Getting My Act Together in 2009

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For this weekend’s Blog Blast, Parent Bloggers Network wants us to talk about how we are going to “get our act together” in the New Year. They have partnered with BigTent, a website that helps groups connect online. For my New Year’s resolution, I have decided to focus on my online work schedule, and specifically, my management of my email and scheduling of posts.

I cause myself way more stress than I should by not having good email management. I’ve been brainstorming ideas for how to keep up with requests for reviews and giveaways, so that I don’t end up with hundreds of emails that are opened but not dealt with. There are dozens of online tools that can help with scheduling and management, and picking just one and sticking with it should help me get work done as it comes in rather than holding on to opened emails to deal with “later”.

For posting, I’m going to look at creating a schedule ahead of time so that when requests come in, I can reply to the email with a specific date that I can write the post, rather than just saying I’ll “get to it” at some point. I’ll also leave space open in the schedule for unexpected requests.

Blogging is supposed to be fulfilling, not stressful. Taking on more work than I can actually do doesn’t help me or the people asking for the posts. Being honest with both myself and the people making the requests benefits everyone involved. And the biggest thing I need to do? Learn to say no. I tend to think that if I turn something down, I’ll never get asked again. There is plenty of work to go around and it’s okay to politely decline!

Thank you, Parent Bloggers Network, for giving me this push I needed to really think about my New Year’s resolution. I hope at this time next year, I can look back and say that I was successful!