January 16, 2013

Resolutions and Best of 2012 Look Back

I've been procrastinating a tad on the resolutions thing. I do have a good excuse - retail hell. As some of you know, my "day" job is as a visual merchandiser. The hours are a bitch at the best of times, but in November-December, they are particularly heinous. Exhausted doesn't begin to cover how I felt at the end of last month. Suffice it to say I spent my New Year's Eve on the couch, napping. I was holding out until my week off to get back on top of things: cleaning the house, finishing up the last of the renovations, getting through the backlog of picture editing and post writing, and, of course, planning for how to do it all better this year.

I have some general organizational resolutions for my home and work, but as to the ones that pertain to this endeavour, they are as follows: 

1) Post more regularly. I've been averaging about one post a week, and my goal is to bring it to three a week. At the same time, I would like to upload one or two youtube videos a week.

2) Spend less per month on beauty items. I went way over budget in 2012, partly due to my own magpie inclinations, but also because I wanted to provide a lot of content for this blog. In reality, I didn't even get a chance to write about half the items I purchased (see resolution 1). I'm keeping a little notebook account of all the beauty items I buy, and I'm not allowing myself to exceed more than a certain amount per month (with May having triple the limit due to The Makeup Show). If I don't reach the limit in one month, I am allowing myself to carry it over into the next month.

3) Take more chances with different types of posts. At this point I'm fairly comfortable with the review format I have worked out, but I would like to expand and experiment this year.

Nothing too crazy, and that's the key to keeping to resolutions. Otherwise, it's setting yourself up for failure.

One of the types of post I'd like to do is a Look Back at 2012 series. Sort of like the Best of the Year posts that everyone has done (some absolutely brilliantly), but with one item or theme per post. Part of the appeal for me about this kind of series is that it will afford me the opportunity to discuss some items I didn't have a chance to write about at the time. Also, sometimes a product doesn't strike you as being particularly amazing until you have the clarity of time and greater context.

I hope that my plans for 2013 will add some fun and value to your lives, and I look forward to spending some more time with y'all!

7 comments:

  1. Sounds very exciting, can't wait to see what you have in stock for us!

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  2. Judith18.1.13

    Great resolutions! Can't wait to see/read more posts!

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  3. Sounds like you have some great, reasonable goals Maggie. I can totally relate to going over budget due to pressures to provide blog content. Even though I was big into makeup before starting the blog, I got MUCH crazier with my shopping habits once I did start, because I always feel like I need to provide a ~service~ and showcase items that might be of interest. A slippery slope! This year I'm hoping to just buy really GREAT pieces, but less of them, and get more creative with other kinds of posts so I don't feel like I have nothing to say if I'm not reviewing something new. Good luck - I think you can totally rock these out in 2013!

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    1. As reasonable as the goals are, they've actually been harder to stay committed to than I thought they would be! The hardest thing is passing on those sales. Damn emails, lol!

      I'm really looking forward to reading your blog this year (not that I didn't love it before!) . You already post such interesting and well-thought-out articles, and I think the constraint of reviewing fewer items will only make those posts more fun. :)

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  4. Anonymous22.1.13

    lol retail. i fell asleep at 8PM on New Year's! 8PM!!! Geez. But yes, i know what you mean! i love your resolutions, and I wish you luck! #2 is a hard one for sure! :)

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Hi! Thank you for your comment, I love to hear back from you guys. =) I try to respond back to every comment within a few days.

Please don't use this comment form for self-promotion, though. It's bad blogger etiquette. And we don't wish to upset Emily Post. ;)