5 HEALTHY HABITS TO IMPLEMENT WHEN WORKING AT HOME

Hey beauty.

What a month this has been, only just 6 days into it. Can you even believe 2020 is less than 25 days away?!? We are hitting an entirely new decade and I could not be more excited for what’s to come. I am most excited about my flourishing jewelry business, this month has been so good to me, especially the incredible holiday shopping markets I have gotten to be a part of. I love connecting with some many beautiful souls.

Here’s the crazy thing. I have 2 desks at home. Literally 2 working spaces. I need one for my jewelry making and one for my everyday blogging, podcasting, bills, note writing, etc. A very large portion of our home is taken up by my desks.

It really had me thinking about how hard is it to have a working space at home and I really would love to have an actual office to get out and go to. The luxury of working from home seems attractive but honestly, it takes up a lot of energy and space. It’s important to not let your daily life and your work intertwine. It was fine for me when I lived alone but now with my little family, I feel like my work things are overpowering our sacred space.

In an effort to keep focused and flourishing, I have really had to be mindful about how I spend my time and my attention, how to not let work take over and how to not get distracted when I am choosing to work. So that I’m not finishing up random things I forgot to do when my boys are home, which totally sucks the life and energy out of our family time.

@ashlinakaposta MORE OVER ON THE BLOG #feminineenergy #alignwithyourhighestself #girlswhomanifest #goddessglowup ♬ Jazz Bossa Nova - TOKYO Lonesome Blue

5 HEALTHY HABITS TO IMPLEMENT WHEN WORKING AT HOME:

1. TIME BATCHING: When you work from home, anything and everything can distract you from laundry to dishes to people walking in and out. So, read up on how to do your time batching. The first thing I suggest is getting yourself a timer (do NOT use your phone) , you need a true compass to help you focus on one thing at a time. A cute little kitchen timer provides you time increments of 5 minutes to help you keep from getting distracted so easily and its cute too. Just think about it, when you make yourself lunch and eat at your desk, are you enjoying what you eat? Does that serve you? Or are you really getting things done at work while you’re focused on feeding yourself? Probably not. Set a timer for 30 or 45 min (of whatever you choose) and cook your food, eat it slowly, enjoy it, etc. Use this time wisely and you will feel more centered as you return to work after you are done.

2. TIME LOGGING: It’s just as important to do time logging too. Time logging is writing down exactly how you spend your day in a daily planner. Have you ever written down exactly how you spend your day and see what you actually do? The results for me are always astounding. Grab yourself a daily notebook, something that is lined with the times in the day from 6 am to at least 6 or 7 pm, I love this one. Write down exactly how you spend your day. Then see what you spent the most time actually doing. I will bet you, you’ll find some sort of wasted time sucker that can help you implement something else. For example, one time I realized that I scrolled instagram for over 25 minutes when I was supposed to be responding to emails. Something that small can add up over the course of a day to something like 3 hours. What could you be doing for 3 hours instead of scrolling on instagram?………………………let that sink in for a minute. Similarly, when people log the food they eat, they can use that information to make better decisions. It’s a TOTAL ADDED BENEFIT to your life. Try it, see if it works for you.

3. NATURAL LIGHT: You would not believe the health risks associated with fluorescent lighting, especially while you work. Natural light near your desk can help improve your sight, boost your vitamin D, boosts productivity and benefits your natural sleep patterns. A study conducted by Northwestern Medicine and the University of Illinois concluded that workers exposed to natural light sleep longer and better (at home, and not at their desks) than those who aren’t exposed to natural light. Those working next to windows receive 176 percent more white light exposure than do their ashen counterparts. That translates to 46 minutes of extra sleep. Who couldn’t use extra sleep?

4. MOVEMENT: Deep breaths and stretching have been absolutely invaluable to me when working from home. When you get overwhelmed by all the things piling up, get away from your desk, grab your pink yoga mat and do some of your favorite stretches poses (downward dog and cat/cow are my favorites). If something doesn’t go your way and you feel a lack of control, you could just use the 4-7-8 anxiety fighting breathing technique (my go-to) to help you get back on track. Being at home while working requires that much more physical support than being outside and in the world. Movement, gets your blood moving. Breathing, gets the oxygen flowing smoother through the body. This combination only amplifies your creativity and focus. It’s an incredible combination to apply when working at home and best of all, its FREE!

