It's only just over a week away now until it's Valentine's day. The day of love where people share their love for that favourite person with cute gifts or nights out. It's also the perfect chance if you're single to up your self care and love by taking some time out for you. The fun doesn't have to stop just because you're single, you can happily have a galentines day or spend some much needed time with your family. Whatever you plan on doing, I've got 5 valentines inspired lip picks that you can opt for on this love enthused day. Think rosy pinks and classic reds, there's something for everyone in this post. 

Aside from writing, one of my favourite things about blogging has to be planning my posts. I love the feeling you get from thinking of a new idea and planning out a post to put forward for your schedule. It gets me feeling so excited and inspired to get creating. The plus side to this is that I'm a very organised person, so planning out posts comes easy to me and I never like to rush posts because of this. I thought it would be a good idea to share with you how I plan my blog posts and the stages that fit together to enable me to create the content that I do.

The amount of notebooks I have gone through since I started blogging has been unreal. I have a whole pile of them in my room with all my ideas and post plans in from what will be three years worth of blogging come june. Notebooks help me a huge amount to keep organised and get everything that is circling around in my head down on paper. This way I'm less likely to forget things and also know what the hell I'm going to write when it comes to putting some posts together. 

This may sound a little over the top, but I use three notebooks to plan my posts and keep myself organised. I use to only use one, but always found that everything would be all over the place and I needed a system that was more efficient to work from.

Main A5 notebook - This is the notebook that probably gets used out of all of them. In this one I write up the notes I want to put together for a particular post, I write all my photo ideas for posts and also Instagram, I put together a rough draft of my content plan for each month and I also have a checklist to keep me up to date with what needs to be completed for each month like editing photos or scheduling tweets. 

The ideas A5 notebook - The other A5 notebook I use is to keep all my ideas inside. The reason why I decided to separate my ideas from the main notebook was because it's a lot easier to see my ideas at a quick glance in a separate notebook, than having to keep flicking between pages to try locate ideas. This way I can just scan and see what ideas I feel most inspired to write about at that particular moment.

The everything A4 notebook - The third notebook I use is the notebook that has a real mixture of things inside. I like to use it mainly as somewhere where I can write quick hand and write whatever pops into my mind. It's almost like my word dump notebook. It can a real mixture of things inside like scribbles, notes, stats, ideas, drafts, dates, you name it is probably in there. I also do a lot of my research in this notebook. For example, if I've read a useful blogging tip, then I'll note it down in there for future reference. 

As you know, I use my main notebook to write up the plans for my posts. Each plan usually follows in a certain order and this order is typically the way it appears in a post. So it goes something like this...

1. The title - I usually write the initial idea here and if I think it suits the post well and is generally a good title for SEO, then I'll keep it. But sometimes if I don't think it fits just right, then I'll either rephrase it or swap words out for new ones. This can sometimes take a couple of days for me to find the right one. So I like to come back to it before I write the post up so I'm 100% settled on something.

2. The intro - After the title comes the introduction of the post. Now this is probably where I struggle the most. The introduction always seems to be the hardest part to write in a post. Instead of writing out a full paragraph of what I want it to be like, I'll just jot down a few ideas and things I want to mention. If the post relates to a past post, then I like to make a note of that also so I can include it when I'm writing up the post. 

3. The main parts of the post - When it comes to the  main part of the post, so the topic I'm talking about I like to plan it each point I want to make in bullet points. This way I can clearly see each point. I'll write up notes on each subheading and include all the information I want to put into the post. If I was doing a beauty review, then I'll start with the first impressions, how I got on each week trailing the product and then my final verdict. Much like the intro, I'll also make a note of any links I need to add. If I'm writing a list style post, then I might possibly do is go back in and number each section in the order I want to write it up in. This really helps to ensure my posts flow well. 

4. The photos - The last thing I plan for each post is the photos that will be included in the post. I like to write up a brief draft of the style of images I want to create. I include things like what I want the image to look like, the background I want to use, any props I need to add, the style of photo I want to do e.g a flatlay, the theme of the photo and any additional ideas I have. I like to write up a couple of photo ideas for posts because if one style doesn't work out, then I always have a backup in place to work from instead. If it's a lifestyle post and I want to incorporate myself into the photo, then I'll also plan the location of the shoot, what type of pose(s) I plan on doing and the outfit I have in mind.

The final parts of planning

Pretty much every single day of the working week, I spend most of my time during the day blogging in some way. I guess you could class me as a full time blogger and that is one of my aims this year to go freelance with it! I thought it might be a good idea to share what a typical blogging day is like for me, giving you the chance to see what I get up to and spend my time doing to have a good successful blogging day. And also give any non-bloggers an insight in how hard us bloggers work each day.

7:00am - 9:00am: 7am is the time I come back from Matt's (my boyfriend) most mornings after a weekend together or sleeping over during the week. It's been an absolute game changer for my productivity getting up at 6am when he does and then getting back to mine for 7am to start the day off properly. I usually start the day by writing out what I need to do for the day ahead and also any plans I have for the week. This gives me a clear idea of everything I need to do for the week ahead and gives me the chance to see what things I can look forward to, which is also great for motivation. 

I then spend time catching up on any social media from the night before and seeing how everyone is getting on in the mornings. This usually involves me sending out a tweet for the morning and also responding back to any tweets I've missed, catching up on my Instagram comment pods, as well as liking pictures, checking out stories and also responding back to my own comments. I also might check out Bloglovin and Pinterest in this time. 

