I find it difficult to blog nowadays as most of my time is spent on juggling. Juggling work, home, family, studies. I used to be really good at this but I think at the moment I have too much on and my life is not just yet organised enough. On the other hand, when I talk to some of my clients (I am doing a lot of mentoring and advising individuals nowadays) I often realise just how far I have come. I don’t mean to sound too proud, I simply see the stages of my life in their current choices and only this way I get to realise how much I have achieved in the last few years. But also how much I can share and teach. First of all the home – for those of us who work from home the quality of life is amazing comparing to office work, of course, but we also need to be very organised! I – for example – am not a clean person. So much so that as a child I had my own term for the mess in my room. ‘Creative chaos’ I used to call it knowing that lack of order is my underlying arty state of happiness – I need it! So now, as a person working from home, I have two jobs – the work itself and the office manager. The work is done by the social media adviser. The office manager, on the other hand, is planning, packing away, cleaning, ordering supplies, creating a work space out of a private home space. It’s easy to do but it costs time. Time that I have to add to my schedule but also suggest to my clients. My running partner used the word ‘contingency’ describing her freelance editing job and I think I would apply it to my home-office managerial position too. Maybe the additional time spent on ongoing supervision of our home-office spaces in not an unexpected expense in time (and sometimes money) but we often tend to think so. I can only compare it to those memes on Facebook where men joke about the time their wives spend without work on ‘doing nothing’ around the house and not realising that the house is clean, planned, equipped, supplied…And so I became my own office manager, ‘joking husband’, reviewer for one hour each day. I now bill it in my company time  (I used to ignore it for a long long time and try to do everything myself. It resulted in stress and a small impact on my health too and I will not let that happen again). So I urge you all, home-office workers, to consider your office managerial skills as a job role within the business. By doing so you will build it nicely into your daily routine and into your business planning too.

2015 is my year of learning to be healthy (and fit) and to manage money well. Both are super hard for me but I feel that if not now, I will never learn to take care of myself and thus for others. I have spent entire 2014 learning about habits, preparing. I studied books, took free online courses and confronting my current habits too. Slowly started working on overwriting my current emotional and physical habits with new ones. I sleep more. I eat a little bit better (though this might be an entirely new challenge for 2016;)). I meditated a lot and learned about mindfulness – peace became the centre of my life, it replaced the passion, mad restlessness… This spring was very difficult as I needed to work on my company’s financial future and overall goals but once I got that out of the way I could finally start making time for my health. I am not sure how you work but I work in phases and – I think like many women – many topics exist in my daily focus on a parallel basis. So I might be mainly working on finance of my company or on a Pixel Club or other local cause, but the ‘how’ is still focussed on my yearly resolutions. I also gained a lot of time. That time is now used to get back to shape. But I have struggled immensely with the notion of exercise, gym or running. So – as always – I reached out to people around me, shared my worries, ASKED for help. And guess what? Help was given:) One of our mums at school directed me to a local running club – which changed my take on running and health in general. During one of the local business meetings I have listened to a sports coach explaining the idea of the body as our vehicle, the difference between fitness and competitive exercise, the ideas behind how we care for yourself and about death (hey, why not, right?). I started servicing the local pilates studio with social media support and learned so so so much about muscles and heart. I have gone back to dance helping my neighbour to kick off her business (she is so talented and so professional I could not decline and now I am addicted!). I went back to yoga and daily meditation. I managed to fit it all in because I KNOW how it all works, why it is important and who can help me. I know I cannot do it on my own. Now that I do it with great mentors and friends I know I will never go back to quiet days without any movement.

My students often ask me how I stay up to date with social media news and what are the sources they can trust – just initially, before they find their favourites. We have a library of recommendations for our students but here let me just list a few (click on each title for its link).

1. Mashable

Always a good start! Mashable is a blog/online magazine dedicated to digital, social media but also other, related technologies. Their search and categories are so clear that it’s a good start for all social media enthusiasts. If you want to know what is trending, what is talked about it social and what are the current changes in major platforms – plus how those can impact us, users – do follow them.

2. Social Media Examiner

It’s a great blog for strategy and tactics, simple tips and ideas on making the most of social media tools. Their events bring together industry specialists. I think they are tailored more towards social media marketing for branding but you will find tips on much more. I also like the fact that they feature other industry blogs – here is their 2014 and 2015 list for your reference.

3. Social Media Explorer

Just like Social Media Examiner this blog focusses on industry tips, but it also provides context to changes happening online. Follow their central account but also the main author, Jason Falls.

4. TechCrunch

Some of the content on this technology blog might seem not relevant for those who want to learn about social media just for their personal use but it is a good piece of tech journalism, often featuring news and longer explanation to what really is happening in Silicon Valley and other locations where social media tools are launched and developed.

5. WIRED

It’s a blog for geeks, yes, but it also contains a lot of information relevant to social media so check it out now and again. If you want to learn more about people behind the online platforms you are using, this is the place. WIRED interviews are my favourite.

6. Brian Solis

This and the next few links are to encourage you to read personal blogs of individuals who shape the social media world. Brian Solis knows everything about social media marketing for brands and large organisations and his blog is a perfect source of handy visuals and data to back up your presentations and your points.

7. Chris Brogan

Chris Brogan changed the way we look at online relationships management with this ‘Trust Agent’ book, which I think is a perfect start for all aspiring community managers. Actually I think everyone should read it before posting online.

8. Seth Godin

Seth simply understands where we are today as a human kind in business and in life. He is my kind of philosopher. His short and snappy posts are a great feed for thought when you are busy and when you have more time too.

9. PROBLOGGER

It’s a place to start for a blogger, a place to check out now and again for best blogging practices.

10. Euan Semple

I had the privilege of working with Euan and I know that if there is a person in this world who knows where the (social) web is heading and has the most humble, respectful but firm belief that it is here to change our world for better, it is Euan. Do read his blog as it will inspire you to love social the way it should be loved.

11. Brain Pickings

…is not about social media at all but you will need it and if you have more time to enjoy online reading, this blog with make you realise the value of blogging itself. Maria Popova is a great curator of brilliant, inspiring reads and you will need tht to create good content and share good ideas online.

12. TED Ideas

Speaking of ideas – if you are busy but have a moment – in the bath, on the train, on the go – to watch a few videos do check out TED talks. They provide a great insight into the current trends, discoveries and inspirations. Since social is all about us, people, we should keep an eye and learn more about ourselves too, right?

13.  Agency blogs – Social@Ogilvy and WeAreSocial

The great thing about following those leading social agencies on their blogs is the amount of data, case studies and insights they release. You have to remember that they run complex social campaigns for their clients so they always have to be the best in their game. Learn from them!

14. Social media marketing platform providers – HubSpot and Salesforce

Just like with social media agencies, those companies have a huge amount of data to work with and they happily share a lot of it with general public – so make the most of it.

15. Blogs of leading social media providers – Google, Facebook and Twitter

You need to know what is going on on major social media platforms so the best place to follow is their very own blogs. Every serious social media provider will have a blog – where you can learn about their team, functionalities, news and future plans.

Add all those to your RSS reader, follow them in social media and learn, learn, learn. Learning is fun, but it is also quite empowering. Enjoy! (And don’t foget to share your tips in comments!)