5. ORGANIZE, ORGANIZE, ORGANIZE: This one shouldn’t be a shock and it really is just common sense. I’d like to also add that being organized is a BIG time saver. Like, when you know where everything is, you won’t waste ANY amount of time on something so silly as looking for stamps, am I right? Paper is a huge home wrecker, especially on the desk. Be sure to sort the mail, throw away paper and keep the top of your desk clean and organized. Especially the drawers, get a drawer organizer for all of your supplies. Clean out your pen cup, keep all your pencils sharpened, throw away outdated calendars, keep extra ink for your printers, always clear the trash bin. All of these simple tasks will transform the mind space that you bring to your work. You want your mind to be clear and free when you go to your desk and when things are organized and clean your mind will mimic its environment. Be aware that how your environment feels energy , is the energy that your work will give to others. So for me, when I make jewelry, write a blog post, record a podcast, the energy transfers through those mediums. If i want what I put out into the world to be life changing and impactful, it needs to come from a clear, high vibe work environment (especially from home) Want to learn more about creating a High Vibe Home, don’t miss my workshop.

I hope these tips really resonated with you. If you liked this post, you will love this one and this one too. And for more inspiration, join the Blissful Living Lounge.

For more tips like these, don’t miss the latest podcast.

Blissful Blogging: the ONE thing your blog needs to rise to stardom

Hello gorgeous.

In September, I celebrated 11 years of blogging. Can you even believe blogging has been around that long? Last year, I shared these tips as I celebrated my 10th year. This year I wanted to do something a little different, for a few reasons. One, this last year I have learned so much as my blog has gone through a huge transition. A name change, a new look, etc. Two, I cannot tell you how many people I have spoken to who have been back and forth about starting a blog. It’s like this very interesting complicated dynamic that I am completely fascinated by.

Let me just tell you, I absolutely love blogging. Like I seriously cannot name something I have done consistently for the past 11 years almost daily with such joy. My heart truly loves blogging. I also know the impact that a blog can make in someones life. It can launch a business, it can change a life, it can be a platform for creating a new community of like minded people, it can rescue those who are struggling. It is also THE #1 marketing tool for any business owner/person with a mission or cause, in my opinion. It is a free, easy way to get your message out there to the world with one simple little click. One internet search and your content could be just the thing someone out there is looking for.

Can’t you tell I believe so much in blogging? Back in 2011, I published an e-book on Secrets of Style Blogging. I wanted to create a simple and super fun guide to share with everyone who was asking all the blogging questions. Perhaps I should write a new, updated version? I’m kind of on a mission to support bloggers, mostly because I see instagram literally causing so much stress and anxiety for people. Blogs have always been such a positive, uplifting experience to me. It’s like a beautiful community I can’t help but support.
Because I feel like one blog post will NOT do it justice, I have decided to create a series of Blissful Blogging articles to give you all of my best tips and tricks. That way you can save & bookmark them by category to refer to as you grow and build your blog. In the first post of the BB series, we are going to get into the ONE thing you have got to understand before you continue on or start your blog….

Story time: The other day I was chatting with a girlfriend, who shared with me that she, in fact, was a blogger. I had no idea because she has a career in the hospitality industry. She told me, “I’m a blogger, but I haven’t really posted in a while...I don’t know what to do with it, I’m just not sure about the name, I’m stuck” . Another secret, this isn’t the first time I’ve heard this all too familiar story.

I’ve also noticed that the bloggers I used to read daily, haven’t blogged in months. I often hear that blogging is dead, a completely Saturated market or I get DM messages asking how to start a blog. It’s a spectrum across the board of people in a complicated relationship with....their blog. At first I wanted to title this post “how to make money as a blogger” just to entice people to read what I am about to say. Because I think so many people have intentions to start a blog to make money, or gain a massive following and monetize it. 

But it is the total wrong way to go. You must go backwards and start from your passion. When you use your passion to fuel your blog, magic will happen. It won’t feel hard at all. It won’t feel like work, it will feel like you are filled with purpose and your life gets to expand beyond yourself. When you open your world to becoming a messenger for the masses, you are making a change in the world. Then the followers, the money and all the things will come. You just can’t start there.

For me, it took me 6 months to get my blog noticed and recognized and I had my very first sponsor. However I started blogging in 2008, I had no idea what i was doing. I blogged for 6 months, every single day with a lit up passion for interior design. I went all out on everything i could possibly share and I shared it consistently. In fact, I probably over shared but that’s okay because from my experience, valuable content is what keeps people coming back and reading your blog like an addict.

