January 2016 Wrap-Up

January 2016 was a month of huge highs and a few (personal) lows. Let’s start with all the stuff that happened on social media street, shall we?

Social Media Stats — January 2016

Facebook: hit and quickly surpassed 1,000 ‘likes’. Wowzers! Considering my aim for January was 925, I’m pretty gobsmacked. Currently passing 1,200.
Twitter: over 525 followers now. I don’t normally spend much time over there but, recently, I’ve been making a bit more of an effort and it’s starting to pay off.
Instagram: over 675 followers. I’d been pretty quiet there over Christmas so I’m just starting to get back into the swing of things now.
Pinterest: over 1,200 followers. This is going to be a big area of focus for me in the coming weeks.
Newsletter: over 80 subscribers. Considering I only launched this at the end of last month, I’m pleasantly surprised at how well it’s doing. I know it’s probably a small number for some, but it’s big progress for me!

All of these exceeded expectations, so I was pretty tickled! A massive THANK YOU if you in any way contributed to those numbers!

https://www.instagram.com/p/BBF5sPsPqMC/?taken-by=howtogyst

And the YouTube channel surpassed 1,000 subscribers, which was pretty mind-blowing. It’s currently cruising towards 1,200 and I couldn’t be more excited. And one of my videos now has over 5,000 views! AND a big network emailed me about partnering up. (If you’re not familiar with YouTube networks, they basically offer you certain perks like promotion and tickets to events, etc. in exchange for a cut of your earnings.) I won’t be taking them up on it just yet, because the general consensus is that you have to be pretty huge on YouTube before they’ll do anything for you other than take your money, so that’s on the back burner for the foreseeable. Still exciting to be approached though!

Also, my videos this month were some of the most popular to date! If you missed them, follow the links to catch up:

Head on over and SUBSCRIBE because for the month of February I’ll be doing a series on self-love, talking about learning to accept yourself, reducing stress and anxiety, and not giving a flying fuck what anyone thinks of you.

And, in keeping with that spirit, I’ll also be doing a review of this book:

January 2016 -- The Life-Changing Magic of Not Giving A Fuck, by Sarah Knight — Click the pic to take you to the Amazon listing (affiliate link)

This was another big WIN for me this month because it was the first time I emailed someone about sending me free stuff to review. And they did! So a HUGE thank you to Sarah Knight and her UK publisher Fiona over at Quercus books (who sent my package in a snazzy gold padded envelope, so she gets three cheers for doing a stellar job). They both sound like my kinda people.

They sent two books — one for me and one for a lucky reader! So if you wanna be in with a chance to win, subscribe to the YouTube channel because I’ll be sharing a review and the giveaway rules over there in a few short weeks! Eek!

And then there was that tiny matter of, oh y’know, ME BEING ON NATIONAL RADIO!!! No big deal, like. *cough*

January 2016 -- 2fm's Breakfast Republic — There’s me, looking like I’m in a game of Spot-The-Midget

I was a bit flabbergasted when one of the researchers over there contacted me, but I said YES before I had a chance to talk myself out of it. She’d read the blog and watched some of my YouTube videos, and wanted me to talk about all things planning and organising. And, in case you hadn’t noticed, I have a SLIGHT obsession with both!

I was completely brickin’ it, and my voice was about an octave higher than usual, but I think it went really well. A huge thanks to everyone who sent such lovely messages; I can’t tell you how much they meant to me. And props and my thanks to 2fm for taking a chance on a small-town girl with big-time dreams. 😉

Listen to my slot here:

On the site — January 2016

This month was all about getting shit done. Each post published was designed to take you one step closer to being a productivity machine, starting with writing things down and finishing with a monthly review. If you missed them, or want to recap all the great tips within, follow the links:

I referenced David Allen’s book “Getting Things Done” a few times throughout, and would highly recommend you read it if you’re serious about getting your shit together. It’s basically the productivity bible.

At HowToGYST HQ (AKA home) — January 2016

Things here were up and down. Let’s start with the lows.

My husband was away in the States for the last week of the month and, though Scout is usually much better behaved when he’s away (‘cause I’m the hard-ass of the house so she’s no-one left to wrap around her little finger), she was particularly difficult for most of the week. I’m not sure if it was because she was a little sick (just a touch of a head cold), because it’s the first time she’s really been aware that her Dada was away, or if it’s just the age she’s at. But for a lot of it, she gave me a hard time and I was at breaking point on more than one occasion.

Scout -- January 2016 — She’s a sassy lassy. Don’t know where she gets it from. Ahem.

So, on the whole, motherhood was hard on me this month (but, mercifully, potty training has been a success). Thankfully my husband is back today. Three cheers for having an extra pair of hands to help out. (Though, admittedly, I’m a little aggrieved at the thought of giving up all the extra space in the bed. 😛 )

And now for the highs:

My resolutions are coming along nicely. The big theme for January 2016 was “clearing the decks”, by which I meant that I wanted to clear away some long-standing projects that have been on my to-do list. One was to get rid of the Christmas decorations — it was so lovely to reclaim some space! Another was a work project I was doing for a friend which I just finished a few days ago, and yet another involved my digital marketing course. I turned in all my assignments for that in the second half of the month and it was such a huge relief to no longer have all that looming over me. Not to mention tackling enough laundry to clothe an army. I now finally feel I’ve caught up on almost everything.

Another resolution was to read at least 2 books a month. Not only did I complete it for January 2016, but I’m almost finished a third (the one I mentioned above).

I also did my very first Periscope broadcast. I was very nervous and giggly, but it went really well. Over 70 people tuned in, and I got to say hello to some of you wonderful people. 😀 I’ve since done another one, and am just about to do my third tonight! I now do them on my phone ‘cause my poor cooked spaghetti arms could barely handle holding the iPad for the first one. Speaking of which…

I JOINED A GYM. One of those “pigs will fly” moments. And y’know what? I’m not hating it as much as I thought I would. I mean, I’m not loving it, but it’s not as horrendous as I’d previously suspected. So there’s that. I’ll get fit if it kills me. (And, judging by the first exercise class I attended there, it WILL kill me.)

I also got a notification from Google to say my first payment (from YouTube earnings) is on its way! Whoop! I should have received it ages ago but, fool that I am, I never fully verified my account. Oops! But that’s all done now and the money should land in my bank account next week. A great way to kick off February!

And that’s a wrap on a jam-packed month. January 2016 has certainly thrown up a few more moments to add to the “happy memories and milestones” bank and, overall, it’s been a rollocking good start to what is sure to be a rollercoaster of a ride for the rest of the year.

And on that note, keep an eye on the site’s social networks in the coming weeks because I’ve got something big in the works and am hoping to have a huge announcement for you all very soon! They’re linked above so you’ve no excuse. 😉