january Archives - Leaf and Steel

January in Review

February 4, 2022

What a month! January flew by. I wish I knew how to slow down time. There’s so much I want to do and so much I want to be. And so much that gets in the way.

Here’s a little wrap of the month!

The Not-Great:

I did NOT prioritize self-care. And it bit me in the you-know-what. By January 30th I realized that I had left my daughter a whopping 4 times that month, one of those times was just to run down the road to pick up takeout. I began to feel all the effects of burnout: I was tired but couldn’t sleep, irritability, weepiness, forgetfulness…you know the deal. Taking time away from my daughter the first week of February has renewed my spiritual peace and refreshed my patience level.

We all got sick. After 7 tests between the 3 of us, we apparently did not have the ‘vid. We all got some nasty virus and it took 3 months to move through the house.

The Good:

I took an Instagram break. I stayed off Instagram for the month of January and oh my goodness it was so hard at first, it was mind-boggling. I had no idea I was so (dare I say it) addicted to the app. After a few days I stopped reaching for my phone to check it or post a picture of my daughter. I saved hours of my time in January by not having Instagram. Now, I can only access it on my computer, and I’m considering staying off for the rest of the year.
I read two books. I don’t read, so this was a big deal for me. I read Nine Perfect Strangers and What Alice forgot, both by Liane Moriarty. Not exactly thought provoking stuff, but I will say that Moriarty knows how to keep the story going. I found myself staying up way past my bedtime to read.

We are getting a puppy! That’s the big news! We are getting a Vizsla puppy in March and I am so nervous and excited! I know it’s insane to have a toddler and a baby, so please start praying for me now.

February Hopes

Make time for reselling. I have a big pile of items I need to list on eBay!
Prioritize my health. This month, I want to stay consistent in healthy routines, including drinking more water, sticking with my yoga, and starting up intermittent fasting again.

Be present for my daughter. I need to put my phone away!

How was your January?

What are you goals for February?

Let me know below!

More from Leaf and Steel:

5 Blogging Lessons I Learned in 2021

January 4, 2022

2021 – you were so good to me! I learned so many blogging lessons this year and I’m here to report that the following 5 things are my biggest takeaways.

The more work I do here, the more my blog grows. There’s nothing more satisfying than working hard and having it pay off – literally and figuratively!

What was different about 2021?

I’ve been blogging here since 2017. The difference between 2017 and 2021 was that I wrote 96 posts in 2021. I wrote and wrote and wrote and wrote and it paid off!

I finally started seeing my first payouts and worked with some amazing, wholesome brands.

1. Writing is a habit

And so it must be practiced consistently!

Last year, I sat down every day and wrote. Whether it was a blog post, a long-term project I’m working on, or just plain personal journaling, I wrote.

I created a habit.

I saw dramatic changes in my speed of writing.

I don’t just mean my typing ability, something that has improved considerably.

The way that my brain connects thoughts and transfers them to the page has quickened.

I took most of December off, so even now, in January, I feel a little “rusty” writing this post. Even if I don’t publish every single day, carving out some time to write has been extremely beneficial for my blog as well as my mental state.

Writing has always been an outlet for me, so putting my thoughts down on (virtual) paper always eases my mind.

2. …and scheduled posts are your friend

If you have any type of blogging schedule or deadlines to hit, scheduled posts are your friend. Having a few posts in my queue that could be posted anytime was a game changer as a busy mom.

I had a goal of hitting “post” every day of the week in October – a goal I happily met!

As much as I wanted to maintain my habit of writing every single day, pumping out a neatly finished blog post with all the fixings wasn’t feasible.

I had to plan ahead. Something I am not known for.

I took some blocks of time here and there to work on evergreen pieces that I could publish on the days when I really needed to be present for my kid or sleep when she was sleeping.

Scheduled posts helped me reach my blogging goals in 2021, which brings me to my next point…

3. Set goals

Setting goals will help you reach your goals.

It sounds idiotically stupid. Because it is.

Setting goals will help you reach your goals.

The caveat is setting attainable goals. Jotting down “write a novel” on your to-do list isn’t helpful. “Write 1,000 words” is.

Bite sized objectives that can be completed in a reasonable (I’ll let you interpret that as you will) amount of time will increase your confidence that you can attain your goals.

I keep a long and short list of goals in the notes section of my phone so they are easy to find.

4. Eliminate what slows you down (interface, distractions, thesaurus)

This one seems obvious, but I found it difficult in 2021 to practice this one.