YOU MUST PROVIDE CONSISTENT, MASSIVE VALUE TO YOUR READERS 

This should be your main focus. “I am creating a blog to give value to other peoples lives”. When you make this your ‘why’, your path to success will be shorter than the average blogger. Contrary to popular belief, it isn’t the photos or the amount of social media followers you have. Your content is king when it comes to growing a blog. Search engines are out there looking for your content, not your photos, not your catchy logo. They are looking for the key words, the text, the phrases, the information that you provide on the internet. Your content is what will help you grow your message and gain a massive following.

Here are some ways to help ensure that you are going to create a blog of value….

• Start a blog based off passion, meaning and purpose first. Most everybody gets it backwards, they ask “what could I blog about” to make money? Don’t start out for the money. That isn’t what you want to align with. You’ll get super frustrated and burn out quickly. OR if you blog because of someone else passion or to be like someone else, it won’t flow. It has to be your specific passion and interest.

• Align with your passion and the money flows to you. When you’re in alignment with your message (god given purpose on this planet), you can’t help but succeed. You’ll know when you’re on the right track when you can create 15 blog posts in a row like fluid. When the content just pours right out of you. You’re aligned. The universe will help you, it’s like when you’re up to good, helping others, in it for the message over money, you’ll be rewarded.....with ease. 

• How can you find what content to blog about? Get super clear on your vision. For example, I have a friend who started a blog talking about her love for clean beauty. When she got super clear on her purpose and her vision, she was able to find things to discuss about that topic with ease. The content informs her readers about holistic beauty products, what chemicals are bad for you, her beauty routine, etc. When you do something that is already your passion, its easy to research and find informative and relevant information for your readers.

• Think about it this way…if you had 5 minutes to chat with your friends at lunch and they ask what you have learned this week, what would you tell them about? Think about that. You would give them your favorite hairdresser, a new movie they need to watch, your amazing shoes you found on sale, how you got your kids to eat veggies, etc. Sharing the tips, tricks, info and all the wonderful things that you know is your best bet to ensure your blog is a success. Why? Because its authentic to YOU! Authenticity always wins.

MORE TIPS FOR HELPING YOU GENERATE SUCCESSFUL BLOG CONTENT

 I recently read a book by the incredible Brendan Burchard called Millionare Messenger, Make a difference and fortune sharing your advice. I have gotten so much value out of this book, I highly recommend reading it. He breaks down a few questions for you as you are looking get clear on your message. Take out your journal or notepad, grab your favorite hot tea and really think about these questions. Use these to really help you narrow down your focus so you can easily create valuable content.

1. Who are you and what have you been through in life that you feel others can relate to? 

2. What have you overcome and how? 

3. What did you figure out along the way? 

4. What did you succeed at—what results did you get? 

5. What is one thing you feel really helped you in life & how can you use what you’ve learned to help someone else?

That could be something like....

A mom who shares budget friendly purchases, 

A modern & fun way of dealing with weight loss struggles, 

Overcoming an auto immune disease with gluten free living,

Organizing expert for modern moms,

Beauty tips for the budget babe, 

Handling three kids as a working mom,

In today’s saturated blog market, it takes BIG VALUE to stand out. So, don’t just create content like my 5 favorite shoes. You want to get into it, get specific. Talk about why those shoes, where you would wear them, who you saw wearing them, who makes them, why they would look good on anyone. Make sense? HOT TIP: The more specific with the details, the more valuable the content. I teach strategies like this for blogging success in my course and newsletter, be sure to sign up here.

As tempting as it is to just start a blog with no specific niche, it will be much more difficult to get deep into good content. I promise, the more you narrow it down your vision, the easier content will flow. If content ideas aren’t flowing for you, go back to the questions about and think about where you might need to rethink your vision.

I hope you found this post helpful. Don’t worry, this is going to be a series of blog posts on blogging in an effort to help those of you who need a resource. I love blogging and I am very passionate about women using a blog as a tool to upgrade their lives. It’s still very possible to create a massive following through a beautiful blog and change the world.

Love you, Ashlina

p.s. if you love this post, share it with your friends. Especially the ones who need to read it. You can also listen to the podcast, episode No. 9 for more blogging tips.