Welcome to the Productivity Blog

Next Wednesday, I’m heading up to the Lake District to spend five days over Christmas with my family. I’ll be putting my first ever “out of office” email on as a blogger. I also won’t be tweeting, instagramming (if that’s even a word!) or snapchatting. Last year, I still went on social media over Christmas. It was nice to check in with what festivities people were getting up to. I never thought I’d step away from it completely.

This year, I am. Usually, when I take a break, I still check emails, respond to comments and check social media. Some of you will think that’s totally natural. Some of you won’t. It’s all about personal preference.

But the reason I see people not taking a step back from social media during this time of year is for fear. And more specifically, the fear of missing out (FOMO). It’s something we’re all familiar with as bloggers.

When I went to France for a week in June with Tom, I had that fear. Coming back and going on the internet again for the first time in seven days felt like a really long time. And I had missed out on a lot.

But was that more important than the time I got to spend with Tom? No. Because I fear on missing out on time with him more

 

 

Social media has become so natural. It’s become something that’s just part of our routine. We check it without thinking. It’s become a source of communication for us. Don’t get me wrong – I love it. I honestly really enjoy checking in with you all on social media and having a chat. I’m grateful for the community on there.

But I think it’s important to have boundaries in place. Because it can start affecting everything

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When you think back to your earlier social media days, a lot has changed, right? It used to be all about MSN and MySpace. Now it’s all about flat lays and Twitter chats. But there’s one main thing I’ve realised over the past few years.

Using social media as a blogger is very different to using it as a non-blogger. Three years ago I never had to think about optimal times to post my tweets or what link to share on Facebook. I posted what I was getting up to that night and what I was having for breakfast - plus my pictures weren't taken with that much care!

Then when you get into blogging, you realise something. Paying more attention and putting more effort into social media actually pays off.

I’ve learnt so much from spending time on social media. So much so that not only do I love it - I also blog about it and it’s my day job. So as a sort of fun post to round off the social media year on ABOH, I thought I’d share some of the best things I’ve learnt so far. And if there’s one thing we need to get to grips with to get ahead in the game, it’s social media.

It’s crazy to think that I schedule tweets for a living. But that just goes to show how important all of this really is. So get ready, and take note!

#1 | Images are everything

Really, they are. They’re one of the most shared things on Facebook. Instagram, Snapchat and Pinterest are all image-based platforms. And if you include an image with a tweet there’s 150% more chance of it being shared. Is that not enough to get snapping?

Take care when taking your photos. You want them to mean something or inspire someone. Capture the perfect moment. Capture everything. Then take your pick. I’ve recently started putting much more care into my Instagram feed and it’s definitely paying off.

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Have you ever asked yourself the question “what’s my dream job”? If you said yes, have you ever thought that you might be asking yourself the wrong thing?

There’s a good chance you could be.

Why?

Because who says there’s a dream job out there for everyone?

We’re told so much that we should do what we love and love what we do – then we’ll never have to work a day in our life. That’s defined as a dream job, right?

Here’s something from behind-the-scenes of my life and how I view my career right now:

Instead of seeing what I do day to day as a dream job, I see it as a dream life. And my career fits around that. My career helps to build my ideal life.

You know you’re onto something good when you’re passionate, excited and motivated about something. If you’re getting paid for it, then it’s even better. You hear stories of people on huge wages, going on big holidays and living in a big house. You see they've got a job in your industry and you could see yourself doing the same.

But that’s when the problems start. Because that’s when you’re never satisfied with what you’ve got. That’s when you’re left wanting more.

I've been there.

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Is it safe to say that the festive season is officially here? I think so. There’s not long left until a brand new year, which means a lot of us are making grand plans for what we want to achieve in 2016.

But for a couple of weeks, most of us take a break from everything to spend time with our family and loved ones. So what does that mean for our blogs?

Whenever someone takes a break from managing their online presence, they worry about a lot. For instance:

• My traffic will go down
• No one will read my posts
• My readers will disappear
• Everyone will forget about me

But I'm a true believer that we need to take breaks in all aspects of our lives to grow stronger.

Personally, I tend to take a break over Christmas – but some of this time will be a “working” break. I get two weeks off at Christmas from my day job. That’s a huge chunk of extra time that I can use to work on all my projects for ABOH. So yes, most of my time will be spent with family. But I'll definitely be taking advantage of the extra time I've got too.

It’s absolutely fine if you’re taking a break during the festive season. Your readers are slowing down and spending less time online, so you can do the same.

But today, we’re here to talk about crafting a plan for those of you who want to keep up with your blog over Christmas. We’re here to talk about ten simple ways you can stay up to date, whilst still having the break you deserve…

I like to approach breaks strategically. Sometimes, I’ll completely step away from my presence – I did that in June this year when I went on holiday to France. I’ll do exactly the same at Christmas too. But I also know that two weeks off don’t come around all the time. This is the perfect chance for me to get a head start on my blogging plans for 2016.

If you’re like me and planning to work on your blog over Christmas, I want to share with you the ways I'm going to be keeping up to date and getting a head start. I hope these ideas will inspire you to come up with your own way of keeping up.

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If I had to pick one of the best ways to spend my free time, it would be catching up with my favourite blogs. Sometimes there's nothing better than settling down with a big cup of tea, candles, a blanket and reading through some of the best content out there. 

Every day, I'm so impressed and inspired by the range and quality of content that people put out there on the web.

