Dainty Ditsy In 2018?

Happy New Year and also, Happy 2018! Just how has that happened? Its January 1st and what better way to kick off a brand new year for Dainty Ditsy than to have a bit of a reminisce and reflection? After concluding #DitsyDecember, I am fully back to my usual, Mon-Weds-Fri schedule and so obviously, this post fits in rather nicely but actually, I usually like to post on this day anyway, never-mind the schedule. I did something like this here, back in 2015 and then also in 2016, 2017 and now today at the start of 2018. Madness. So, without any further ado - make yourself comfy, perhaps get yourself a hot drink or some snacks and let's go. (Also, as always, if you're wondering where my 2017 Favourites are, they are definitely coming very soon! I just like to typically get this post out in the open first and then all of that kinda good stuff can begin!)

As always, I have loved blogging on this dear ol' blog this year. I feel like if anything, as time goes on my love and enjoyment for it only increases and my drive to continue it, and continue to improve and get better at it does so too. Not only do I love creating content though, I also love, love, LOVE interacting with you lovely lot - whether on here or on any of my social medias. You're just generally all kinds of amazing. As for 2018, I generally just want that to continue. Obviously I want to get better and better and while it is certainly not all about the numbers - I certainly wouldn't mind seeing further growth on my blog and the like - but all in all, I just want my blog to be the best it can. Which is why - and moving onto something else I wanted to address in this post - I was super happy to finally arrange for my blog a little re-brand and refresh this year. It was something I mentioned really wanting to do in 2017 back in the post I did this time, last year and I am so happy that it was something I managed to get around to organising. Admittedly, somewhere earlier this year, I did feel my love and motivation for this space dipped just a little momentarily. I don't know why, but I started to feel slightly less motivated for it and honestly, after having my layout refreshed, I cannot even tell you how back 'on form' I felt again and I really do feel it gave my blog - and myself - a proper boost for the latter half of the year. Yay! 

Then, as has been the case for Dainty Ditsy for a while, I really want to try and keep to my typical three times a week, Mon-Weds-Fri posting times. I finally managed to change jobs this year (yay!) and did wonder about whether I would want/need to change up my schedule but I have found that actually, right now, it still works perfectly well for me, which is pretty good. As for 2018, as I said, I am hopeful to stay that way. I am actually still open to changing jobs again this year, as right now I am still at a sort of 'stepping stone', so whether that would have to change or not at any point, I'm unsure. Aside from the whole job situ', I don't even know if over time, I might fancy a change anyway. I have stuck to the same posting times for three (?!) consecutive years now and, I don't know whether maybe changing those days, or maybe leaving it more 'unscheduled' would mix things up a little. I definitely still feel like I want to stick to the amount of posts per week right now, as three seems to work well for me and I think that is something that would only ever change after a change of situation - like a job offering more hours - so I guess the main thing 'up in the air' right now is more the matter of when I will be posting. So, let's just say I will be sticking to my usual Mon-Weds-Fri right now and maybe if I fancy, or need, a change later on in 2018 - I will definitely let you all know first, of course. Aside from my usual schedule, 2017 was the first year where the only time I deviated from it was during lat month's #DitsyDecember. In the past, I've done various 'daily blogging' months over the course of the year - remember the likes of #AllMonthApril, #EveryDayMay or #AllMonthAugust? - and yet, for some reason in 2017, I didn't do any of those, or any others at all. I guess, while by the end of 2017, I was (and am) in a pretty good position both physically and mentally, over the course of the year I certainly had many ups and downs. And I think it became my main focus that I simply was able to continue my blog as usual, rather than piling on any extra posts and with that, pressure. I didn't want to burn myself out by adding on any extra 'To Dos' and in the end, end up having to break from my blog for a while completely. However, with 2018 comes a fresh start and as I said, me feeling in a lot of a better state - hopefully for the forseeable now - I won't rule out the possibility that maybe I might throw in one or two 'daily blogging' months in there again. I did really miss doing some more varied posting in 2017 and I think that may be something I might try and resurrect this year - so keep a look out for that.

Finally, this is something I talked about this time last year and I never did get round to doing it - and that is, taking a darn break! I have been consistently posting on this blog basically since I started. Whilst schedules may have changed over that time and I obviously have done various spouts of daily blogging in there too, I have never once took a proper 'break' and though it's not something I am particularly 'keen' to do, I feel like it might be something I need to do sometime in 2018. As I said, I promised myself I would do it this year and I think even the year before that and the year before that and never once have I actually done it. I feel like because I enjoy Dainty Ditsy so much, I am always hesitant to let it take a back-seat for any period of time but I know that a break every once in a while can be a good thing too. I think this year, having seen the pattern of years gone, I'll say it as more of a 'if it feels right, I'll do it and if it doesn't, I won't' as for the most part, it just never has felt right at any time before and I of course don't know whether it will at any point in 2018 either. I definitely don't want to take a break just for the sake of it so I think I will leave this one as more of a 'Maybe' for 2018. Watch this space - as I will of course keep you all in the loop!

So then, I guess we come to 'Content' and, as usual, I really don't think too much will be switching-up. Beauty, Fashion and Lifestyle is what I started with and I really cannot see that ever not being my main focus as that is what I love the most - beauty especially. I have got a few ideas for perhaps a couple of new features to be added to the line-up in 2018 - so again, watch this space - and I might even give a subtle shake-up to a couple of 'old' formats too - but other than that, nothing too dramatic really. I am so happy with the place my blog is in at the moment and I honestly just want to continue along that same path and *hopefully* you will join me for 2018! Exciting!

And there we have it - fingers crossed we are all on the same page now and ready and raring to go for the New Year and 2018 in general! Here's to a fresh start, an opportunity for change - or maybe, if you're pretty happy with how the year panned out - a year to continue the exactly same way, possibly making things even better in the process. Let's go!