Photo by Thought Catalog on Unsplash

Another toolkit?? Yep, here I am to tell you literally all I know about a certain subject. This time it's one of my favourite things on this earth, blogging! I am not the wisest and most experienced blogger, but I do know how to start a blog and to begin to create and promote posts! I'm going to cover four main topics in this post; creation, promotion, inspiration and monetisation.


If you want to get into blogging, I think it's safe to assume that you have an interest in content creation. These are the first steps to take when starting a blog and creating your content.

Blog templates

Whatever site you are using to start your blog (eg. Blogger, Wordpress, Wix) you will need to choose the template or design of your blog. This can be super easy or fairly difficult to set up and you need to go with a theme that suits your skillset! If you are just starting out with blogging or web design for the first time, for example, it may be a better decision to use the templates on offer on your blogging platform. I started out with a super simple Blogger template and it really helped me to just get started and get creating!

If you're not a fan of the templates on offer on your platform, there is plenty of choice out there for templates. If you're willing to invest in a template then PipDig have some gorgeous ones on offer and they're super customisable! I will definitely be investing in one of these when I have the money! I used Way2themes to get my current template for free and I loved how simple it was to switch everything about and customise my blog!

Graphics and Photos

For all of my graphics, I use Canva. This goes for all my post headers, social media graphics and printables! They have templates for just about anything you may need, and a vast many of them are free to use! It's also a lot of fun to create your own templates and the site is super easy to use! Snappa is similar to Canva, but Canva seems to have more free templates and I tend to stick with it! I have also used Piktochart in the past and it is super easy to use with some great template options; especially for infographics!

Some of us are not the best photographers, or may not have the time or ability to take the photos they want for a post. This is where stock photos come in! Since being bombarded with assignments and exams and general life, stock photos have been cropping up on my blog more often. I use Unsplash to find my free stock photos, but there are sites all over the place with loads of stock images. Other great sites for free stock photos include Pexels, Canva Photos and StockSnap.

Writing

You have probably seen the Grammarly adverts all over the internet, but if you haven't downloaded it yet I strongly advise you do. It has proved to be such a useful tool when writing and it picks up more written errors than my usual spell-checker. It makes proofreading extremely quick and simple and is perfect for any written content creators out there!

Sometimes, all you really need is the basics. I always keep a Thesaurus tab open when I'm writing, just in case I'm not loving my word choices.

• #lbloggers - lifestyle blog
• #bbloggers - beauty blog
• #fbloggers - fashion blog
• #mhbloggers - mental health blog

The other foundations are arguably Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest. On Instagram, you can connect with other content creators in a way that lets them immediately see a grid of content. If you have great photo skills, show it off. If you have a knack for creating art or graphics, show it off. Displaying blog-relevant content on Instagram is a great way to attract an audience. Making a Facebook page for your blog is a great way to collect your audience and easily notify them when you release new content. It's a quick and easy way to connect with your audience and drive your blog traffic. It took me a while to get into Pinterest, but it really is a great hub of fellow content creators. You can drive people to your blog with 'rich pins' and you can collect inspiration on your boards.

Google Plus can also really help to drive traffic to your posts! Setting time aside each day to share your posts on Google Plus can really boost your views!

Scheduling Tools

One thing that can really boost your use of social media to the next level is the use of scheduling tools. I tend to use these exclusively for Twitter, as this is the site I tend to focus on most. I have yet to find a scheduling tool I use more than Buffer. It's just so easy! You type your tweet up and add the hashtags you want to use to promote your post. Once you add your blog link, the link is automatically shortened and Buffer picks up the images used in the post so that you can quickly select an image to go with your post before you schedule it! It's really simple to use and I definitely need to use it more!

Other Twitter scheduling tools include:

• Twittimer
• Twuffer
• Postfity
• SproutSocial (paid)

Prioritise

One of my biggest pieces of advice is to hoard your work holidays for the exam period. You will need that time off to revise, especially if you have long hours at work. You will have more of a chance to revise and you also need to rest and conserve your energy for studying! Taking time off during exams is such a lifesaver, and I would rather have those dates off than just a random weekend chilling in the middle of the semester.

Don't take on too much! Obviously, your set hours are a bit hard to control so what I mean is don't take too much overtime on if you don't have the energy. Also, always prioritise assignments over overtime. Yes, the extra money is nice, but you also need to focus on the reason you are in university and really focus on your assignments.

Shift Patterns

Ah yes, the dreaded decision. Evenings or weekends? Well, I have tried both, and I have even worked late night shifts. I have found that weekend work is so much more manageable than evening work. You can dedicate your weekdays to university and weekends to work in a nice division of time. I am not thinking about my weekday job in university and I focus on my studies in the evenings. When I am in work at the weekends, I get to take a break from university for a while and it really takes my mind off the goings on of the week.

If you can, I would also go for set shifts. I had a shift pattern which changed weekly when I worked in fast food. It was disrupting my weeks and making it difficult to make any plans. I told my boss that I was thinking of quitting due to the job's effects on my studies and my mental health and I ended up with a set shift. All I had to do was ask.

