Afternoon Tea Time .06: October Goals

Hey, everyone! Things have been a little quiet on the blog lately. Last week was my birthday and I visited my sister and her boyfriend in NYC to celebrate. It was such an exciting and exhausting experience. If you followed along on my Snapchat (rgolden75) you got the full force of my NYC adventures. I feel like I saw and did so much and there was still so much I wanted to do. I'm already planning out my next trip! Now that I'm back and settling into the rhythm of life in Pittsburgh I'm more motivated than ever. New month, new adventures!

September Goals:

Personal: 
1. Read two books - Ptolemy's Gate by Jonathan Stroud. This was an amazing ending to a thrilling trilogy! I put the book down after finishing and just sat in shock. If you're looking for a thrilling fantasy series, the Bartimaeus trilogy is what you should read!  I was only able to complete half of this, but I had a pretty busy month, and I'm glad I even had time to read one full book!

2. Learn to cook one fall inspired dish - For whatever reason, cooking has just not been a priority for me. I almost always opt for whatever is easiest to throw together. This upcoming month I have to be better about this.

3. Finish New Girl - I cried during the season finale. Nick and Jess are just meant to be together. The current season just started and I can't wait to start watching it! I hope they end up together. 

4. Plan birthday trip to NYC - I just made it back yesterday and I had such a blast! I have so many posts about it planned. Be on the lookout for all things NYC! There will be speakeasies and bottomless brunch involved. :) 

For the Blog:
1. Reach 1,500 followers on IG & engage more - Seriously thought I was going to make it this month. I've still been really bad at engaging and with all the planning for NYC, I have barely been on IG this month.

2. Reach 550 followers on Twitter 

3. Reach 300 followers on Pinterest  - I had so much fun working on growing and engaging on my different social media platforms. Pinterest was definitely my favorite to work with this month. Fall pins are my weakness!

4. Reach 500 followers on Facebook

5. Write blog posts ahead of time - I wasn't able to write all of my posts ahead of time, but I was able to for a few of them. This took so much of the stress out of the blogging process! I'm a procrastinator by nature, but writing ahead of time really helped the process run more smoothly. Slow progress is still progress!

6. Schedule blog posts for the whole month - I was able to write posts ahead of time because I had my whole month planned out.  My editorial calendar saved me. I loved being able to look at my calendar and see how the posts flowed and switch things around if necessary. I love staying organized, so this made my Type A self very happy. :) This will definitely be something I start implementing every month.




October Goals:

Personal:
1. Read Two Books - I want to finish The Ring of Solomon by Jonathan Stroud and start on Water for Elephants. Hopefully, I'll have time to work on The Lord of the Rings trilogy, but that may be a bit ambitious for all the other activities I have planned.

2. Learn to cook one fall inspired dish - I seriously need to start cooking more. This one is a must for me. Apple pie and pumpkin bread sound soo yummu. Leave me links to your favorite fall recipes in the comments below!

3. Finish AHS Season 1 - I started watching this the other night and promptly had a nightmare. hahah, It was totally worth it, though! The first season is so good. Perfect for the spookiness of October!

4. Complete at least 5 Fall Bucket List items - I have so many fall-inspired activities I want to do and I feel like I have next to no time to get them accomplished! I can't wait to get started, though :)


For the Blog:
1. Reach 1,500 followers on Instagram & engage more - Persistance will pay off!

2. Continue to work on growing Twitter, Pinterest, & Facebook - Last month I was so concerned with all my other social medias that I left IG to the wayside. I still want to keep up with the other platforms, but IG is my main focus.

3. Write 4 blog posts ahead of time

4. Update editorial calendar for October

5. Organize and send out first Newsletter - Everyone tells me that a newsletter is such a game changer. It's been something I've always wanted to get around to but never did. I think I'm going to start it off as being bi-weekly. That way I don't bite off more than I can chew. October will be the month I start it!




I seriously can't wait to get to work! What are your goals for October??

xoxo,

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