Life After Quitting: Week 2
This week I worked on being kinder to myself and more realistic. It’s still hard. When you’ve dreamed of doing something for years and have so many ideas in your head AND you’ve spent the past two decades working your ass off always more than 40 hours a week… well, it’s an hourly struggle to rein it in.
This week I spent time with people. Wednesday, my mom has a shed put in her backyard and I came over to keep her company and to see it being installed. Friday morning, I went to breakfast with my mom and sister. Friday night, my best friend and I attended a cabi party and afterward went out for a bite and some time to chat and catch up. Wednesday, Emerson had her belt test for karate. Previous belt tests I’ve dashed home from work as fast as I can, battling traffic and getting angry and pretty much come home, drop my laptop bag and get in the car and race over, not having any time to get out of work mode. This time, I could help her get ready, we could go over forms and chat about nerves and focus. I didn’t feel the need to scroll through my phone to make sure there weren’t any fires to put out at the day job, I could just focus on the event.
Wednesday, Karl also set up my standing desk. This isn’t a true standing desk, it’s a counter from CB2 but it gets rave reviews for being great as a standing desk especially for shorter people. I even have a friend who owns it and recommended it. The price is nice (standing desks can be so pricey), the style sleek, I loved how it was on wheels so I could possibly move it out of the way for photo shoots or craft projects. Thing is, it’s like an inch too short to be healthy for my wrists and I find myself in a wide stance or hunching. So yeah, it’s super cute and chic but seriously you need to be 5’2” or shorter for it to be ergonomically correct. I think just sitting my keyboard on my Macbook box is doing the trick. I got this mat to stand on which I think helps a lot. When I'm not standing I use a bar-height stool. We had these orange stools out on the deck along our bar/edge and they faded over the years. We just replaced them at the end of the summer with new blue ones. Karl has this crafty idea on how to give the orange stools a new life as a bench in the yard; I snagged one for my home office and have dreams painting it some snowy afternoon this winter.
Speaking of which, my new laptop arrived. I’m loving it so far… but I find working in my office on my desktop to be more productive for day to day blogging. This space feels like MY space, it’s quiet, it’s colorful, and for some reason, while it’s in the middle of the house it’s not as warm and for a person who runs hot all the time, I like it. Karl gets bothered by smells so I don’t usually burn candles but in my office, I can because no one else is in here for long spans of time (current fave is the Colleen Rothschild Haight-Ashbury which smells like a rich elegant hippie in winter if that makes any sense).
On the business front, a few things went down this week. I recently pitched to two brands I feature regularly and both came back and agreed to collaborations. I had a conference call with my ShopStyle Collective rep regarding my business and ways to increase affiliate revenue without selling my soul or making my blog obnoxious. I had an in-person meeting with my friend Rosana about a project we’re doing next month and another video conference call with her and the other parties to get plans together. Had phone calls with two different blogger friends I trust to discuss ideas, issues, and get some moral support, and had a call with a brand I love and wear often about an event together (stay tuned!).
I tinkered a bit with the look of the weekly newsletter, and am working on having a subscribe widget on the blog to encourage more people to subscribe. Facebook and Instagram are fun, Pinterest is one of the biggest ways people find my blog, but none of those I own or have any control over. All I “own” is my email list and my blog so my focus is on both of those. I want to do one thing a week, even if it’s tiny, to improve the blog’s appearance or functionality.
Speaking of the blog, it’s having some serious growing pains. It’s running slow and things under the hood are getting super weird and come to find out the current hosting situation can’t accommodate all the traffic or the 12 years of content. It feels like my blog is possessed and I was about to throw my Mac out the office window Thursday night just trying to add images into Friday’s gift guide and it’s why there was no post yesterday. Another example of the fridge conking out as soon as the house is bought, I have to upgrade my hosting which means upgrading my monthly costs. But gosh if there’s any place where I can see value in spending money it’s on the blog itself.
Friday night I met a woman who reads my blog. She told me she found my blog when she had two kids under two and had completely lost her sense of style. She remembered when she loved fashion, and my blog helped her find that love again and with it find herself. She was a gorgeous woman, wearing a great outfit that she felt comfortable in, she looked polished yet relaxed and it was a pretty surreal feeling to know that I had some part in that, though that was the first time we had ever met. Hearing her story made me feel even better about making the choice to do this blogging thing full time. My sister said the company she works at has a motto of doing well while doing good – to help others and make this world a better place while also making a good living. I really think I can do that with Wardrobe Oxygen and am excited to see how it goes!
