Blog Tools to Start the New Year Like a Boss

Now is the time to get yourself blog tools to start the New Year.

If you already make money as a blogger, anything you purchase now is a write-off for this year.

If you are a new blogger who intends to make an income blogging, investing in tools is a way to set yourself up for success.

This post contain affiliate links. I only recommend products and services that I use and believe in.

Blog Tools to Invest in for the New Year

Awesome planner

Yes, we live in a digital world, but I still work best off of a desktop planner.

I like to write down my goals, plans, blog post ideas, and other notes.

I have plenty of docs in my Google drive, too, but I require a planner that’s in my face no matter what.

Whatever works best for you, I highly recommend you make a plan now.

Set those goals and let the universe know what you’re coming after in 2017.

Here’s a pretty sweet blogging planner available on amazon.

Editorial Calendar

I use CoSchedule for my online editorial calendar.

This year was the first year where we tried to have a consistent posting schedule.

Of course, posting one blog post each morning isn’t always going to happen, but at least it’s a guide.

Using CoSchedule’s calendar view, I can drag and drop blog posts and even all my scheduled social posts to help spread things out.

Now, they also have ReQueue to auto-promote your old content, as well.

I have to do a whole post on CoSchedule because it is now a tool I cannot do without.

Quickbooks

Once you collect any income as a blogger, it’s your responsibility to claim it come tax time.

A lot of people think if you don’t receive a 1099 at the end of the year, you don’t have to report.

That is false.

If you receive compensation, you claim it.

I am not a tax professional by any means, but I know that the more organized you are, the better.

Some bloggers might only do a few sponsored posts a year, so they don’t really have a bookkeeping system.

They might be surprised when 1099’s start arriving because they didn’t even realize their few posts added up.

If you start making a substantial amount of money, I suggest talking to your accountant to set up estimated payments, so you don’t get blasted on April 15th.

You can spend the following year working to pay off your tax liability.

Running a blog that makes an income makes you a small business owner and you need to treat it as such.

Quickbooks is a simple solution.

I update my books throughout the month.

Then, it’s as simple as printing out two reports for my accountant.

Read more about Quickbooks here.

Journal

I like to have a journal separate from my daily planner.

My journal is for goals and getting my head straight, and my planner is more of a breakdown on how to achieve those goals – the daily steps to take.

Journaling helps in many ways.

I like to jot down when I feel like a super loser failure, too.

I recently learned that many entrepreneurs run through a daily rollercoaster of emotions, so I no longer feel alone in this.

But, close to every day, I go from feeling like we are on the right track to I cannot find the track, did the track ever even exist?

Every year my husband needs to remind me that certain months slow down.

When I begin to freak out that it’s slow, Mike seems to recall the pattern that I forget.

Keeping a journal can help eliminate the panic and remind you of the cycles.

2022 update: I just started using RocketBook, which is the best of both worlds! Write in the notebook, and then simply upload it to digital. So far, this notebook is really useful for me. I can jot all my notes down. Then, easily scan and send it off to one of seven digital locations of my choice!

Dream Board

Don’t laugh.

I am a huge believer in the power of intention and everything The Secret boasts about.

I struggle with my moods and staying positive.

I don’t consider myself a pessimist, but more like a realist with a dose of trust issues.

My mental health issues also present a challenge.

Let me tell you, things always go a lot better on my journey when my vibe is full of positivity.

Create a vision board with everything you want.

You have to put it out there.

Simply write your wants in a notebook or get crafty with it.

Cut out gorgeous pictures and put them in a place where you see them often.

I tell this story all the time, but when I used to enter sweepstakes, I had pictures of beaches and islands all over.

I won two trips in one year.

True story!

Now, I don’t want to go anywhere. LOL

But, my new dreams (not just material things) are in my line of sight.

Motivational Books

Normally when I read books, it’s for escape.

Give me a fantastical world or unrealistic romance novel to get lost in, and it’s as good as a vacation for me.

But, there are times when motivational books help big time.

Some people think self-help books automatically equal a snooze-fest, but that’s not true.

There are plenty of motivational books that will entertain you, teach you, and leave you feeling empowered.

My current favorite is You Are a Badass.

It’s helped me a lot.

When I went to pull the amazon link for that book, it says I purchased it four times.

Since I read everything on my Kindle, that means I bought it for a gift for that many people.

I must really love that book!

Now that I look at this list, it’s not just blog tools to start the new year.

A few of these items apply to anyone, especially entrepreneurs.

Planning, getting motivated, and setting goals are things that apply to anything in life.

Let’s all set ourselves up for an {insert epic word to replace epic} 2017!

Which blog tools to start the new year do you recommend?