Simple Steps to Help You Achieve Your Blogging Goals

I always love the start of a new year, not just because it's a fresh start but because I get motivated and highly dedicated to all of my goals (again). I LOVE always having a goal; I took a personality test over the holiday break that threw me in the category of people who feel they have no purpose without a goal – I always thought I was just OCD and needed to be doing something all the time but turns out it's just me being me – ha! However, even though I am a goal setter and love having something to work for, I do not accomplish every goal I set! I sure do try, but sometimes I fail or fall short, and that's okay -it gives me more goals to work for! This year, many of my goals are business-based – starting with my blog! I know I am one of the millions with similar website blogging goals, so I wanted to share a few ways I plan to tackle the goals I have for my blog this year!

Setting goals for your blog is a great way to get and keep motivated about making the changes and taking the chances you may have been putting off. Maybe you are too busy (this is 100% my excuse), or you are just not sure where to start; no matter what the reason, now is the perfect time to get your blogging goals in check, and we have a few realistic ways to reach those goals without letting another year go by wishing you had given your blog a bit more love! I understand that blogging goals will not be a top priority for all bloggers but setting goals, especially if you plan to grow your blog, will be well worth it.

First and foremost, you will have to decide what you want to accomplish. Maybe you know what your blogging goals are; maybe you don't. If not, here are a few things to ask yourself that may help you decide what goals you want for your blog.

A few things to ask yourself when deciding upon your blogging goals:

• What direction do you want to go with your blog?
• Do you want to make money or increase earnings from your blog?
• Do you have a clear niche? If so, are your posts consistent with it?
• Do you post steadily to your blog? This is a great goal, even if it's once a week. Consistency is key. (I am so very bad at this, so this has made the number one spot on my blogging goals)
• Are you socially connected? Maybe your goal can be to connect more through social media?
• Are you accessible? Do you give your readers other options to follow you and stay connected via other social media sites?
• Is your blog organized and easy to navigate?
• Are you happy with your blog web design? Or would you like to change the look of your blog?

Is your blog all that you want it to be? For most, the answer to this is no; a blog is like your home. It can always use a few touch-ups! So think about what you want to touch up!

Would you like to grow your followers?

Take note of what you may want to focus on, change, or implement on your blog, and once you have a general idea of your blogging goals, all you have to do is reach these goals, easy, right? Well, maybe not easy, but it doesn't have to be too hard. So, here we go! I wanted the tips for reaching your blogging goals to be useful and to the point; no need to delay the process of accomplishment.

5 easy tips to keep you (and me) on track to reaching our blogging goals:

1. Make sure your goals are realistic

There is a vast difference between setting challenging and unrealistic goals. Goals should push you and challenge you, but they shouldn't stifle you! If you have 3 kids, a full-time job, karate practice, dance class, business meetings, oh, and everyday life tasks, it's probably not realistic to set a goal of posting 7x a week to your blog. Of course, you could do it because you are fantastic, determined, and capable, but there is no need to get burnt out. When you take on more realistic goals, it makes the ride so much more enjoyable! Set your goals high and make sure that they make sense to you and your life! Be honest with yourself, don't underestimate your capabilities but don't go into burnout mode from trying to take on more than your life allows for – we all somewhere inside know what we can realistically handle without adding more stress to our lives, so keep that in mind when making your goals.

Last year when we were going over our New Years resolutions as a family, one of mine was to run a marathon, and my sister (with her look of complete shock) kindly reminded me that a marathon is over 36 miles; I had never run before in my life other than after my kids, and I have bad knees – really bad knees. I laugh when I think about it now because it wasn't realistic AT ALL -I was just ambitious. If you knew me, you would know that I am a fighter, a doer, a never quit or give up, hustle 'til I die kind of girl, so for me to retract on a goal means I really did step back and say maybe not this year – but soon and that's okay! So I changed the plan for that goal to run a 5k and work towards a marathon (note I did not say I changed my goal instead, I just changed my plan)- I trained, hung on best I could through the pain of my knees and ran my 1st 5k 3 months later. My point is to look at the bigger picture; big goals are great unrealistic goals are not. Failing to Plan is Planning to Fail

2. Write your goals down

I'm sure you have heard this a million times before, but it works! The best way to keep track of your blogging goals and hold yourself accountable for your goals is to write them out. And when I say write them, I mean with a pen and paper, not on your phone, not on the computer – pen and paper. Writing down your blogging goals allows you to look and see all you have set out to do while tracking your progress, checking your goals off as you complete them. You're going to use this in Tip #4 – so remember – pen and paper. This way, it can't be hidden in your phone notes or lost on your computer, never to be seen again – pen and paper – write them out!