Some of the blogs listed here I've been reading for two years or more. Once you check in with that person every day, their presence becomes a part of your life. That's what I love so much about the blogging world - the sense of community and the relationships we can build.

So today, I wanted to share with you 41 of my all time favourite blogs. It was hard to narrow them all down, because I read so many! But these are the ones that never fail to inspire me.

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There’s something about the start of December that creates a different kind of atmosphere. The festive season kicks off and lot of us feel excited, giddy and very festive.

But what with the dark mornings, and even darker nights, sometimes it can be hard to keep smiling all the time. Plus, towards the end of December we've got big deadlines looming whether that be for uni or work. It can all get a bit much.

That’s when your negative thinking kicks in.

Even though positivity is a key value of ABOH and myself, it can still be easy to let negative thinking take over. It’s natural – a part of life. We can’t expect life to be magical all the time. But what it actually comes down to is the power you give this negativity.

Thoughts like these drain you of energy. They stop you from being intentional and being present. The more power you give to your negative thinking, the stronger it becomes. Picture a cloud getting bigger and bigger, enveloping you. It’s not nice to think of, is it?

That’s how one small, insignificant thought can turn into a huge, overwhelming, unhappy feeling.

But a positive thought can have exactly the same effect. Just in a completely different way.

I get that it’s hard sometimes to push away the negativity in your mind. But today, I wanted to share some thoughts on how you can change your negative thinking for good.

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Hello everyone, and Happy December 1st! I've got something a little new in store for you today. You see, usually I'd include a round-up of the month just gone in each of my Behind-the-Scenes goals posts. But I thought it actually made more sense to separate them. 

One of my big aims with A Branch of Holly next year is to give you more of an insight into my life, who I am, and really, to make this space more relatable for you.

So Monthly Notes will be a monthly series telling you about my highlights of the month and some of the favourites I've been loving. Here we go with the first one - enjoy!

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You guys... IT'S ALMOST DECEMBER. 2016 is actually going to be here before we know and I for one, can't believe it. It's been a whirlwind of a year with three job changes and a whole lot of new direction on this blog. 

But now I finally feel like I'm in the right place at this moment. My career has taken off and I've got big things planned for ABOH next year so watch this space!

I also wanted to take this chance to say thank you so much to all of you that have taken part in my Reader Survey. It's going to be open until the end of the year so I'd really appreciate your feedback if you haven't filled it in already!

I've been working mega hard over the past few weeks and during my two weeks off in December I'm finally going to create the free download I've been promising you forever. My social media eBook! I'm SO excited and I hope you are too. 

Setting goals at the start of the month is a great way to align my work with the things in life that matter to me the most. Plus, sharing them with you motivates me even more to complete them, and I love reading about the goals you set for yourself too. Today, we're diving into how I got on in November as well as the goals I'll be working towards during December.

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Motivation is a key value on ABOH – so much so that it’s got its own category. I've talked about it a lot, because I know motivation is something a lot of us aim for on a daily basis.

But there’s always one question we ask:

"How do I get myself to be more motivated?”

People go round and round in circles trying out different ways they can be more motivated. But really, that's just making it more complicated for yourself.

Because being more motivated is actually quite simple. 

My mum says that I'm the most motivated person she knows. I get it – it's always been a part of who I am. I can’t remember a time when I've not done something that I've set out to do. That’s just been my mindset. 

My mum will talk to me about Year 11’s she mentors at school saying that they don’t want to revise or do their work. But I can’t relate. Because even thought I might’ve been tired or felt like I couldn't be bothered, I did it anyway.

So if you’re looking for some ways to train yourself to be more motivated (that actually work) this is for you. Read this list, try these out and take action.

We’re going to kick motivation in the butt.

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What do you think of when you see the word “branding”? A logo? Design? Colours? Style? They’re all parts of branding. But what about you as a person? Do you have a logo? A specific design? A specific style?

Somewhere along the way branding has become associated with how something looks. But I've always been taught never to judge a book by its cover.

You wouldn't want someone to get the wrong impression of you, right?

The impression that you give and the values that you hold in your everyday lives are there to represent you.

That is your personal brand.

Here’s the definition that comes up when you put “what is a personal brand” into Google:

“Personal branding is the practice of people marketing themselves and their careers as brands. While previous self-help management techniques were about self-improvement, the personal-branding concept suggests instead that success comes from self-packaging.”

Now you might be thinking to yourself: I don’t have a brand, I haven’t been actively creating one. But you’ll find that it has actually developed naturally and exist now, for you, whether you know what branding really is or not.

You don’t create a personal brand. The truth is, you’ve had one for ages. You just haven’t recognised it yet.

You’re a bit sceptical, aren't you?

I know. I was at one point.

But try this.

Google yourself. Just like you did in the blog post yesterday on social media branding. Google your name, your blog name and your location.

Every result that comes up in relation to you is part of your personal brand.

Your social media platforms, your LinkedIn profile, your mentions on other blogs and websites – these are all part of your personal brand. They all help to develop your personal brand.

So the question we need to answer now isn't “do I have a personal brand?” But instead, “how do I use my personal brand to my advantage? How do I define it to be what I want?”

Because that way you’ll be ahead. Employers are so impressed when you can talk about yourself as a personal brand. And if you can communicate that in a unique and effective way, that’s how you’ll be remembered.

That’s how you’ll grow.

Now we’re going to dig in. Let’s do this. Want to know how to believe that you are a personal brand? Read on.

 

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