2019 Year In Review

I started Techie Mamma as a hobby. I never thought it would grow like it did and I never thought it would be my business. Many of you might be in the same situation. Since I never thought it would grow, I never thought about doing an annual review or setting goals. That is all changing in 2020. My blog is still in its infancy. I am still trying to build it up and make a truly valuable resource. This year, I am looking back at 2019 at all the efforts I made to make my site legitimate and looking forward to 2020 and my new goals going forward.

Pro-Tip: Check out the Productivity Ultimate Bundle and get the Annual Review Workbook. I will highlight some of the things here but the Workbook is a great way to look back and the whole bundle has everything you need to get organized at a sweet low price!

Year Review: Looking Back

Look back and collect all the data from the past. Look possibly at photos or your blog and what you posted to refresh your memory. Look at what worked and what didn’t but try to focus on the positive.

Since this is my first review, I am going to try and consider my whole blogging journey in one lump. I started Techie Mamma in 2016 when our big boy was born. The big boy was born in April and my first post was after I left the Ph.D. program in October of 2016. Since my blog was purely a hobby and I took big breaks from it when I broke my foot and got pregnant for the second time, I consider there to be a second birth of Techie Mamma which happened in December of 2018 writing more about the Instant Pot and creating an Instant Pot recipe book. In 2019, I put a lot of work into the site and into the blog!

One thing I love about the JetPack plugin is the additional analytics that they give you. Sure Google Analytics is the gold star but the Jetpack analytics gives you some insight on posts and words written which is kind of cool.

The number of posts and words per post (important for SEO!) also increased significantly in 2019. I wrote a total of 85,659 this past year. Even I have to say WOW!

Two of my main goals for my blog this year was more consistency and two posts per week. This little graphic from JetPack captures when blog content was published.

As far as financials go combining my previous freelance business and Techie Mamma was a move in the right direction. With Techie Mamma my services increased steadily in profits. Additionally, with affiliate sales, I made about an additional $500.

Year Review: Reflection

Next in a reflective pattern think about what you are most proud of in the past year. What new dream did you achieve? Then think about your unfinished business. What do you still need to resolve? Think about what brought you joy and excitement and what you would have done differently. Think about the people you met, the risks and challenges you faced and if there were times where fear held you back. Then reflect on what new things you want to learn in the new year.

In looking at Techie Mamma, I am proud of the name I have made for myself. In Mompreneur groups, you will see Techie Mamma recommended on a regular basis. My dream is to build this even further and have a thriving community of mompreneurs and give them resources for all the tech they need. I wanted to start this by launching my first individual course and still have that to finish but it is coming soon! So many wonderful ladies and moms I have met this past year that I can call not just fellow mompreneurs or clients but friends. One of the biggest challenges or experiences I had this year was going to WordCamp DFW on my own. I missed my boys but that has brought a wonderful relationship with a few people that I am looking forward to nurturing further in the future. This year I want Techie Mamma to grow! Grow in the outreach we do, grow in the influence we have and blossom!

Now it is your turn what are your responses to the questions above? You have great things to contribute, take the time to think of the past year and look forward to this year and what you want to do.

Year Review: Planning the Year to Come

Think about values that are key to your life and some goals that match with each one. Some areas may include health, work/business, relationships. You might have others too such as financial, spirituality, travel, or life-long learning. This can be whatever is important to you. Once you have your areas identify strong motivational reasons to accomplish your goals.

Hand in hand with planning this year, I have started two new practices. First, I read the last few days of 2019, the 12-week year. This book guides you through a process where you can accomplish what you could accomplish in a year in 12-weeks. The authors lay down a plan for defining your goals, and a system for execution, which according to them is where many of us fail. Second, I love Rachel Hollis, if you don’t know who she is, go look her up she is amazing. I have read her books, Girl, Wash Your Face and Girl, Stop Apologizing and decided I was now ready for her Start Today journal. I got it in the exclusive Target collection and so far so good!

My goals in both of the strategies center around being more intentional with my time and talents. Setting work time to be just that productive work time and family time or time with the boys to be more present with them. I find this one of the hardest challenges of being a mompreneur. I feel constantly in this limbo. Yes, I work but yes I am at home with my kids. How do both happen? It is a balance that I am ever trying to achieve. Block scheduling has helped a lot and will be going forward, one of the things I try to utilize more and more. If you need help getting started with goals and schedules check out the Ultimate Productivity Bundle. It has 47 resources to help you make the most of your time. A great value!

Lastly, come up with a phrase that defines your year based on your goals and reflections.

The year 2020 is the year of growth.