Best of August 2019 + Powersheets Progress

Happy September!

Quarter 3 is almost over, which is so crazy! It seems like just yesterday we were counting down the new year. While I don't think I'm quite ready for the holiday season and another Minnesota winter, I'm definitely looking forward to fall. There's just something about the crisp fall air and crunchy leaves that I can't get enough off. BUT, I could definitely do without the world's obsession with all things pumpkin spice. I just don't get it??? What's your take on pumpkin spice…yay or nay? I'm genuinely curious, so let me know down below!

Pumpkin spice notwithstanding, fall is the best season in my opinion. I'm definitely looking forward to the remaining few months of 2019, especially because things are starting to pick up in terms of work.

My year started off really strong and I was super busy but right around mid-July, my workload seemed to dip a little bit. That's totally normal, especially when you're a business of one but its still scary to see such a drop in work — and income!

So, the panic started to creep in and I experienced a very intense bout of imposter syndrome. The good news is, I got to dust off my cold emailing skills and start sending some pitches to potential clients I'd like to work with. I also got to spend time focusing on some of the other things I'd been putting off, like home remodeling projects. I even got to take another guilt-free mini-vacation, which was great.

Despite a few minor setbacks, dwindling bank account, and any uncertainty I felt, I knew business would get better. Rather than panicking outright and going into full-on ostrich mode (aka head in the sand, pretend it's not happening mode), I met the problem head-on and did what I could to solve it.

That perseverance and hard work paid off because I'm starting September by signing on TWO new clients!

The moral of the story is, freelance writing full-time isn't always a walk in the park. Some months will be busier than others and you may experience a dip in income from time to time. That's okay! It's all part of being an entrepreneur and running and online business.

You just need to have a plan of action in place to turn things around and be patient while you implement those processes. Eventually (if you put in the work) things will pick back up.

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August GOAL REVIEW

Here's a peek at what August held for my blog and business.

MONTHLY ACTION ITEMS

Publish 4 new blog posts ❌
Create an editorial/content calendar ✅ – My goal was to do this at the beginning of the month but in true procrastinator fashion, I waited until the end of the month. 🤷🏻 I'm super happy to finally check it off my to-do list though!
Create a new freebie ✅ – My new freebie, A Freelance Writer's Guide to Choosing a Niche, is available in the Resources Vault. Click here to check it out!

WEEKLY ACTION ITEMS

Update 1 blog post ✅
Post 3 Facebook posts ➖ I managed to do this for the last two weeks of August rather than the whole month. The good news is, since I finally created my editorial calendar, I've got September all planned out!

DAILY ACTION ITEMS

Gratitude ✅
Approve & reply to blog comments ✅
Read from a personal development/nonfiction book ✅ – I started reading Content Inc by Joe Pulizzi in July after I finished Three Women, so it carried over into August. If you're trying to establish yourself online, this is the book for you! It's all about how to use content to build a business, whether that's selling a service or monetizing your blog. This will definitely be going in my best books of 2019 blog post in December.

BLOG POSTs I PUBLISHED IN August

Even though I had a slow month in terms of workload, I didn't get much blog writing done for The Quiet Type. This was partly because I was spending my time sending pitches and reaching out to past clients. I was also on vacation for half the month and didn't prepare properly. So, totally dropped the ball and only published 2 blogs in August. Oops!

I'm looking at it as a learning opportunity though. After all, life happens; especially when you're running a business by yourself! With a content calendar in place, I'm way more prepared for September.

FREE TOOLS I’VE BEEN LOVING

MailerLite – It's been a few months now since I switched to MailerLite from Mailchimp and I'm really pleased with how things are going. All in all, MailerLite is very similar to Mailchimp (in terms of sending emails to your list) but I do think Mailerlite is a little easier to use. If you've been unsure with email provider to use, I highly recommend giving MailerLite a shot!

Moz Keyword Explorer – Moz still continues to be one of my favorite free tools. It's improved the SEO of my blog posts so much! The Keyword Explorer shows you how difficult a keyword or phrase is to rank for, how often the term is searched for, and relevant keywords. In addition, it pulls a SERP analysis so you can see the top sites ranking for that keyword.

Grammarly – I will never not include Grammarly on this list! (Sorry, not sorry…it's just SO good!) The time I save editing and looking up synonyms to use while writing makes this tool so worth the investment. If you haven’t checked it out yet, you definitely should!

MY FAVORITE BLOG POSTS FROM August

Proven Strategies to Overcome Procrastination (Two Week Notice Society)
54 Simple Ways to Increase Website Traffic in 2019 (Twins Mommy)
101 Creative Things You Can Do to Get More Clients (Endeavor Creative)
How to Make Money on Medium (The Write Life)

BOOKS I LOVED IN August

While I read 10 books in August. Of the 10, these are my top three:

The Whisper Man* by Alex North
The Wedding Party by Jasmine Guillory
House of Salt & Sorrows* by Erin A. Craig

*These were my Book of the Month choices for August. Interested in getting a FREE book? Use my link to sign up for a Book of the Month membership and you’ll receive a free new release hardcover book of your choice! I always look forward to the first of the month when the new selections are released for Book of the Month. Check it out here!

MAGIC MOMENT OF August

In July, I was invited to write a guest post for the CoWomen blog, which was super exciting for me! My post, The Importance of Knowing Your Worth as a Freelancer, went live at the beginning of August.

The post goes in-depth into my freelance journey and how I went from making less than $10 for a single blog post to $150+ per blog post. If you're interested in finding out how I did it, click here to get the scoop!

Guest posting was a big goal on my list of things to in 2019. I set my goal at 5 and with this new post on the CoWomen blog, I'm over halfway there. Fingers crossed I can knock two more out before the end of the year!

September GOALS

It's hard to believe I just filled out the last month of the 3rd quarter in my Powersheets planner! If you're curious about Powersheets, you can grab a 6-month undated version here to get you through the rest of 2019. I'll also be doing a review on my final thoughts in my December roundup, so be sure to check back then.

BUT, if you're already a fan of Powersheets planner and want to your own, I've got good news for you! The 2020 Powersheets will be released 10/16!

TOP PRIORITY

Create a new landing page for my freelance writer website and portfolio.