New Year’s Resolutions are really not my thing, but I am a firm believer in looking at the year passed and evaluating what worked and what did not work. The year before I decided there were 5 ways I was doing things differently in my life This year I concentrated on things I would love to change as a content creator and in which direction I want to stir my habits. 2020 was a learning curve for most of us, and for me, as a content creator, there were 5 big lessons that took presence. Continue reading below 5 habits I am changing as a content creator this year, and why if you are a content creator you should too. 
Create More Purpose Content
One thing I learned in 2020 is the value of how-to content. I have always focused on evergreen topics, but this year I want to make it my priority even with Instagram. My blog here, is always focused on long-form, value-rich content, but I started to apply this rule on my Instagram account as well. My aim this year is to refocus and create purpose content that offers value to my audience. Like this post about 6 self-care Categories, or this post about my top 9 movies to watch over Christmas that got so much traction in saves and reshares. Audiences want to see content that they can apply in their own lives, so for me, a pretty photo with a simple caption all the time just won’t do.
Stop Comparing My Work To Others and Find My Own Path
Content creation is so overwhelming. Last year, especially with the pandemic I found myself overwhelmed by my own content, but also everything else that was popping on my feed from other accounts I follow. This year I decided to focus on my content alone, concentrate on what makes me happy and what gives value to my audience as mentioned above instead. I love seeing other accounts as an inspiration to come up with new ideas, but I am stirring clear of letting other accounts overwhelm me and make me feel like I am not doing enough on my own platform. loving yourself can really be a struggle but with a mindset shift to trust my own work, I believe your content as a blogger always becomes more authentic and allows you to really shine through. I have chosen to mute some accounts I have a tendency to constantly compare myself to, and for my own mental wellbeing, it is ok to give yourself permission to do that. As a content creator, you want to be inspired by others but when you fall into the mindset of comparison, it is ok to take a step back and mute those accounts until you give yourself enough space to find your own path and confidence again. 
Build a Passive Income Stream
When the pandemic happened, many of my creative projects with brands got either canceled or delayed. Having blogging as my full-time job this meant my income came to a halt for a number of months. To no surprise, this pushed me to rethink and re-evaluate how I want my blog to move forward. Depending solely on brand sponsorships as an income, although very reliable during the time of a pandemic proved to be extremely unreliable. Hence, why I created Social Sublime. Using my expertise to help other bloggers and female entrepreneurs build their own brand and business has allowed me to take the pressure off from being anxious about when the next brand partnerships will open its doors to me. Whether you decide to consult, create Lightroom Filters, e-books, (the options are vast) having a second passive income stream has proved to be key.
Focus on Email Marketing
I have been dreading email marketing for years. No newsletters, no email list, nothing. I regret not doing this 6 years ago when I first started blogging. Here’s the thing, unlike Instagram which can disappear any day or even worst you can lose your account any day, you own your email list. Did you know that more than 70% of visitors abandoning your website will never return? If you have an opt-in for a newsletter this increases your chances that a visitor will turn into a subscriber. Converting every website visitor into an email subscriber before they leave, will give you the chance to bring them back onto your site. With an email subscriber list, you can also increase your revenue when you finally decide to launch a product for your business. So if you are a content creator or a business, a habit you need to start right now is building your subscriber list.
Set Office Hours
There are so many habits for being effective content creators and setting office hours is one of them. I tend to work 9 to what feels like all day. This year for my sanity and wellbeing of my home, I have decided to really do my best in setting boundaries and stopping my work at 6pm. The issue has always been that being a content creator like any freelancer it is difficult to set office hours because every day is so different. For example, one day can be a photoshoot day which means I get no admin work done during “office hours” this leaves me having to do all the admin work when I come back home from the shoot. But, this pattern really leaves me with no personal time. Setting those office hours will be challenging for sure, but I am going to try make it work in the best way possible. I had also written a post about why Work-Life Balance Is a Myth and some tips to try instead which has really helped me with implementing my new office hours.
What are some habits you are changing as a content creator this year in your life?
