Christmas, (and well winter in general), is one of the hardest times to stay motivated and stick to your usual blogging schedule. As much as you love your blog, there is a whole lot of better things you'd want to be doing right now instead of blogging.

I hear you!

As soon as December hits, we lose all sense of commitment. Part of us know we deserve a break, but the other half still wants to get content out. We can't exactly push Christmas back, so we know it's ok if our posts are a few days weeks late. December is such a packed month, and throw blogging into the mix, it's a lot to handle! If you're just like me and are still going to be working hard throughout December and into the new year, here are some useful tips to keep you motivated.

1. SET YOURSELF A TIME FOR AN ACTUAL BREAK

Set the dates when you actually want to stop blogging, and stick to it. I know I'm always saying to myself I'm having today off my blog, but I'll remember a little thing I need to quickly do, and somehow get lost in my blog and waste my day off. You might want to only take the festive days off, a week off, or scattered throughout the holidays. Take what you need and what you deserve off. Don't feel bad or feel like you're being unprofessional if you want to take more time off than others. You know how your mind and body works better than anyone else. You do you and take a break, so you're refreshed for a new year of work. Remember to schedule your posts, tweets, Instagram etc, before your break too, so you don't end up spending all day sorting out the not so fun part of blogging.

2. FIND THE RIGHT BALANCE

With all the extras going on this month, it's all about balance. You may need to shuffle your usual schedule around to fit everything in. So, if you usually write posts on Wednesday afternoon and have the evening off, but now you really need to do a Christmas shop, shop in the afternoon and write in the evening. If you start feeling really, really, guilty for doing one more than the other, you know it's time to switch things up a bit.

3. MAKE A LIST OF THINGS TO GET DONE, AND THINGS YOU WANT TO DO

On the left side of your paper, write down a list of things you need to get done on your blog. On the right side of your paper, write down all the festive things you would like to do. Scheduling tweets, take 10 Instagram photos, and drafting 6 posts, vs. making Christmas cookies, writing out cards, and visiting the Christmas market in town. I know which I would like to be doing more of, but remember we need that balance. As you cross off your list, you'll also be able to see if you're doing the right balance between the two.

4. WORK HARD, BUT PLAY HARDER

Don't worry if you miss a few posts, or your usual scheduled posting day. No one is going to send the blogging police after you, or you're not going to lose all your readers overnight. Everyone is in exactly in the same festive boat as you, and you really don't need to push yourself more than you can handle.

5. STICK TO YOUR DAILY ROUTINE

If you usually did it in October and November, do it in December too. Sticking to what you usually do helps you focus and stay in a routine. This is probably the one thing you can do to make everything seem like it's normal. If you go to the gym, or cook dinner from scratch each night, or write blog posts for 3 hours every night, continue doing those things. Once we stop, everything else just falls apart.

6. FIND A NEW PLACE TO WORK

Maybe working at your desk isn't going to cut it during Christmas, maybe in front of the television might seem a better place. Make sure it's actually a place you're going to be productive though. As much as we all love to watch a Christmas movie, there still needs to be more than two sentences on your page after the movie is over. I know as it gets colder, I like to reside to working from my bed. It's a lot cosier, plus, it never feels like work. Maybe a local cafe along with a toasted sandwich and hot chocolate could be a way to get your work done. Plus, while you're out, you have an excuse to do a little Christmas shopping as well. It's basically the best of both worlds.

7. OR BRING CHRISTMAS TO YOUR WORKSPACE

Transform your workspace into your own winter wonderland. Christmas lights, tinsel, light a festive candle, dress like an elf, just go crazy. I know putting on a great playlist always gets me working, so throw on the cheesiest Christmas playlist you can find and enjoy. Don't forget your snacks too! A chocolate tin (or two) and crisps are always my top choice. You can check out my recipes if you want to bake some festive treats. Sidenote, did anyone else do decoration competitions at school and the best form group won a prize? It was honestly my favourite time. There would always be a theme of some sort, and during lunchtime, we'd just have the time of our lives. We never won though. It would always be the form groups who had an art or design teacher. The teachers weren't meant to help... I'm not saying anything.

8. USE YOUR FESTIVITIES AS BLOG POSTS

With the majority of bloggers already posting Christmas content, why don't you join in? If you go to a Christmas market, take photographs. If you make a Christmas recipe, blog it. We all love recipes at Christmas. It might seem like it's taking away the fun from your activities, but you won't feel as guilty spending a little more time away from your blog.

9. WHAT ARE YOUR GOALS FOR NEXT YEAR?

I know this sounds a little strange as we are trying to get through the end of this year successfully, but I always get this sudden burst of motivation and determination when I write a list of goals I want to complete. You may not even be thinking about next year, but make a list of 5-10 goals you want to achieve throughout 2018. Think big though, something that will make a huge impact. Maybe it's to save up to finally travel to that place you've always wanted, or to get a higher grade in your final exams, or to climb up that career ladder. Even though there are only 3 weeks left of this year, thinking about a brand new year could be what you need to help get through the last stretch.

10. TALKING OF GOALS... WHAT WERE YOUR AIMS FOR THIS YEAR?

We all write them, but we all usually forget them after a few months too. Check back and see what you said, whether you wrote them down or can just remember them. You might have done really well on some, but not on others. Look at the ones you haven't completed, and give those a go. You might not complete the goal to it's fullest, but maybe you have a few weeks to make even the slightest bit of change.

The overall meaning of this post is finding a balance between festivities and blogging, and don't feel guilty not posting and taking a break. Let me know in the comments below your top tips for keeping motivated in the festive season. We have a fun week ahead, so check out the advent calendar to see what's in store.