Another year has come and gone… four seasons and twelve months packed with weddings, bikinis, falling leaves and Christmas trees. Over the past few days, after celebrating New Year’s Eve with those I love, I’ve had time to reflect and think about my best and worst moments from 2015, and how I want to make this next year even better, for both myself, and for my blog, Stylish in Suburbia.

On a personal level, 2015 was quite the roller coaster. I received a promotion at work in the beginning of the year which was exciting, allowing me travel to new cities in the US and focus on beauty, a passion of mine, however it also increased my work stress factor with more responsibilities. I moved out of my  Upper East Side apartment and away from legal landlord issues and emotional breakdowns into a new high-rise with amazing new roommates in the Financial District (Manhattan) which was a definite upgrade. I explored my new neighborhood bars and restaurants, trying out some of those delicious meals you see on Instagram and making friends with local bartenders. And I spent time with the people I love, whether we were traveling for fun, celebrating the holidays together, or mourning those who had passed this year.

Blog-wise, I let Stylish in Suburbia drift off a bit, as my attention focused on work and it often became a conflict of interest, whether I would write content for my blog or for my full-time job, either the print magazine or website (www.DiscoverBeautyWithin.com). I began to lose interest in the random subscription boxes I was receiving, and instead of eagerly taking pictures, writing and posting, everything was taking double the time to do. So, I took a step back this Fall and decided I would really get organized. I would create an editorial calendar, posting schedule, and make my blog like ones I wanted to read, and less focused on getting out posts 5 times a week, or skyrocketing with views. I decided to refresh and focus more on fashion, beauty, home decor and subscription boxes that relate to these topics, instead of any and all under the sun. I decided I wanted it to be the best it can be, and that means unique, authentic, and completely me.

My personal goals for 2016 include:

1. Taking more time for myself: Whether it be time to write, take a bath, go for a walk, or simply alone time to decompress, personal time is necessary in this busy, chaotic, every-changing city.
2. Focusing on being healthier: working out consistently, eating healthier, making better decisions. This doesn’t mean I’m completely cutting out “unhealthy” foods, but being more aware of my body and treating myself when necessary and staying focused otherwise.
3. Staying focused and positive at work: It’s easy to get stressed out and overwhelmed. I’m going to avoid getting burnt out by staying organized, focused, enjoying the beauty perks more and taking breaks when needed.
4. Travel more: Whether they’re weekend trips or week-long cruises, I want to travel more with K and my friends and experience the various unique cities of the US and countries around the world

My blogging goals for 2016, as I started mentioning above, include:

1. Creating and sticking with an editorial calendar and posting schedule: By pre-planning what topics I want to focus on and noticing upcoming holidays and events, I can stay focused, on deadline, and consistently post.
2. Post (at least) once per week: My current plan is to write the post either over the weekend or early in the week and program it Tuesday night to go live Wednesday morning. I want keep this consistent Wednesday morning post, so my readers know when to expect new content, and not to overwhelm myself. It’s all about quality, not quantity.
3. Focusing on quality topics and genuine interests: By focusing on lifestyle, home decor, fashion and beauty topics, I can create better and more unique content for my readers. This is the best way to stay true to myself and to avoid blog burnout.
4. Don’t worry too much about the numbers: While I am trying to increase my readers and followers, I want to spend the next few months focusing on content and building my blog platform up, so that everything else will follow naturally.

Do you have any personal or blogging reflections from last year or goals for 2016? Feel free to share below in the comments!