It's time to reflect on the last year and plan for the upcoming one. Here's my entry in the 2020 Pet Blogger Journey.
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Pet Bloggers Journey 2023

To quote Smash Mouth, “Well the years start coming and they don’t stop coming.” Ha!

This will be my fifth Pet Bloggers Journey and 2023 will be my sixth year of blogging! Hard to believe.

I’m so happy for this little tradition because it gives us pet bloggers a sense of camaraderie and community. It’s also a great way to look back on your blogging years and keep a record of them.

As always, thanks to Colby for putting this all together.

Here we go. 

Read my entries from past years:

Candy in Rio

When did you begin your blog and what do you currently write about on your blog?

I started my blog in the summer of 2017 with zero clue as to what I was doing. I got serious about it in 2018.

I still write about the same topics: pet travel, pugs, and dog-friendly NYC.

Name one thing about your blog, or one blogging goal that you accomplished during 2022, that made you most proud.

Despite barely working on my blog throughout most of the year, 2022 was my most profitable year! Thank you Mediavine.

What was the biggest blogging challenge you faced in 2022? How did you tackle it?

I had two huge challenges that I faced in 2022.

The first was spreading myself too thin.

Colby wrote: Do one thing and do it well. Donā€™t spread yourself thin.

I am so guilty of this. I have so many projects happening simultaneously and it’s been hard to keep up.

Here’s a list:

  1. This blog (boogiethepug.com)
  2. A History of Dogs, an Instagram account where I share stories about dogs throughout history.
  3. Dogs of NYC, an Instagram community about dog-friendly NYC life.
  4. Urban Sniffs, a Yelp for the NYC dog world.
  5. NYC Dog Events, a dog-friendly New York City event calendar.
  6. A new blog about dogs and eating.
  7. Dog Candy, a shop where I sell dog related things.

Whilst trying to manage all of this, my second challenge of 2022 happened: I had a baby!

I welcomed a baby in June 2022.

Motherhood has, so far, been a thrilling new adventure that has been not at all conducive to working on my blog! Between a self imposed maternity leave, recovery and allowing my body to heal, and spending time with my baby, I’ve found zero extra time for other things.

It’s been very hard to carve out time to spend on my various projects, and as a result, I didn’t touch my blog for months.

So, how did I tackle it? By being kind to myself. I barely held things together, but worked on being compassionate with myself. Growing and raising a human is tough work!

But now that it’s 2023, I hope to pick up where I left off.

Tell us one thing you learned in 2022 that can help us all become better bloggers.

If you find yourself in a situation where you can’t complete the work you wanted, or finish that blogpost, or even touch your blog for some reason… it’s ok.

Your blog won’t automatically combust and wither into internet oblivion.

I accomplished virtually nothing for my blog in 2022 and it was still my highest earning year to date.

What are your top three blogging goals for 2023?

  1. Doubly my income. I earned more in 2022 than in any other year of blogging. I hope to earn double in 2023. (I know blogging isn’t all about money, but now that I have a human to support, it’s become more important!)
  2. Fix up my blog. One thing I did manage to accomplish in 2022 was a thorough blog audit. I haven’t been able to implement any of the changes needed due to having a baby, so I really want to focus on that in 2023. Having a healthy blog is so important!
  3. Write 100 new blogposts. This one might not be possible, but I’m going to try.

In the perfect world, where do you see yourself and your blog one year from now?

Besides my goals, I’d love to have figured out how to manage my time and focus.

I would also love to send out one newsletter a week to my subscribers. I shouldn’t add more to my plate but this is in a perfect world right?

If you had a $1,000 to spend on your blog how would you spend it?

I’d spend it on a babysitter so I would have more free time to spend on my blog (written with a laugh!).

What is one skill youā€™d like to learn or improve in 2023?

Colby’s line about being a “jack of all trades, master of none” really hit home.

I’d love to figure out a way to juggle my projects and focus.

Part of that includes being more organized and coming up with a plan on how to manage my time. I need to be more intentional with my time. Easier said than done!

If you could ask the pet blogging community for help with one challenge youā€™re having with your blog, what would it be?

For those of you who have children, or a full time job, or something in your life that makes managing your time hard – how do you do it? What helps?

I like to make lists but I’ve found that my regular one-big-list-on-pen-and-paper isn’t cutting it. I need something more nuanced to help me divide time, projects, and priorities.


