Me & D, just hanging

Wow you guys, I can't believe Summer 2011 is over already!  Things on this end have been a bit less stressful since I last checked in... I'm settling into my new role, and I think finally, finally I'm back to normal working hours (FINALLY!)  Which means I am trying to find more balance in my life... The Husband and I have taken a couple weekend trips and I'm working out more regularly.  I've also cut out coffee and replaced it with green tea (too many coffee/stress tummy aches) and working on eating better.  Not really easy when you're a nomad as we eat dinner out way, way more than we used to.  But I'm trying!

But the best part... I think it's finally safe to announce that we got a house!!!  After many months of searching, and a couple more months of bringing this deal to fruition, we're due to close near the end of October :)  I cannot even begin to emphasize how stressful buying a house is... once you find THE ONE, then there's the mortgage to deal with, along with the home inspection.... oh, and not to mention the scare of Hurricane Irene putting a tree through the roof or water in the basement or both (The House was fine).  But mostly the mortgage process.  It's like bearing your financial soul for all to see... ick.  Well, we finally got our mortgage commitment tonight, and things seem to be moving along!

I've also tried to take some time and put all this nonsense in perspective, and really I cannot complain.  There could be worst things than a lot of stress in your life.  And throughout it all, I know that my readers have been there for me.  Thank you for all your comments - I will reply back to them soon!  And I am really excited to take on a few new sponsors as well, which means giveaways for you :)  So stay tuned, I have a feeling that this autumn is going to be awesome!

This is her escape tactic ;)

Hey guys, remember me? My name is Nicole and I used run Employed Panache on a regular basis. If you’re a regular reader, you've probably noticed that my posts have been lacking lately… as in I have not posted anything in a full month. And for a couple months prior, posts were spotty at best. You might be asking yourself what happened… well guys, real life happened, and it happened hard and unexpectedly.

I have been avoiding a post like this because I work hard to stick to the Employed Panache brand of office appropriate work wear with a smattering of posts on professional topics. I felt that writing about anything outside of the 9-5 would not be appropriate. I also thought that it would be a short blip, and that I’d be up and blogging again quickly. Well, that was clearly not the case… and then I read several “transparency and credibility” posts by Ashley of Consciously Corporate. Ashley put herself out there for all of the internet to read, knowing that her friends, family, and maybe co-workers will be reading her thoughts. The first post must have gone over well, because Ashley wrote at least 2-3 more transparent posts afterwards!

While what I am about to discuss/vent may not be directly related to outfits to wear to work, HR, careers, or any other office or professional matters, this is all about work-life balance and knowing what your healthy limits are. So here it goes… in-your-face real life that I’ve been dealing with over the past 4 or so months:

Reality Check #1
In April, I moved into a different role at The Day Job. This was a very good thing… it wasn’t a promotion, but I needed a change. New projects, new characters, new challenges. As they say, beware what you wish for… when I started the role, my new team was in the middle of transitioning a newly acquired company into the function while at the same time reorganizing the current structure. Oh, and interns had to be recruited and on-boarded within the following 2 months – tasks that were 100% my responsibility. Let’s just say that ratio of work-life balance quickly shifted so that work was winning out most days. During this time, I was still kinda blogging… taking pictures in the morning was still an easy part of my routine, but my free time in the evening was less. And whatever time outside of The Day Job I did have went right to…….

Reality Check #2
House hunting! The Husband and I decided it was the right time to make a move into a house, so we began extensive research when we got home from work. On top of that, a couple nights a week plus a full weekend day went towards looking at houses. Sounds time consuming but fun, right? Well, let’s just say that the fun wore out real quick. Because it’s a “buyer’s market,” we have a lot of competition and in 4 months we’ve lost 4 deals. Also, I never expected house hunting to be so damn emotional. But we are looking for our forever home, the place where we’ll raise kids one day… so yes, tears were shed on multiple occasions. Despite this, we are still looking and going strong. If anything, we’re becoming very efficient at knowing immediately whether a house will work for us. And in the end, I am a bit tougher as a result.

Reality Check #3
I've realized that I have to stick by the grown-up decisions I make. I won’t go into a ton of details, but essentially The Hubby and I subletted our condo before finding a house. Don’t ask, it does make sense (to some degree) given our situation and who we have as a tenant. But this all adds up to moving our stuff into storage and living with friends and family for several months on top of everything else. This reality, among all of them, is probably what has gotten me closest to a major meltdown.

Reality Check #4
Throughout all this, I quickly learned that my energy is not unlimited. Gone are the days I can abuse my body with junk food, tons of coffee, little sleep, and no exercise. I don’t know if my body is just used to me taking better care of it (vs. the college years) or if I’m *gasp!* getting older. Either way, I am often tired and unmotivated once I get home. And instead of pushing myself to exhaustion and the brink of my sanity, I give in when I need to take a run, watch tv, read a book, see friends, hike with my dog, etc. instead of blogging.

