My Friday Five for this week is ambitious. I’ve been wanting to redesign my blog for a long time. When looking at redesign options, I stumbled across The 2010 Blog Improvement Project. The first week of the project has just begun, and we are supposed to write a blog to-do list of what we’d like to accomplish on our blog.
Here are five areas that I want to concentrate on during the project.
1. Blog Design/Appearance
- Get a blog header that expresses what the blog is about.
- Create a sidebar that is pleasing to both me and my readers.
- Create a background that is not distracting, but visually appealing.
2. Quality of Posts
- More frequent posts
- Regular weekly Friday Five posts
- Combine photos and words in posts
3. Ease of Subscribing
- Add an RSS feed for posts
4. Social Media Integration
- Add a Twitter/Digg/Share This link so readers can share posts.
5. Comment Friendliness
- Ask questions at end of each post to engage readers in conversations.
That’s my list of things to do on the blog. It’s a big one, but I think I can handle it.
flickr image courtesy of wmacphail
It’s a balmy seven degrees in the Chicago area right now. I’m not a fan of winter. These are five (and only five) things that I hate about winter.
1. Cold weather. I hate the cold, and I’d rather be somewhere warm. Someday, I will.
2. Bundling up. All the layers I have to wear to go outside drive me crazy. It’s so much easier to go out and about in the spring and summer. No layers!
3. Driving. Each year, it seems as if everyone needs to relearn how to drive in a snow storm. Even if we only get an inch or so, it feels like people have forgotten how to drive.
4. Wearing socks. I’d rather be wearing sandals all the time. Winter forces me to wear socks. I don’t like it.
5. Snow. I know lots of people love snow. I am not one of them.
Happy Friday! Stay warm!
Last week, I wrote about my new year’s resolutions for the coming year. So what did I do this week that works toward my goals?
1. I went to yoga.
2. I did a booktalk at one of the senior centers I visit.
3. I finished reading Nine Dragons by Michael Connelly and added it to my GoodReads shelf.
4. I did two layouts: one for my new year’s resolutions, and another for my one little word.
5. I did some research on photography classes.
I’m one week into 2010, and I think I’m doing pretty well so far.
flickr image courtesy of optical illusion
As millions of people around the world have done, I’ve got a few resolutions up my sleeve for 2010. I plan on making 2010 better than 2009. Here are five of my resolutions for the coming year. I came up with a few more than what’s here, but I wanted to share just five.
This Year I Will:
1. Do layouts for the preceding month as soon as it is over
2. Keep track of every book I read
3. Practice yoga at least 3 times/month
4. Take a photography class or workshop
5. Pay off debts and save for Florida
I’m hoping for big improvements over 2009. We’ll see how it goes!
Back in 2007, scrapbooking guru Ali Edwards started a project for herself called One Little Word. She chooses a word for the coming year, and uses it to guide her life during that year. Here is the link to her blog for this year’s word. From the beginning of this project, Ali has invited people to join her on this journey and come up with their own “one little word.”
Last year, I picked one little word for 2009. That’s as far as it went. This year I’ve decided to pick a word and live by it throughout 2010. My one little word for 2010 is COMMIT.
2009 was a really tough year. It had some very high highs, and some very low lows. I needed a word that would help me make 2010 a better year. I brainstormed a list of at least 20 words before deciding on commit. The word has been swirling around my head for a while, but it really hit me this morning during my yoga class. I can make all my New Years’ resolutions reality if I commit to my one little word.
Here are my plans for my word and how I’m going to let it guide me through 2010.
Commit to creating more layouts
Commit to observing everyday life and putting it in my 2010 scrapbook
Commit to make time for myself and preserve my sanity
Commit to Andy and make our marriage stronger
Commit to the memory of Aunt Sue and live my life how she lived hers
Commit to the libraries in which I work and make them better
Commit to my yoga practice
Commit to my family
Commit to my friends
Commit to weight loss and finally achieving my goals
