{The most unique flower I’ve ever seen! Saw this while waiting for our bus after Dunn’s River Falls. Jamaica, you’re beautiful!}
Good morning! April completely flew by for me. It’s almost unbelievable. I don’t imagine life slowing down anytime soon, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. I’d prefer to be busy and active than bored with nothing to do. I wanted to pop in for a minute and say hello though because I know the blog has been fairly neglected lately. I’ve been trying to figure out why that is and I’ve come to a few conclusions:
- I feel the need to post pinnable, marketable posts and haven’t had the time to do it.
- I haven’t been taking a lot of pictures lately of everything else going on so I haven’t shared much.
- I have a vision for the blog, but I’m not entirely sure I’m going in the right direction half the time.
I feel like I need a more stream lined schedule for everything going on right now. Something that forces me to sit down and get stuff done for the things that matter.
MSWB – I’ve been leading the Mississippi Women Bloggers website for a few months now and it has not been top priority lately; however, I really want it to be because I want our community to improve and grow. I want us to have regular guest bloggers and posts, I want us to be good at social media, I want us to host events throughout Mississippi for our bloggers, but right now, it’s me and 3 other ladies who are extremely busy with their own lives and families. I need to schedule some strict “office hours” for MSWB.
Personal Blog – Of course, I want this to grow and flourish as well. I love my blog, I love what it’s become, I love the exposure it’s received lately, but I’ve been a terrible blogger this month. I managed to schedule some stuff at the beginning of the month while I was out of town at my conference and then I practically fell off the planet around these parts. I’ve decided I will probably never be a food blogger. I want to improve in that area, but I’m not good at creating recipes. I’m good at following recipes haha. So maybe this will be a place where I share some of my favorite recipe finds and then you can follow the experts. I need to practice “just writing” and sharing more about what is actually going on in my life. That’s what got my blog up and running in the first place and I don’t feel that I ever just sit and write to enjoy the fact that I have this wonderful space to share my life with the friends I’ve made through blogging. I’m constantly trying to think of “marketable” posts and I think it’s overwhelmed me subconsciously.
Girls on the Run – My oh my! How I love this beautiful program and I love my beautiful 3rd-5th grade girls! My goal is to be a lot more active this coming year. I plan to volunteer some hours for administrative & management duties to help out our Executive Director. I’ll also be taking some social media responsibility for our chapter, so that’s another thing to add on my schedule. Again, I’ll need some specific “office hours” to stay caught up with everything or I’ll let time slip right by. It might be a wild and crazy dream, but this involvement could potentially lead to an actual job position with Girls on the Run, not necessarily in the Central Mississippi chapter because who knows where I’ll be in a few years, but I know they have large chapters across the US who actually hire staff and if I ever move, I’ll be looking into that opportunity, for sure! I have loved this program so much more than I expected and I’m so incredibly blessed by the girls I work with. They’ve been talking about this school performance all season and it’s supposed to be a really big deal to them. I suggested yesterday at practice that I might come and watch and they got so excited about it – so obviously I have to go now! I can’t wait to see them experience something that they’ve been looking forward to all year, just like the 5k we’re running next weekend to warp up the season. I’m hoping to stay in touch with the girls I’ve worked with because I adore them so much!
Arbonne – I’m going to a party tonight. I’ve been contemplating selling Arbonne for a few years now. They’re all vegan products which would match very well with my blog and they have a wide variety of items. My favorite things so far: Vitamin B12+D Tropical Spray, Lip gloss, and Vegan Protein Powder. Seriously, their protein powder is some of the best tasting stuff! I’m getting close to the point where I need to order some more lip gloss and I’d love to order some protein powder, so I’m considering the possibility of becoming a seller. I’ve used their skin care products before and I have to say, I have never felt like I had more beautiful skin than when I used their skin care line. I could see a difference the very next day. I’ll let y’all know how tonight goes, but I’m seriously thinking about it. Again, if I did that, I’ll probably need “office hours” although I don’t plan on being a pushy salesperson, I’ll probably start off small and share it with some friends and then hopefully find a few loyal customers to keep me afloat in the business so I can continue to get my discounts. If it grows into something more, then I’ll happily welcome that into my life.
So to sum this up, I’m wanting to dip my “paws” (pun intended) in a lot of stuff right now, but I’m not managing it all very well which is why I think I need “office hours.” Am I the only one like that? I need to schedule some time to sit down and do certain things or I’ll let time fly by as I catch up on Grey’s Anatomy and Criminal Minds. I’ve taken a few lessons from my own blog post today:
- Don’t be overwhelmed with blogging. It’s supposed to be fun & enjoyable. If all I do with it is share my experiences, then I’ll have nothing to lose because I have a place to go back and re-experience all the joyful times in my life! If I don’t make money from it, that’s okay. If I don’t become a legit food blogger with beautiful pictures, that’s okay.
- To manage time wisely, I need to set aside specific times to get things done for MSWB, No Bologna, GOTR, and Arbonne (if that becomes an actual thing.) I’ll feel less stressed and be able to “leave it alone” when time permits so I can enjoy the other aspects of my day.
- Devote time to things that make me happy – Girls on the Run is definitely one of those things, so volunteer more if that’s what I need/want. Blogging also makes me happy as long as I’m conscious of what I put into it and I don’t get overwhelmed. I feel like I’m good at stepping back when necessary to re-evaluate how I should proceed (Exhibit A: April). MSWB is a positive and encouraging place, something I want to spend time growing and nurturing because I want to see this community rise up. Arbonne brings together things I’m passionate about and also things that allow me to relax and enjoy myself – they have a spa section, a fitness/health section, a makeup section, and a skin care section of their products. All of which I enjoy to some degree or another. If I start working with Arbonne, I’ll enjoy sharing products that I know are cruelty free, but I also know that they provide solutions to problems and I love helping others with that!
Regardless if this was a good blog post for you, it was a great blog post for me because I was able to focus back in to what I’m wanting to accomplish. Hopefully it helped you realize some areas in your life that you either need to put more effort or time into or cut back in. As always, I appreciate you for being here and reading this blog and I appreciate you being patient with me as I needed a few slow weeks to gather my thoughts and make time/space for No Bologna. It’s such a pleasure & privilege to share experiences and life with you!
- Do you have set “office hours” for activities in your life?
- How do you manage the various programs you participate in?
- I’d love any thoughts or opinions on how to manage this busy season in my life. I know I’m good at staying organized and scheduled, but I believe that there is also someone out there who knows more than I do, so if you have any tips/tricks that I may not have thought of, I’d love to hear it!