Soo this is my life currently. I hope this post didn’t come off as me whining, because I recognize that I have a TON to be grateful for! But dear readers, you deserve to know what’s going on. I’m slightly more settled now that I’m out of my condo and staying in one place for the next month or so, so I do hope to blog a bit during this time! Please hang in there with me for the time being :)


PS: I honestly wasn’t sure if anyone would notice my absence. Well, you did notice, thank you for the kind notes! Its awesome readers like YOU that motivate me to get back on the horse (as they say :)

Source

Due to the amount of bad winter weather we've had this year, I have been working from home about once a week for the past 6 six weeks!  This is pretty unusual for me since I typically haul my butt the office 5 days a week no matter what.  But for a lot of folks out there, working at home is a regular occurrence as it's a great help to one's work-life balance.  Not to mention that cutting out a commute is greener (unless you walk or bike to work every day ;)  Anyway, whether you have work from home days scheduled weekly or they are used for one-off situations, here are some things you should consider for such days:

• Set expectations with your boss & colleagues.  Discussing your work at home schedule with your manager might be obvious, but be sure that your colleagues are aware of your schedule.  This note should also include all ways to contact you throughout the day: e-mail, phone number(s), instant message, etc. 
• Stick to your normal hours.  While working from home might mean an opportunity to sleep in, just be sure that you are ready to begin your day when you normally would.  Do not take advantage by sleeping in til 10am when you are normally in the office by 8:30am.
• Recreate your work environment at home.  Having a distinct work space separate from the rest of your living space will mentally prepare you for a productive day.  You don't necessarily need an entire room, but an area that is designated to work only.  If you need home office inspiration, check out this post from Jane Has a Job.
• Get a sitter.  If your children are home all day or even part of the day, get a sitter to watch them while you are working.  Working at home is not a solution for cutting back on child care costs.  You wouldn't want to end up in a tough situation, like your boss or a client calls while you are in the middle of consoling a crying infant or breaking up a fight between siblings.

TGIF!  This has been a long, stressful week for me friends.  I'm not sure how I made it to Friday, and I don't feel like I really accomplished anything (ever feel like that??)  So, this week's Fashion Beauty Friend Friday topic truly hits the nail on the head!  Because I've been crazed all week, I opted to write up my answers though I think a video would have emphasized what burnout can do to someone ;)  So this week's questions were:

1. How many hours a week do you spend blogging? Has that number changed since you started blogging? 
2. There is always more you can do, write, read, comment on... how do you limit your time spent on these tasks? 
3. Have you experienced Blogger burnout yet? How have you dealt with that? 
4. This time of the year is always a lot busier than any other time. Will your blogging change as a result? 
5. Could you forsee a moment in which you are not blogging anymore? How would you you identify that it's time to walk away?

On average, I probably spend about 15 hours blogging per week.  This includes taking pictures, writing my posts, reading other blogs, commenting and replying to comments, etc.  Now that I have a format down pat, it's probably less than when I started.  However, there are some weeks were I can spend up to 5+ hours more if I'm concentrating on the design of Employed Panache or reaching out to others on collaborations or sponsorships.

I probably struggle weekly to cram everything into my life, and this was true even before I started blogging.  So, when things become overwhelming, I've learned to stop myself and assess what really needs to get done, what can be postponed, and what can be skipped altogether.  In this, I also prioritize my life in general... and when it comes down to it, family/my husband, the Day Job, and my friends always round out the top 3.  So if necessary, I just will not blog.  That scenario has come up a few times in the past several months, mainly when I've been traveling for business.  Blogging is a fantastic hobby, but right now, that's all it is: a hobby.  While I have high expectations of where Employed Panache could go, and I am open to re-prioritizing if the opportunity arises, there are other things in my life right now that take precedent.

I have definitely felt blogger burnout during days when life is too crazy.  That's how I figured out how to think logically through what matters most and then proceed without guilt.  So, there have been some weeks when I just did not post on all 5 days.  I also learned to deal with burnout by making myself take time off.  The Blog Herald had a great article back in August on re-energizing as a blogger, and the point about scheduling vacation time stuck with me.  I purposely do not write blog posts on the weekend, and with it being the holiday season, I have planned some time off... I blogged only 4 out of 5 days during Thanksgiving week, and I will probably not post at all during the week between Christmas and New Year's.  Again, Employed Panache is not my main source of income, and while I really enjoy doing it, in the end it's not worth stressing over.

There are several moments when I can see me not blogging anymore:  If it's not fun anymore.  If I get some sort of awesome promotion and my work/life balance shifts dramatically.  If I become pregnant (!!!)... though I hope I can keep up blogging from that perspective one day.  I think it would be hysterical to read about my experience since the Hubby and I have no knowledge or understanding of pregnancy, parenting, etc. :)

All in all, blogger burnout is very similar to burnout from work, school, etc.  You need to find that balance and prioritize what's really important to you and what makes you happy.  How do you guys deal with burnout - blogger or otherwise??

The Friend Friday project by Modly Chic is a way for fashion bloggers to share more about themselves and create a friendly connection with other bloggers.  Join the conversation by joining the Fashion Beauty Friend Friday Google Group.