A woman writing in a journal. the text says: Behind the Screen: Diary Entry of the Month

May’s Vault: Monthly Recap, Key Milestones, And Goal-Setting

Welcome to my behind-the-screen series, where I share my monthly recap, milestones, and goal-setting journey.

You can expect this series to pop up once a month. My goal here is to engage with my readers and hold myself accountable for my monthly goals. It’s a bit of fun 🙂 

What to expect? Well, see it as my not-so-personal diary. I will share the monthly highlights (and lowlights), the milestones I achieved, and my goals for the next month.

The past month was filled with challenges (stay tuned for that), incredible achievements, and some amazing memories. Join me as I reflect on May of ‘24 and plan for a kickass June!

This post might contain affiliate links which means I will get a small commission if you purchase an item through them.

Monthly Recap

Highlights of May

All in all, it was a good month in many different capacities.

  • I decided to get my nails done for the first time since our wedding. Typing was a headache for a while (iykyk)! 
  • Mother’s Day was a huge success! We had a braai on the farm with our immediate family.
  • It was time to vote in South Africa and after 4 hours in a line, I could finally make my cross. It was a revolutionary vote for the country and we are still awaiting the final results.
  • My newsletter got upgraded! I completely changed my newsletter’s aesthetic. And it looks incredible, if I may say so myself.
Newsletter example
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Lowlights of May

Unfortunately, there were a few setbacks this monthly recap. But nothing we couldn’t survive.

  • Hazelnut’s vet visit: My one fur baby got sick. But I managed to get her to my vet for a couple of injections. The verdict? She probably ate something she shouldn’t have… Again. But Blikkies thrived, as per usual.
  • Swine flu outbreak: Oh me, oh my. We got swamped with swine flu. My whole family got it! And let me tell you, it’s ugly. Most of them are still recovering weeks after the initial infection. Luckily, I started my antiviral medication immediately when I got the faintest cough. However, it kept me from putting in the hours I should’ve on this blog.
Tibetan Spaniel
Hazelnut went to the vet ♥
Rottweiler
Blikkies exploring the front garden ♥

Key Milestones

May was (by far) my best month yet! It surpassed ALL my goals. It was incredibly unexpected but welcomed with open arms.

Here is a rundown of my goals vs the actual results for May:

  • Pinterest Views
    • The goal: 100 000 views
    • The result: 170 970 views
  • Pinterest Outbound Clicks
    • The goal: 900
    • The result: 2335
  • Blog pageviews
    • The goal: 3000
    • The result: 5835
  • Blog sessions
    • The goal: 2000
    • The result: 3226
  • Newsletter subscribers
    • The goal: 180
    • The result: 212

I am extremely thankful for these analytics and it’s all because of you and my prayers to God to help my dreams come true ♥.

A screenshot of my Pinterest analytics for my May monthly recap

Goal-Setting For June

Setting New Goals

June is going to be difficult, to say the least! I set my goals significantly high. What can I say? I am in the mood for a challenge.

  • Pinterest views: 250 000
  • Pinterest outbound clicks: 3500
  • Blog pageviews: 7500
  • Blog sessions: 5000
  • Email subs: 300
  • Launch an Etsy shop (stay tuned)
  • Complete a Canva course
  • Give my blog a revamp
  • Create a new Notion template

The Strategy

If you know me, I am always filled with new plans. As an ambitious woman, I am driven by my delusional dreams (and proudly so)

I manually do all my blog’s work. By that I mean I do not pay for any platform to help schedule content, assist with SEO research, or manage technicalities. 

Hence, well-thought-out strategies are crucial.

Pinterest Strategy

I am quite happy with my current strategy of posting 3 pins per day with optimized SEO. However, I do have more plans (I know, shocker).

  • I want to up the amount of pins to 4 or 5
  • Create more boards and a possible group board
  • Test different caption styles

Blog + Email List Strategy

I do not want to change much but I might look into other marketing techniques: 

  • Keeping my Facebook page fresh and active
  • Becoming more active on other blogging Facebook groups
  • Instagram? What do you guys think? I have never been very fond of IG.

Etsy Strategy

Well, I cannot say much here. I am in the planning and creation phase. My shop will be up at the end of the month (fingers crossed)  and I hope to have 15-20 products ready at launch.

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Reflection On My Monthly Recap

So what do I take from this?

  1. June is going to be stressful and challenging if I want to meet my targets.
  2. I am too focused on professional growth and should incorporate more self-love and personal goals into my plans. (Yes, I just had that revelation after writing this).

All-in-all, my goals align with the main goal I want to achieve at the end of the year. I would say this was a successful monthly recap.

Now it’s your turn ♥

What does your May Vault look like? Let me know in the comments below. I want to hear all about your milestones and goals.

Use this platform to share your milestones and goals with the community. It is a great way to encourage each other and hold yourself accountable.

Monthly Recap Conclusion

Reflecting on May’s journey, it’s clear that every milestone and challenge has contributed to my growth, professionally and personally. 

I am more motivated than ever to pursue this path of personal growth and goal-setting. 

Let me know how you like the behind-the-screen series!

Thank you for being part of my journey. Here is to all of the adventures that lie ahead for us. I cannot wait for the next monthly recap!

Love, Steph ♥

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