I've been Blogging for a while now and it has taken me a while to figure out what tools make my life easier and what tools just over complicate things. Now that I've got a more solid routine, it is so much easier to find time to blog and I'm feeling so much more creative about it all!
01: The first thing I've been loving recently is the 365 Blog Topic Ideas Book from Dana Fox, who blogs over at The Wonder Forest. This is an awesome little book. It has a different blog Idea on each page so I tend to just flick through the book and stop on a random page which will have an idea on it. I just adapt this idea to fit into the theme of my blog and hey presto, you've got a content idea!
02: Lighting is something that I've only added to my blogging arsenal recently. With the winter and the dark nights, I leave for work in the dark and come home in the dark, meaning I can only really take photos for my blog on the weekend and even then, the lighting isn't great! I decided to purchase some studio lighting and it has really helped! I'm still trying to get used to it, but being able to take photos at all times of the day is great - gives me much more time for it.
03: Of course, a camera was going to be included in this list and currently, I'm using and loving the Olympus Pen E-PL7. Before this, I was using the Canon 600D and although that was great, I wanted to be able to take my camera on the go more and for that, I needed to have something smaller and slightly more portable and so far, I've really been enjoying using this.
04: Planning, for me, is an essential to being a blogger. I Absolutely Love using my Filofax to keep me organised. I jot down ideas, to-do lists and a plan for the week and it really helps me to stay on track. I combined this with an Excel spreadsheet on my laptop and by using the two, I can keep myself organised and make sure everything gets done, especially when I have a little bit of extra time.
05: Another recent tool that I absolutely love (although it isn't really a tool!) is the Beautiful Mess Messy Box. This is a monthly subscription of crafting supplies and products. I use the things that come in this box as photo backgrounds for my blog and my Instagram, whilst also using them for little DIY's around the house. This is such an awesome little box and it always inspires creativity!
01: The first thing I've been loving recently is the 365 Blog Topic Ideas Book from Dana Fox, who blogs over at The Wonder Forest. This is an awesome little book. It has a different blog Idea on each page so I tend to just flick through the book and stop on a random page which will have an idea on it. I just adapt this idea to fit into the theme of my blog and hey presto, you've got a content idea!
02: Lighting is something that I've only added to my blogging arsenal recently. With the winter and the dark nights, I leave for work in the dark and come home in the dark, meaning I can only really take photos for my blog on the weekend and even then, the lighting isn't great! I decided to purchase some studio lighting and it has really helped! I'm still trying to get used to it, but being able to take photos at all times of the day is great - gives me much more time for it.
03: Of course, a camera was going to be included in this list and currently, I'm using and loving the Olympus Pen E-PL7. Before this, I was using the Canon 600D and although that was great, I wanted to be able to take my camera on the go more and for that, I needed to have something smaller and slightly more portable and so far, I've really been enjoying using this.
04: Planning, for me, is an essential to being a blogger. I Absolutely Love using my Filofax to keep me organised. I jot down ideas, to-do lists and a plan for the week and it really helps me to stay on track. I combined this with an Excel spreadsheet on my laptop and by using the two, I can keep myself organised and make sure everything gets done, especially when I have a little bit of extra time.
05: Another recent tool that I absolutely love (although it isn't really a tool!) is the Beautiful Mess Messy Box. This is a monthly subscription of crafting supplies and products. I use the things that come in this box as photo backgrounds for my blog and my Instagram, whilst also using them for little DIY's around the house. This is such an awesome little box and it always inspires creativity!
What blogging tools do you use to make your life easier?
This post first appeared on Lifestyle, Interiors, Food & Book Blogger - Sarah Smiles, please read the originial post: here
