A Big Ol' Update & Balancing Busy

I'm tired. With good reason, but still. As much as I don't want it to, blogging seems to be the thing that falls off my priority list when things are busy.

'Busy' is an easy term to hide behind; it's the easiest excuse for why we can't seem to do this or that even though it supposedly means a lot to us. Blogging means the world to me, and yet I can't ignore that my freelance work is what pays the bills. Thus, work has to take precedence over most everything else.

Yeah, knock it off

In May I started a digital media contract with an amazing nonprofit, and that's where I've been spending a good chunk of my time during the weekdays. I'm still adjusting to office life; after working at home for over two years, having to be somewhere for a specific time and wearing clothes that aren't yoga pants is a bigger shock to my system than I'd like to admit. I'm exhausted when I get home! And yet, I've found I need this bit of structure in my life, because I'm a lot more productive overall. Funny how having too much to do can do wonders for time management! I always thought having full control of my time would do that, but in fact it did the opposite and I would be too lax with my schedule. I'll save the self-imposed style stress I've had for another blog post. Pulling together a wardrobe fit for a nonprofit, somewhat conservative office is super hard when your closet's filled with workout clothes, boyfriend jeans and strappy tanks!

Injury and schedule slowed my workouts down in May & June. Getting enough rest is a lot harder than it sounds. I hate not working out. I'm so happy to be back in the swing of things; I'm still showing up at 6:00a.m. workouts, and just recently am folding in some cross-training in Zumba, barre and yoga again. My body feels stronger every day, and I'm looking forward to the 12-week intensive starting soon (more blogs on that coming!)

Even though I haven't been blogging super regularly here, I've been doing a lot of other fun blog-related stuff outside of work. I'm still writing on social media, personal branding & the like over at the Independent Fashion Bloggers (IFB). You'll see a new post there every Wednesday from me! I love the IFB community and it feels awesome to informally mentor and share my experiences with fellow bloggers new and established.

My girl Birdie asked me to contribute to a report on how brands can work with social media influencers, co-written by Simply Measured and Klout. I gave my perspective as a blogger in working with brands, and that led to a webinar and subsequent Q&A post with a lot of great feedback. Brands seem to just now be grasping the concept of working with bloggers and influencers, and I hope my experiences along with what I've picked up writing for IFB helped paint a better picture. You can read the report here.

Finally, Mode Media asked me to contribute as the Seattle rep for their United States of Style iPad app. I shared some of my favorite Seattle stomping grounds, including RL Salon, Moksha and Lucky Vintage. I love how it turned out! You can download the United States of Style app here.

I'm working on some fun stuff for the summer, including some giveaways and an event with Athleta here in Seattle!

The struggle to blog consistently is so very real right now, but it's one I insist on fighting until I get it right. Do I blog every day? Every weekday? Less than that? I'm still figuring out how to work that time in, and hopefully now that I've put it out there, I'll whip my butt back in top blogging form.

I'd love to know what you'd like to see here as well! I'm forever grateful for your readership and would love to cover topics or issues you want to see. Leave me a comment below and thank you again!