One of the ways I’m challenging myself this year is by creating and following my 2019 Blogging Learning Plan. The goal of building a learning plan is to be intentional with my self-education and teach myself the skills I need to grow my blog.
I can sometimes be like a puppy yelling “I see a squirrel, a squirrel!!” when I see new courses. So this plan helps me prioritize what I’m learning and when and to choose courses that fit my goals.
Table of Contents
My Q1 Goals
My main blogging goal for Q1 2019 was to start and launch my blog. Achieved? Yes, sirree. Perfect? Not by a long shot. But I’m aiming for getting things done, rather than perfect. And the resources I used helped me immensely when starting my blog.
Although I started learning about Pinterest in March, which is technically Q1, I’m still learning more in April. So I’m going to report on learning Pinterest next quarter.
This update is really only on the progress I’ve made with my blog, and the resources I used to start my blog.
My blogging progress
Here’s exactly what I had accomplished by the end of March:
- Launched my site and designed a header
- Wrote 7 blog posts with 2-3 pins each
- Signed up for Mailerlite and started building my list (currently at 2). You have to start somewhere, right?
- Created my first opt-in the Work from Home Workbook and its landing page
- Signed up for a Moms Learn Pinterest account and populated my boards with pins
I was pretty happy with my progress. I didn’t get as far into Pinterest as I was hoping, but I knew pins were incredibly important and so I created them from the get-go.
One task I didn’t complete was linking more to Moms Learn from my Udemy courses and cross-promoting them. That will be a big goal for the next quarter.
Resources I used
I found the following three resources the most helpful when launching my blog.
Blog by Number
The course Blog by Number by Suzi Whitford of Startamomblog.com was what I used for 70% of my learning time during Q1. It was very thorough and helpful in setting up my blog and also getting started with Pinterest.
The course has a mix of video tutorials, worksheets, an ebook, and guides to help you launch and promote your blog. It takes you from blog ideation all the way through promoting your blog and lightly touches on email and monetization.
Suzi is very down to earth and while you’re learning you feel like you’re just talking with a friend.
Since this course was included in a prior Ultimate Blogging Bundle I purchased, I didn’t lay out any new money for it this year.
One Hour Content Plan
The One Hour Content Plan by Meera Kothand is an inexpensive resource – and free with Amazon Kindle Unlimited – that was very, very helpful for setting my blogging strategy. It helped me identify my target audience, my value proposition, the different categories for my blog, and how to lay out my content calendar.
There was a workbook that corresponded with the course, and I can see myself returning to this source every few months to make sure I’m still on track with my blog.
Blogelina Blog Setup
The Blogelina team helped me set up my blog theme and hosting. I love the template that they used to build my site and that it’s based on the Genesis theme. They also provided tutorials on how to use the back end of WordPress for new users. Not having to worry about setting up hosting and design for my blog was so helpful.
While this setup and her course was part of a prior learning bundle, they offer the same service for a very good deal on their site. The service can be worth it to new bloggers since it includes a child theme built on the popular Genesis theme, and a year of free hosting.
What I could improve for next quarter’s learning plan
Although I was so happy I launched my blog, I wasn’t as intentional with my learning time as I could have been. Part of this is just mom life and being busy, but I really dropped the ball on intentionally setting aside time to learn.
So I want to be better at scheduling time and also finding mini moments to learn. And I want to be more organized with taking notes.
Want to build your own learning plan?
If you want to create your own learning plan, it’s easy. Simple choose your priorities, find courses, and plan it all out with my learning plan kit.