Once I've caught up on all things social, I'll then get stuck into any blog or photo planning/organising that needs to be done. I'll get out my notebook and finish planning posts or start planning new ones for the month ahead. If I am taking blog photos on a particular day, then I like to go over the plan I've already written for the posts I need to take or build on the ideas, so I have a good idea of what images I want to achieve. This also includes any Instagram photos that need to be taken too.

Also in the morning I like to check the weather to help with photo taking or to see what it is going to be like when I like to venture out during the week.

9:00am - 10:30am: This is the time I usually stop for breakfast and to also give myself a chance to get ready for the day. Even when I'm working from home, I still like to get ready as I would if I was leaving the house to go to work. It really helps with motivation and helping me to feel less sluggish. My typical breakfast is usually some toast or granola and yoghurt with a smoothie. I'm obsessed with smoothies at the moment. My favourite is the Naked Red Machine. It's so delicious! 

I also like to sometimes head out for a bit of exercise during this time. Even if it's only a light walk around the block, it can make the world of difference and as a mental health sufferer it can really help keep my stress levels down. The fresh air always makes me calmer and almost grounds me in a way from all the negative anxious thoughts that can cloud my mind way too often. I like to try reduce my screen time during this time to rest my eyes, but also to keep my headspace off the online world. 

10:30am - 1:00pm: During this time I get back on with all things blogging. There's a whole load of different tasks I could be getting on with during this time. If the lighting is good, then I'll opt bulk shoot my Instagram and blog photos. This usually takes a couple of hours to do, as I spend time shooting lots of photos for different posts and also like experimenting with different shots before I feel I have achieved enough good shots. If the lighting isn't playing ball or I don't have any photos that need taking, then I might be doing anything from scheduling tweets, continuing my planning, editing photos, writing posts, catching up on blog comments or responding to emails. There is never a day when there isn't something to be getting on with. 

1:00pm - 2:00pm: Between 1pm and 2pm, I like to take another break and this time I stop for lunch time. Again, I like to take some time away from the screen at this time, so I'll either sit down my blog notebooks to plan more and keep organised, or I'll grab something to read like a magazine or book. My mind never stops thinking about blogging even when I'm stopping for a break! 

2:00pm - 3:00pm: This is the time I try to finish off my to do list, (which rarely happens because the day seems to go by so quick or I get distracted by something on social media usually, but trust me I'm trying to work on limiting my distractions!!!) I could be working on finishing up blog posts, scheduling tweets, checking my emails again or editing photos. It's a real mixture just like before lunch. I'm not always doing the same thing every day, even though the structure is fairly similiar, it's never the same tasks at the same time each day. I never shoot photos in the afternoon though because the lighting never works in my favour, so that's always a morning task. 

3:00pm - 4:00pm: Towards the later half of the afternoon, I like to try and unwind for the day and get myself ready to head on out. I like to take myself off for a long relax in a bubble bath or a pamper in the shower. This is a good way for me to unwind from the day and also treat myself, all about that self care! I also spend the time tidying up from the day, so if I have been shooting photos I have a lot of mess to tidy up. Anyone else always make a mess when they take blog photos? It's a nightmare to tidy up sometimes. I also like to tidy up around my room and make sure everything is looking nice before I leave.

4:00pm - 6:00pm: Anytime between 4-5pm is usually when I head back off to Matt's for the rest of the night or he comes over for some tea. It's nice to sit down with him and have a little catch up to see how our days went etc. Whilst I try be present and stay away all things blog, I sometimes am still working on my blog behind the scenes, such as preparing Instagram photos e.g editing them ready to be uploaded or catching up any social media notifications. But when I do actually give myself the chance to switch off, I like to use the time to focus on my mental health, so I'll do some journaling or even just put on my favourite tv series or movie to watch with Matt to cheer myself up if I'm feel a little down or anxious. 

6:00pm - 7:00pm: This is the time I usually have some food and socialise with my family or Matt's, so I again switch off from the screen, but before I do that, I upload a post on Instagram usually for the day. And also use the time to respond to comments on there and comment on other people's posts to share the love. This is one of my favourites things to do ever!

7:00pm - 9:00pm: Now between 7pm and 9pm is a real mixture and hugely depends on the mood I'm in or how productive the day has been before hand. Whilst I aim to switch off from the blogging world in the evenings and spend the time living in the present with the people I love, I sometimes end up doing more blog work in the evenings. Most of the time it's finishing off posts or planning, so nothing that is too difficult for that time of the night. I love writing and planning, they both relax me and somehow end me up in a good head space anyway, so I guess I could sometimes class them as being self care things I enjoy doing. But when I'm not focusing on my blog, I'll either be chilling in front of the TV or playing on the Sims (yes, I still do that at 20). 

9:00pm - 10:00pm: Again another hour used to unwind and I try my very best to make it a no phone hour. Ideally I like to get into bed by half 9 with a good book to read and be ready to drift off into a good nights sleep. But most of the time, I'm usually scrolling through social media and telling Matt to go clean his teeth, because he's already fallen asleep beside me and is hogging half of the bed, and won't move his butt. Men, ey? We love them really!

And then I wake up in the morning bright and early, ready to repeat the same sort of day again.

Who ever said blogging was easy, ey? It's nearly a 24 hour round job and I never stop thinking about it.

What's your favourite part of a blogging day?

Lauren x

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