First off, there’s the big distractions. I waited until my daughter was asleep (parents who get work done while their kids are awake, I praise you). I put my phone on silent. Closed all other tabs.

Then, there are mid-level distractions, like stopping to change a song or check the time. I found long YouTube compilations of classical music and the like so I didn’t have to stop. Setting a timer eliminated the need to constantly check the time.

Lastly, there are pesky little time thieves that are sneaky because they feel productive. My biggest one is the thesaurus. I noticed that I was disrupting my “flow” of writing by needing to find the perfect word. I would simply write a word in ALL CAPS if I didn’t feel like it was the right fit, that way I could clearly tell that it needed to be replaced once I was editing. This made me a faster writer, instantly.

My other tip is to write in Comic Sans in Google Drive document. I saw this online. I don’t know who thought of this, but it works. It takes the pressure out of it, and I’ve discovered that the Google doc interface is much faster than the WordPress editor – just my two cents!

5. If you’re small, you need to reach out

I wish someone told me this sooner!

There are plenty of brands out there who are looking to work with smaller bloggers.

I had read time and time again that if you’re producing quality content, the brands will just come to you. And maybe that is true.

But, there are a lot of blogs out there. And then there’s Instagram. And TikTok. And YouTube. I felt there was so much competition.

Then, I read about an abundance mindset, something I heard mentioned by Amber Fillerup Clark (check out my post on 10 Mom Influencers to Follow for Inspiration)

There are so many creators and there are SO MANY opportunities out there! More than enough to go around. With the change from a competitive attitude to an abundance mindset, I had a newfound confidence around working with companies.

I reached out to some of my favorite brands, or ones that I hoped to work with. Some said no, some didn’t answer, and some said yes. We were able to work together on content and I felt good about promoting products that I actually used and would recommend anyways.

If you’re small, reach out!

What blogging lessons did you learn in 2021? Do any on this list resonate with you?

Let me know below!

More from Leaf and Steel:

2022’s Word of the Year

Reflecting and Moving On: Goodbye 2021

December 31, 2021

Last year I wrote a post called “If Not Now, When?”. It’s about how the years have passed on and I haven’t changed. It’s about how I wanted to do more with this blog and the only thing standing in my way was me.

Well, I wrote 96 posts this year. I had brand deals. I made some affiliate and ad income. I feel really proud about where I’ve taken this blog. The only difference between this year and the last was that I sat down and wrote.

I feel good about 2021 as a whole. I’m proud of myself. I feel like I did more than just get through it. If you just got through it, that’s more than enough.

I’m 27 and I have a new lease on life. Something inside me changed this year.

I’ve been thinking about big bangs.

I watched a family member go through a breakup and move across the country. A big bang.

I watched my friend lose her brother, and leave her job to pursue her art. A big bang.

I was always waiting for these little things to change the fiber of who I was. I thought if I drank more water or had more money or exercised more I would become who I wanted to be.

I was always waiting on more.

I just needed my own big bang.

I was monkey-barring my way through life. I had settled into this mindset that certain things I wanted were out of reach.

And then I had my daughter. My big bang.

She made me feel good enough. She made me feel worthy of all things good. I never want her to feel limited. That’s how I’ve felt as an adult, limited.

I’m going into 2022 with infinite opportunity. I hope you do the same.

Humbly,

The Weirdest Week of the Year

December 27, 2021

…it is, isn’t it?

The week between Christmas and New Year’s is weird.

Our decorations are still up and my pants still don’t fit.

Everyone is nervous about the virus, and rightfully so. It is burning through New York right now, and it seems everyone I know has it.

I have this fidgety energy around the New Year and all the things I want to accomplish.

I know that this week is meant for relaxation and reflection, but I can’t bring myself to do either!

I just can’t wait for a fresh start in January. I find myself sighing loudly throughout the day, as if I could let out all the distress of 2021 out in a sigh.

In a few days I’ll be clinking my glass of Martinelli’s and on my merry way to a new and shiny year.

Exhausted,

More from Leaf and Steel:

The Best Winter Doormats

December 1, 2021

I always feel a bit sad putting away my Christmas decorations. I never know what to put in their place! I have fall decor, Halloween decor, Thanksgiving decor, Christmas decor – but nothing for winter!

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One area I love to focus on is my front stoop. I have a wreath for each season as well as a doormat for the holidays and seasons. I’ve rounded up some cool doormats for winter that aren’t Christmas or holiday themed!

Here, I’ve collected the best doormats for winter!