 2021 have taught me is that I need to remove all the deadwood taking up unnecessary space and capture the memories so I don’t forget them. I also want to make sure that my beliefs and actions align with everything that I do.

Get the Bullet Journal Method

I highly recommend that you check out his book on Amazon and watch him explain the process on YouTube. There is even a companion app for those of you who want to add a digital component to your bullet journaling.

One thing to note is that your bullet journal doesn’t have to be pretty, mine certainly isn’t. Although I love being creative, my bullet journal has a very minimalist feel to it and shows all the mistakes (life isn’t perfect). If you do want to get creative and don’t know how to draw, you can always buy stickers.

22 December 2021
12 Days of Blogmas 2021, Day 9 – Tech: Zip Message
Ok, here is another tech gem that I love to use. You need to talk to someone but you’re all Zoomed out and writing an email is a long process, check out Zip Message.

Zip Message

Zip Message is a messaging tool that you can use for asynchronous conversations. It lets you record a message (video or audio) that you can send to your client, all you need to do is send them the link and they can respond.

Benefits

Apart from it being quick and simple to use, here are some other benefits:
- Get rid of all those lengthy emails and get your point across in one simple video or audio call.
- Record on your own time and send it whenever you are ready, no need to schedule a call.
- Let your clients respond at a time that is suitable for them.
Why not try out the free version and see if it reduces the time spent on communicating with your clients.
21 December 2021
12 Days of Blogmas 2021, Day 8 – WordPress: Reusable Block
Do you ever keep writing the same type of content for your WordPress blog posts or pages over and over again? Well here’s a tip, use a reusable block.

Reusable Block

The reusable block in the WordPress block editor, allows you to create, save and reuse the same content or layout on your posts and pages throughout your site. They are easily accessible from the WordPress block editor.

WordPress block editor – library of reusable blocks

Examples

Maybe you have a service page that always follows the same format, you can use a reusable block to design that page and then all you need to do is select the reusable block the next time you add a new service. Other useful ways to use a reusable block:
- Create a call-to-action button on all your relevant pages and post.
- Create a reusable block for your landing pages – you don’t need a developer to design this for you.
- Use it to design the way you want your testimonials to look on every page.
- And so much more…
Benefits

There are so many ways that using a reusable block can make it easier for you to create content for your site and be consistent whilst doing it, you can:
- Duplicate the content across all your posts and pages.
- Save time and stop rewriting or copying and pasting your content from a Word or Google document.
- Modify the content in a block and this will modify it everywhere – great for content that needs to stay the same throughout your site. If you don’t want the changes you’ve made on the reusable block to be reflected everywhere else on your site, just convert it to a regular block.
If you want to start creating your own reusable blocks, take a look at how to easily create and use a reusable block on Learn WordPress.

I love using reusable blocks and I hope that you will too.
20 December 2021
12 Days of Blogmas 2021, Day 7 – Christmas: Yay! Christmas Carols

I love Christmas carols and if I was pressed to pick my favourite one then it would be ‘O Holy Night‘. Do you have a favourite Christmas carol? You don’t have to celebrate Christmas to enjoy the music.

HTB Christmas Carols

Every Christmas I look forward to attending Holy Trinity Brompton’s (HTB) Carols by Candlelight service. Tickets are free but this year the number of tickets issued was limited so I watched it online. That meant I could sing along at the top of my voice without any care of the world, you really don’t want to hear me singing.

Sadly, I wasn’t able to attend the Alternative Carol service which is also free to attend. With the new COVID variant hitting both performers and the UK in general, it was only available online. So I sat down to watch it at home.

What I love about the services that HTB run during Christmas is that they have both a traditional and alternative service. As the name infers, a traditional service involves singing all those traditional Christmas hymns you hear at churches. The alternative service brings together a number of talented people, from the congregation and church staff, who give their twist on the carols. In previous years, there has been painting to music, poems read and drama skits. It truly is an amazing thing to watch.

You can watch the complete replay of Carols by Candlelight and the Alternative Carol service on YouTube.

Hillingsong Christmas Carols

Every year Hillsong put on a musical production at the SSE Arena, Wembley, London, UK. It’s been a few years since I’ve been but the tickets back then cost £5. They even feature someone from Britain’s Got Talent or X-Factor.

I don’t attend every year as I find it can get repetitive. Unfortunately this year, it was cancelled however it is one I would definitely recommend seeing. I’m always excited when they sing ‘A Drummer Boy/Oh Come All Ye Faithful‘.

19 December 2021