Energy

It's not just the hours you work and when you work them. It's about making sure that you are not burning yourself out during the course of the week. When you overwork yourself and tire yourself out, that's when your grades may fall or you may not be as social as you want. I know it's easier said than done (especially when you need to work long hours to keep yourself financially secure) but please don't burn yourself out! University is supposed to be enjoyable and a great experience, and this can be hindered by being exhausted all the time.


Distance

I would recommend applying to part time jobs within walking distance of where you live or study. Last year, I was able to walk to work in under 15 minutes, whereas this year I changed jobs and now I have to take the bus. Believe me, the bus money really adds up and I hate how much I spend on transport to and from work! As a student, being able to cut down on these costs is so necessary and needed. If you cycle, this would also be a great alternative to paying for transport to and from work.

If your job is near your uni, it can mean that you are able to go to the library before or after work and get some extra study time in around your job. Every moment of study counts and being able to easily nip into the library is a great chance to get some work done!

Envy

Finally, while some of us have to work part-time, many do not. It is not helpful or healthy to envy the people who do not have to work part-time alongside their studies. I am sure that given the chance we would just focus on our studies and not work, however there are things that we just cannot help. Envying others is not the way to go. Just embrace the opportunities which you are getting from your part-time job!

What work/study balance advice would you give?x

So, this post is pretty contradictory to my 'Dealing With Uncertainty' post but, let's be honest, i'm a sucker for planning everything I can! Plus, some things can be planned, even if you are not guaranteed your perfect outcome! This stands for many different aspects of life and i'm going to cover a few in this post... So let's get started!

Career stuff

So, one thing that many people plan for is their perfect career! There is are many steps that you can take towards your future jobs and these are just a few!

It's important to network! This is essential to get your foot in the door and LinkedIn is a great tool at your disposal! Just set up a profile and fill in your education and experience. Then, whenever you take part in anything relevant to your goal career, log it on LinkedIn. If you have an idea of where you want to work, have a search for connections you can make. It is so easy to use and can benefit you so much!

Another useful website for career planning is Prospects. This site has a wide variety of helpful resources including job profiles, a guide for what you can do with your degree, university application advice, job interview tips and CV advice! Honestly, this site is perfect to refer back to whenever thinking about your future career, it just holds so much information and support!

In terms of gaining experience, volunteering is a great way to build your resume if you have the time! You can find volunteer positions in just about any sector and it's a great way to show your enthusiasm and dedication to future employers! It is also incredibly fulfilling and a great way to support causes dear to your heart! I do a lot of volunteer peer support work within my university, as well as mental health and community work roles! In the UK, you can easily find volunteer positions through sites such as Do-it.

The near future

Making plans for the future can be daunting, so planning for the near future can be a good start! This can be as simple as making a to-do list every morning for the day ahead, or as creative as keeping a full bullet journal complete with daily spreads, habit trackers, etc.

Personally, I like to have different small notebooks for different purposes because I have so many different things going on at once and I don't like to muddle it all up! I have a blogging book in which I make all my blog post plans, mind maps and to-dos. It's such a scruffy notebook but it has so many plans in it so I love it! I also have a to-do list pad which I carry around with me because it's easy and compact! Additionally, I have essay planning sheets, a peer-support notebook and my phone notes! I'm a very messy and scattered person but I know many people who have a much more systematic method of organisation and planning. For example, if you search 'bullet journal' on Tumblr, you can see the most beautifully laid out to-do lists and diaries!

Education

Are you a student looking to pick your GCSE subjects, A Level subjects, uni course or any other further education course? Believe me, I know how stressful it can be! It feels like these subjects will determine your life and that this choice decides your whole future! First of all, there are many ways in which this isn't correct! I know so many people who have decided on their career paths later on and have been able to apply whatever they have studied to their careers, no matter how different the subject seems to the job!

One piece of advice that I have for you is to do what you want, not what your peers or family expect from you! At the end of the day, you are tailoring your own education and you are the one who will be taking the classes and sitting the exams! Do something you know you will enjoy and be passionate about and you are so much more likely to succeed! This goes for any level of education!

I also wanted to chat about choosing your university/college! It's a massively daunting choice and you can feel so overwhelmed by the number of courses and universities out there! This is what I did to choose my university!

• Go to open days! As many as you can manage! I was dead set on one particular university until I went to an open day there and it completely changed my mind and set me on the path to a university which I absolutely love! If I had gone there, I would have hated it!
• University league tables are a quick and easy reference which you can use to see how your prospective university compares to all the others! Most of them also show student satisfaction, which is something you should seriously consider when looking for your ideal university! In the UK, this table by the Complete University Guide is such a good resource!
• When you are going to university, it's not just the course and university rankings you should take into consideration! You will be living and studying in a city and you should research the city just as much as the uni itself. Consider whether you would be more comfortable in a city or a quieter area, as I know many people who have dropped out due to being overwhelmed by living in a big city! Have a look at the music scene, culture, events and places you can visit in your downtime. Will you love your new home?
• Prospectuses can also be so helpful! I wish I had known it when I was applying for uni, but WhatUni actually let you choose which prospectuses you want to read and actually ship them to you!