Participating in The Mattie James Consistency Challenge has opened my eyes to so much. Read about the (5) things I've learned in the first week of the challenge.
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Happy Friday! I’m really excited that it is Friday. I’m more refreshed than I’ve been in a long time. If you haven’t been keeping up with me on my Instagram feed, I shared that I just finished my summer class and completed my FIRST year of my doctorate program. When I say that it’s been a journey Girl… it’s been a journey. Learning to adapt to my new normal since having my daughter (who is now 18 months old) has been a challenge in itself. My first two pregnancies and postpartum experiences physically and mentally were both quite pleasant however, this time around for the lack of better words has been trying to say the least but, we’ll discuss that in another blog later on this month. Now, back to why you’re here lol.
So, I did a thing ya’ll, I decided to join Mattie James’ Consistency Challenge this month. I participated in the first consistency challenge that she hosted back in the month of May. In May, she had us posts at least once a day every day for the entire month of May on Instagram.It was okay to miss one day, but the goal was to not miss two days. It was more than just posting pictures, we had to display the ability to tell our story effectively and consistently. Fast forward to now, whole new month and new roles for this month’s consistency challenge. This month, we are required to post Monday-Friday on our blog! I almost fell out ya’ll, but I had to come back and truly ask myself…
Girl, why are you tripping?!?! You’re paying a monthly fee for hosting, a monthly fee for your domain, YOU own this website. I had to change my perspective from feeling the pressure of the challenge and truly look at the opportunity I was getting to stretch myself creativity and my love for writing to another level. Let’s Go! In just one week you guys, I learned so much about what I was lacking and honestly, I learned a lot about myself as a writer and creator. Below, I’m sharing (5) things that I have learned during this first week of participating in the Mattie James Consistency Challenge.
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1) I focus better with all my electronics in another room
In order for me to truly outline,plan, draft, and publish my blogs, I have to have an absolute non-distraction free period. No phones, no ipads, no husband, & no kids. I dedicated 1-3 hrs a day for me to write my blogs. I am easily distracted so I have to be intentional about creating an environment that enhances my chances of turning ideas into published content.
2) I learned how to create and send my FIRST email to my subscribers.
When I started blogging back in November, I had no idea that blogging and being a content creator had so many pieces. Come up with idea for blog, researching keywords/competitors, draft post, write post, optimize copy for SEO, proofread, plan visuals, optimize images, publish blog post, promote blog post across social media channels,create Pinterest graphics, and share regularly. I don’t have all steps completely down pact YET however, now that I know I can create a process that works best for me.
3) I learned some new tips from other bloggers
One of my close friends showed me howto make a landing page in canva. I have created a few downloadables, but the sole purpose of offering freebies is to increase the probability of you getting a new subscriber to your email list while providing them with something valuable in exchange for their email. Now that I learned how to work in mailchimp, I can use both systems to create some dope emails and newsletters. I also have been reading a fellow bloggers content her name is Whitney Blocker.She created a blog post sharing “10 Things Every Content Creator should be using.” I won’t share all her tips here because I’d like to encourage you to support her site however, (2) resources I found useful for myself were an app called “Milkshake”and “Adobe Color.” Adobe Color pulls the colors from a photo that you may for example, I have found on a Pinterest pin like the one below and Adobe Color pulls the colors from that photo and gives you the hex code for those specific colors and there you have it, the best way for you to keep all your branding colors applied to all your content. Milkshake is an application that allows you to customize your free insta website and then putting that link into your bio.Go read Whitney’s blog, it’s packed full of great reads!
4) I learned to make sure that I always should have my phone charged up, or a pen and pad with me at all times to write down concepts that come to me.
I’ve been doing this for the past two weeks, but I've really been intentional about making sure that I do that. I have 3- pages full of ideas just from conversations with my husband. Try it you won't regret it.
5) I can do this!
I owe it to myself to show up for myself. Sure, there’s $1,000 for winning the challenge but the greatest reward of them all doesn’t have a cost on it, the greatest reward is proving to myself that I can write well, that I can exceed my expectations, and that plain and simple I CAN!!!
If you are participating in the challenge drop me a line. If you want to know more about blogging drop me a line. I’d love to connect with you all. As always, thanks for stopping by to my little space on the internet. Like. Share. & Comment. Thanks in advance for the support.
XoXo,