3. Make a plan, a detailed plan

Now that you have your realistic goals written down, you will find that accomplishing your goals will be much easier if you make a master plan to guide you and get you started. It's a good idea to plan the big and small things.

A blogging planner is an excellent tool for many tasks, like planning posts and staying organized! There are tons of great planners out there just for blogging, and most of them are free! Here are a few talented ladies that offer lovely, FREE blogging planner printables:

Shannon from AKA DESIGN + LIFE

Chelsea from Life With My Littles

 For items that require a grander plan, look over your goal and ask yourself, "How can I accomplish this" and start from there – write out your ideas and anything else that comes to mind that will help you accomplish this goal – maybe even set a timeline to keep you on track. For example, one of my goals was to start a few group boards on Pinterest. My plan was/is this:

Make sure the board has a decent amount of posts, write out the rules and how to join, add my 1st group board by the end of January, invite a few of my followers to get it started as a community board, and then add another within a few months if the 1st one ends up being successful.

So easy enough, right? Do this for all of your goals; if you have room, keep it in your blogging planner to stay organized and reference when needed!

4. Visualize your goals

not just in your mind but something you can see every day! Remember your list of goals from tip #1 – the list you made with pen and paper (smiling) – take it and put it somewhere you will see it. Use it as a reminder, as a motivator, and as a way to see what you have accomplished once items start getting scratched off the list! Think about your goals from last year, the first few months, you are eager and ready to tackle them, but with time, most forget about those goals and sometimes even forget what those goals were; when you write out and hang up your goals, it's harder to forget them!

If you want to add some extra motivation, I highly suggest making a full-on visual board! It doesn't have to be Pinterest perfect; you don't have to be crafty; it doesn't have to be cute. It just has to exist! It is there to remind you and encourage you. Take things that resemble your goals and add them to your board to remind you of your goals and keep you motivated! Please make a list of words you would like your blog to be and hang them on your board. Want your blog to be successful, beautiful, and educative?

Write 'um down and hang 'um up! Want to write 3x a week? Jot it down or find a cute "3" and add it to your board. Want your blog to start earning you money? Take a dollar and hang that also! Add some motivational quotes or sayings you love; make it fun! I know a lot of people who live by this! It may sound silly now, but once you see it day in and out, there is no way you will forget about those goals you just set! I'm excited to make mine, and when it's done, I will be sure to share it (no date noted, lol crafting hour around here is an open house for disaster), but I do have my list of goals hanging, and so far it's done me good!

The Dream Is Free - Hustle Sold Separately #hustle

5. Work for it as bad as you want it

You don't need me to tell you that success is derived from hard work. The same applies to your blog; you get nothing out if you put nothing in. Same with your blogging goals. If you don't

work for your goals, they will not work for you. It all comes down to how bad you want it. It's easy to slip after a few months, but you will if you are ready to make the changes. Strive to make progress instead of making excuses, and you will get further not only by accomplishing your blogging goals but also in life. I decided long ago that I would rather be tired than unsuccessful, so there is not a day that goes by that I don't give it all I've got – sometimes I don't have a lot to give, and I'm sure you will have those days also, but I think what matters is that you don't give up – setbacks happen, life happens, circumstances change, but you set your goals for a reason don't forget that reason. Keep working towards your goals, look at your list and your vision board, and mark off goals as you accomplish them to give you that feeling of defeat and victory. All you need is dedication and determination, which you have, or you wouldn't even be reading this! Anyone can say they want to make changes, but we who work hard, have a plan, and never give up.

If you don’t have time so you can contact a WordPress development company, which can help you to achieve your goals.