That’s it for this year! I’d love to hear from any bloggers, new or old, in the comments!

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7 Comments

  1. Hi Candy! Congratulations again on the little human!

    Wow! Your list of projects is long. I remember hearing about them when I listened to your podcast episode. You are a superwoman for taking on all of the challenges while raising a child.

    Focus is tough for me especially when I’m working from home. I love my kids but they are so noisy! I’m happy to hear them having fun playing in the house but it’s tough to focus when I’m working at home. When I get the chance I usually head over to the local coffee shop to get a couple of hours of work done. I’m usually much more productive when I do that. The other time I’m able to focus is when the kids are sleeping.

    I always heard time is money but it’s really much more valuable than that. You never get time back. I thought about how I could get more time. We waste a lot of time driving so we decided to move closer to my wife’s work and her parents. That saved the whole family a ton of time. I probably get an extra 10 hours a week just by moving.

    I think one of the most difficult thing for me is my days are broken up into small blocks now. I was always a 9 to 5 worker so working 1-2 hours here and there has been a difficult adjustment since having kids. The big issue for me having an 8 hour block vs 1-2 hour blocks is I always eased into my work. Browsing the web, reading blog posts, etc before really starting work. You can’t do that when you work in smaller time blocks. I’m getting better about jumping right into work.

    Those are a few things off the top of my head.

    We all have our own unique situation and I’m sure you’ll find your groove and what works for you. If you have any questions feel free to reach out

    Happy 2023!

    1. Hey Colby! Thanks for reading, and thanks again for putting the Pet Bloggers Journey together.

      Working from a cafe or outside of the home is a great idea! I’m going to try that. Also I totally relate about the 1-2 hour blocks. I get distracted so easily, and feel like it takes 2 or 3 hours to even get into a groove. It’s something I’ll have to work on.

  2. Hi Candy –
    I really enjoyed reading your journey and plans.
    First and most importantly, congratulations on your new bundle of baby joy! I am sure the baby keeps you super busy. I applaud you for everything you have been able to accomplish.
    You asked about time management.
    Fidose of Reality is my business and career and I am about to launch a second pet industry-related business. I had to time block it out. Here is my process, and oh my word for 2023 is simplify.
    1. Write down all I want to accomplish without overwhelm for 2023.
    2. Break those goals down into steps to get there. So if it’s an ebook I plan to write, each step to get there.
    3. Put those steps to a timeline by month, then by week.
    4. Each weeknight, I make an hour-by-hour schedule in a paper planner (love paper planners) – and use a timer to hold myself accountable. I schedule in breaks, lunch, quitting time, etc.
    Sometimes the easiest systems are best. I know it’s hard with a baby’s schedule, but if you can give yourself grace and make it simple, that’s my advice.
    I told Colby on his blog and I will run this by you. First, I love that you started the pet bloggers MV FB group.
    Second, I would really like to attend a conference that makes sense for me, be cognizant of what the pandemic looks like at the time, wear a mask, and meet up with other dedicated pet bloggers like yourself.
    Iā€™d like to have regular contact with fellow dedicated pet bloggers, even with a quarterly Zoom or something either way.
    Oh, and any advice on growing an IG account? Thanks!
    Many wags to you and your family for a happy, healthy 2023 and beyond.

    1. Hi Carol! Thanks for reading šŸ™‚ I love that you outlined your process – I strive to be that organized!! I’m also a list maker, but I’m brainstorming a way to make them more productive (one master list is no longer working for me). Your way sounds good, I’ll definitely give it a try.

      I’m with you re: conferences. I’m really missing a sense of community within the pet blogging world (hence why I started the MV group). I’d love to do a quarterly Zoom or even some kind of accountability group.

      Re: Instagram, something that was a game changer for me was investing in a scheduler (there are plenty of free ones available, I just happen to use a paid one). It means that I can set up a week or months worth of content, and then sit back and scroll Instagram for FUN (instead of feeling like I have to post and work at it). Instagram is a way for me to connect with more people, build community, and work with more brands.

      1. Thanks for the feedback. I’d love a quarterly Zoom/accountability group for intermediate to advanced pet bloggers. I do miss the community for sure and am grateful you started the MV FB group.

        Were there any particular tactics or classes you recommend for IG growth? I love the scheduler idea.

        1. Let’s do the accountability group! I’m happy to share all of my IG knowledge with you there šŸ™‚

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