Looking back at January and ahead to February | From Overwhelmed to Organized: Looking back at January and ahead to February

Thursday, January 31, 2013

Looking back at January and ahead to February



Wow... January usually drags, but it seems to have flown by!  Wasn't it just last week we were ringing in the new year and setting goals for 2013?

But, January did actually have all 31 days that it's supposed to have :)  And plenty happened on this here blog so let's take a look.



Most Read Post:

The most read post in January was Command Centre:  Wall Files for Papers.  I linked it up on several popular link parties and the views skyrocketed.  {So fun when that happens!}  I'm obviously not the only one who struggles to stay on top of all the paperwork that makes its way into our homes on a daily basis!  This system has really helped me and I hope it helps lots of other people too :)


Most Commented On Post:

This title goes to I'm Co-hosting the Let's Get Social Sunday Party!   I loved getting to know so many new bloggers this month and co-hosting this party was a big part of that.  January saw an increase in blog comments and I love each and every one of them!  


My Favourite Post:

Two-parter this month!  Organizing my Linen Closet and Organizing My Linen Closet Part 2:  The Full Reveal were both favourites.  I LOVE how organized my linen closet is now.  The baskets and the over-the-door organizer have really helped it stay organized.


Other Posts From This Month:

Here are the other posts from this month in case you missed any of them.

1.  Organizing Resource:  Pulling Yourself Together and Organizing Resource:  Project Organize Your Entire Life  If you need a little help keeping your organizing resolutions, these are both great resources!

2.  I'll group all the Organizing Ideas For the Weekend posts together here:


I like doing this series and giving ideas that can help you get organized on the weekend.  More to come in February!

3.  I Love Freecycle - Free Gifts!  Another post in this series and this time I shared some items I received on Freecycle that I was able to give away as gifts.  I also showed you how I used an item I got earlier.  I've got some more great finds coming up as well as pictures of some of the items I've Freecycled to others.


Previous Months' Posts That Were Popular This Month:

1.  Reflecting Back on 2012  I had fun looking back on my first partial year of blogging and sharing the top 5 posts of last year.

2.  My Daughter's Closet is Finally HER Closet  All of my top 5 posts from 2012 were popular again in January but I linked this one up to the New Year's Organizing Revolution so it was viewed more than the others.  Lots of closet organizing going on in January :)

3.  31 Days of Organizing Tips (Introduction)  Several posts from this series were popular this month, but this one is the launching pad to all of them so it tends to get the most views.  If you're looking for organizing tips, this post is a great place to start.


Highlights This Month:

1.  I loved sharing Peter Walsh's 31Days2GetOrganized posts and videos on Facebook this month.  So many people get overwhelmed just thinking about all the areas of their house that need to be de-cluttered but Peter's tips make it very manageable.  Just 10 minutes a day.  If you missed them, you can find all the days on Peter's Facebook page.  

2.  This month we hit over 75,000 pageviews on the blog.  In fact, we're over 80,000 now but those multiples of 25 are kind of fun mile markers to celebrate.  I never imagined so many people would enjoy my blog when I started it and it is so humbling and exciting to see it grow.  Thank you so much for being part of this journey!

3.  With the growth of the blog, I'm starting to branch out {slightly} into earning income through it.  I've had Adsense almost since the beginning and have started to see a little bit more earnings through it {as in, I may get to my first $100 payment by my 1-year blogiversary!}. And this month I became an affiliate for a few sites.  All together, it's really not a lot of money but every little bit helps and then I can re-invest a little money back into the blog so I can keep posting organizing tips for all of you :)

Goals From Last Month:

I actually didn't include specific goals for January in last month's post since it was looking back at the whole year and looking forward to the whole year, rather than just a month.  But, I always set a goal to write posts more consistently, and I think I did pretty well with that this month, especially since I've been working quite a bit outside the home and taking care of my kids more since my hubby's been working more too.  It was great to get back to sharing more of my organizing projects too.

Goals For Next Month:

1.  Reply back to comments more consistently.  It means so much to me that you take the time to leave a comment on a post and I am so sorry I have not replied to all of you.  I did do a little better this month so that's progress at least.

2.  Write the rest of the posts in my command centre series.  I can't wait to show you all the ways it has helped keep our family organized!


3.  Complete more organizing projects around the house so I can share them with you too.  {I've got lots of partially completed projects that I need to wrap up and tie a bow on!}

4.  Introduce a de-cluttering challenge that you can all join in on.

5.  Continue to spend time getting to know new people on PinterestFacebook, and Google+.



So that's my look back on the month of January and look ahead to February. 

Once again, I am so grateful that you have taken the time to join me on this journey from overwhelmed to organized!

How did you do with your January goals?  Have you kept up with your organizing resolutions?  Let me know if there's anything I can do to help you out!



Happy organizing!



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