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First of all, I need a candle that smells like a rich elegant hippie in winter!! Second, glad to read that you are already getting into the swing of things at week 2!
Catching up on your posts and love hearing the actual steps of this life transition – both practical and in terms of your mindset.
<3
I’ve worked at home for 35 years (egads! to even say that) and you are so much further along in two weeks than some get in years. You know what it takes to have a successful blog or you would not have growing pains. It can only get better with your new energy. I’ve always felt the balance of work and family is easier working from home. You work more hours yet learn a smarter pace.
Thank you so much Laurel!
Allie – I want to make certain I support WO – if I click the link to Talbots from your sponsored post – even though I am not ordering what you wore will WO get the referral. Sorry, not too sophisticated with this but wanted to support you by ordering when I end up on a site because of you!!!
Yes, thank you for asking and considering it. If you click on my Talbots link I will make a small amount just for the click. If you purchase anything from Talbots, that click rate will increase because of the “conversion” (turning a click into a sale). 🙂
perfect – I found out they have an awesome sale going on right now for cardholders…50% off one item and 40% off the rest…cardmembers get the discount before it opens to all on Black Ink Friday.
Sweet! I have a second collar with Talbots that will drop at the beginning of next month and I’m excited because their current collection is soooo good! I got this coat and while it’s soon going to be too cold to wear it, I’m loving it now and each time I wear it I get a compliment. http://shopstyle.it/l/oeCY I got it in red and a plaid scarf also from Talbots and the combination makes me so happy!
Allie –
I just spent $630 for 15 items – an amazing sale – thank you for the link – all of the things are part of the current collection….and this includes the amazing blue cashmere sweater…
I always love the blogging behind the scenes posts. Thanks!
My pleasure!
Congratulations! Your new office is beautiful.
I’m one of your blog’s long-time readers. Your blog was one of the tools I used to drag myself out of post-partum depression — your kind, refreshing, no-nonsense approach to fashion and cool + sensible resources convinced me that it was OK and it was doable to decorate my body with clothes again, and treat it like my house, not like a nuisance–and showed me how to accomplish that. Thank you!
Oh wow, thank you so much for sharing Alex. You’re making me tear up! <3
So glad you are blogging full time. When I read your post announcing it, I thought you were going to announce the end of the blog. I read every post on Bloglovin’. Love your style and your writing. And thanks for sharing your journey on quitting your day job and going full time!
Aww thanks so much Cathy!
For the desk, you should be able to add a wooden foot of some kind to the bottom. It would likely screw in where the wheels do now, and then a simply drilled hole in the bottom of the foot would reattach the wheels. That would easily add a couple inches. (Something like this, which is just the first one I found on Amazon, or whatever works with the shape of the legs. https://www.amazon.com/Alpha-Furnishings-Square-Walnut-Finish/dp/B00JP2G8U0/ref=sr_1_4?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1511168930&sr=1-4&keywords=sleek+furniture+feet)
Great idea!
Your office is as beautiful. I’m not surprised that it reminds me of your best fashion posts. It’s cool to se that your unique sense of style extends to your home.
Thanks Christine!
This post reminded me of a question I have been wanting bloggers to answer. I noticed that many have switched to shopstyle and I would love to know if it is worth it. I understand that one is PPC vs affiliate commissions but where my blog is at I can’t see shopstyle paying any more to warrant the change. I would love to have some honest feedback if that was something you were considering tackling. Also not being based in the USA I am not sure that Shopstyle would be a great fit as there aren’t as many international retailers (or the canadian options anyways).
I switched because they came to me, we looked at my analytics and thought I may make more with it instead of rewardStyle. So I decided to try it out. The two programs are very different in communication, how they tackle sponsored posts, their tools, and more. Email me if you have specific questions, happy to help. But you’re right I’ve seen a bigger variety of international brands on rewardStyle instead of SSC (I use a combo right now).
Thank you!
Ditto re: the newsletter, I just subscribed as well! Sounds like you are doing great with your transition.
Thank you!
I’m glad you mentioned the weekly newsletter, because I wasn’t subscribed to it! I think you should have a subscribe widget on the blog 🙂
And I am now subscribed.
Awesome, and this is why I need the widget! I used to have a pop-up but it drove me crazy, then the newsletter was on hiatus and I never got around to making anything else for it!
I think productivity is really hard during big transitions. You are doing great. And, yay, too much traffic!
Thanks Kate!