That New Notebook Feeling
I don't know about you, but I love nothing better than getting a new notebook, opening that first page and planning out what I want to write in it.
Being a blogger usually means I have more than the average person, filled with blog post ideas, lists of posts to write, what, if anything, I'm waiting for in the post, shopping lists, to-do lists and more.
I find that if I have too much stuff going on in my head, like trying to remember all of the above, I feel too overwhelmed and can't function properly. I need to get everything out and on paper so I can focus on more important things and get all of my posts published on time, especially if I have sponsored posts to write.
Keeping on top of everything whilst juggling a full-time job can be really difficult, so this is where having a notebook makes my life so much easier to manage!
Ask any blogger and I suspect they'll have a drawer full of either half full or new notebooks they can't bear to write in - nobody wants to spoil that first page! Argh, the anxiety! I for one have plenty of half-used notebooks but for some reason I always feel like I need a new one!
I especially love this new one because I got to design it myself and choose one of my own photos to have on the front, as well as the text which just makes it feel even more special to me. I chose one of the photos from my last photoshoot with Matt in Leeds.
I'd had lots of fun and this photo especially reminds me of enjoying myself during the shoot and making great photos.
Being able to design it myself and choose everything from the cover photo, the print and the colour of the book made it feel very personal indeed. I love the fact that it came with a pen already attached - saves you having to scrabble around to find one when inspiration strikes!
Getting Back Into Blogging
I've been struggling with motivation recently and just haven't felt like creating any content, that in these weird times we're living in, does anyone care about the content I'm creating? I'm seeing everyone else create and just not feeling it myself.
So I put it off. Shut my laptop and stayed away from Blogger altogether. Yes I had posts to write for brands but I just didn't feel motivated. So I stopped. Until now. I know, crazy huh?! I don't know what it was that made me open my laptop, I just felt ready.
It's weird how all of a sudden, I can feel ready to write a post when I've been avoiding it for so long. These times are so unprecedented, it can leave you wondering where you stand in all of it. I know I definitely felt like it was pointless writing about trivial things when there are people literally dying from an airborne disease.
It puts everything into perspective and blogging definitely came low on my list of priorities.
I put everything away, emailed the relevant PRs and concentrated on just getting through each day. I don't even know what day of lockdown we're on right now, but I've been furloughed for a month and fifteen days and it's the longest I've gone without going into work since I moved up north 4 years ago. I wasn't sure anyone would want to read the content I was creating but as a blogger I know said, if the content's relevant and written in the right tone then there are people out there who will read it.
So it was with this in mind that I started writing again, in the hopes that someone, somewhere, will want to read it and it will be relevant.
Using A Notebook To Find My Blogging Mojo Again
Like I said previously, I've always used notebooks as a way to get everything out of my head and on to paper so I don't have to remember it all!
It really helps to keep me organised and allow new ideas to form. This is especially handy if I have a lot of blogging work to do, posts to write, emails to respond to, parcels arriving etc.
Having a place where I can write all of these down also means that, in a way, I can 'forget' everything. Like there's no need for me to remember now that I've written it down?! Does that make sense??
My mind works in mysterious ways but knowing this and having fancy new notebooks to use allows my slightly overworked/crazy mind to have a little break.
It's when I allow my mind to rest that new ideas can form, ideas for new content can come forward and make themselves known.
I can begin to plan in things like photoshoots, pitch ideas to brands, update my media kit, reply to emails, slot in times for interviews, you know all the administrative details which come with running your own blog!
This could be one reason why I (and many other bloggers!) are all stationery addicts!? Now we're all out of school there's no need for us to buy all those cool 'back to school' essentials like pencil cases, a new school bag, stationery sets so we compensate by buying new notebooks instead! (*well, I do anyway!)
The notebook featured here is perfect for that 'back to school' vibe I've been craving. It has a soft backing to it which feels so nice compared to my usual hard backed notebooks and feels soft in the hands. I did get to design this notebook myself, which just adds to the whole 'if I get a new notebook, it will help me to be more productive' vibe! Just seeing my photo on it instantly draws my eye in towards it and makes me want to use it.
The Posts I Didn't Write
Like I said previously, prior to writing this post, I hadn't opened my laptop for weeks despite the fact I had a backlog of posts which needed to be written! Bad form I know, but thankfully the PRs involved were really lovely and didn't put any pressure on me to write anything. Thankfully though I had already taken the photos for this post, sometimes I feel pressure to get a perfect photo for the post I'm writing which can hold up any progression I may have had. Despite being in this game for 8 years now, the comparison game doesn't get any easier. In some ways it's harder now because there are so many new bloggers out there getting more attention than someone like me who should, in some respects, be getting paid for every post I produce and have a good number of followers to read/comment on every post to boot. There are always posts I haven't written, photos I haven't taken and things I haven't done. I'm lucky to have come across so many understanding and friendly PRs over the years, who don't put too much pressure on me when I'm finding it hard to produce the content they're asking for.
Although I never take on work I can't complete as that's just bad manners all round. In the cases where I'm not feeling the motivation to complete a full blog post (like this one) I'll perhaps just take the photos for it, as they're one aspect of blogging which always seems to hold me back.
However, sometimes I'll have a good session and the photos will turn out exactly how I envisioned them! In cases like this the written portion of the post becomes much easier!
Other times, I'll perhaps start writing the post in note form, just getting my thoughts down on paper so to speak. I'll research the product I'm talking about, so I don't leave anything out, get all the prices, insert links and if needed write my first thoughts down.
This helps me later on when I come back to it as I don't immediately have to remember everything I wanted to say!
Again, this is where having a blogging notebook comes in handy, as I can write down my initial thoughts of a particular product/s, which brand it's from and the name of the PR I've been talking to and which firm they work for.
This all helps me to keep everything on track and now which post is for whom! Sometimes though a post will just come naturally to me, and I'll be able to write about it and insert some photos I already have to go with it. It's always a good feeling when this happens as I feel quite productive and like I'm producing the right content.
Having a notebook will always be part of my blogging kit, I genuinely don't think I could properly blog without one, such are their value to me. They always give me that 'back to school' vibe and encourage me to be organised with my work. I use them for keeping track of my personal life too, making to-do lists, packing lists if I'm going away, keeping track of pen pal letters and working out how much money I've got to spend after paying rent and bills! So, to me, having a notebook is for more than aesthetic reasons. They literally help keep me on the straight and narrow where blogging/ my life is concerned, I genuinely don't think I could blog without one!
Do you use notebooks too? How do they help you keep track with blogging?
Sarah xoxo
