Ten Things You Don’t Know About Self-Employment

1. I wake up the same time I did when I was working my “real job.” Sure I may push snooze a couple more times when Wednesdays roll around (my least favorite day), but I’m usually at my desk before or around 9 am every morning, including the weekends.
2. Weekends don’t really exist. Sure I take more time off during the weekends since our friends and family have those days off, but more often than not I’m working. Most jobs have a clear start and end time, but with self-employment everything gets a bit muddled.
3. Working in pajamas definitely does happen, but I like to get ready every morning as if I’m going to a desk job somewhere that’s not in my living room. 
4. It’s not as glamorous as one would think. I literally work in our living room. My desk is right next to where we relax and I’m in eye sight of our cat’s litter box. Working from home definitely has its pros, but it’s not as fabulous as I imagined it would be.
5. I’m not free whenever people call or ask to hang out. Our friends have the hardest time understanding that just because we set our own schedules, doesn’t mean we can just pop out any time we want. There are deadlines and structure to our days just like any other job. Sure, it is a bit more flexible, but I’m definitely not at the beck and call whenever it’s convenient for other people.
6. When gloomy days happen, they’re so much worse. Usually if I’m feeling down and out I would just take the day off of work and stay home, but working from home you just don’t get the same feeling. If I’m having an off day I feel even worse about it because I see Alex working away and I’m laying in bed feeling sorry for myself. I think our tiny apartment amplifies this too.
7. Every day I worry about our future. With my university job I never felt that much worry or insecurity, but since we work for ourselves it’s become that much more stressful. It’s a constant blend of self-doubt, fear people will just suddenly stop buying stickers, and concern about keeping things going. 
8. I get seriously stir crazy. Alex and I will just leave the house to go walk around Target and not buy anything, just to get out of the house. I think this also has a lot to do with our tiny living space, but I’m sure in our future home we’ll feel the itch to just get out and get some fresh air. 
9. It’s a lot more complicated than you think. When I first decided to quit my job I had no idea the information I was going to learn. We had to find our own health insurance, figure out much more complicated taxes, and tons of other adult things we just never really worried too much over. There’s so much more to learn than just how to work for yourself. I’m still so clueless about a lot of things involved in working at home.
10. I wouldn’t have things any other way. I love working for myself and working from home. It’s everything I’ve ever wanted and most of the trouble comes in worrying that it’ll go away. Yet I don’t want to do anything else ever again if I can help it.

10 Ways to Save Money

1. Sell unused things to consignment shops, in garage sales, or to thrift stores. Sure you won’t make mountains of money, but if you were just going to throw them away anyway this could be a great way to get something back before they get passed on.
2. Shop your stash rather than buying new things. Do you really need that nail polish or are there other ones like that in your collection? Take a shopping trip to your makeup drawers or in your closet. You never know what you might find.
3. Have a swap with friends to exchange clothing and makeup. That way you will feel like you’re getting new things without having to spend any money!
4. Implement a No Buy if you want to get really serious. It could be just on one type of expense like eating out, or you could go crazy and start a no buy on frivolous things. It all really depends on what your goals are.
5. Create lists and stick to them when shopping. Don’t get sucked into the Target vortex. Create a list and only get the things on it.
6. Use coupons whenever possible and price compare. Never go to a craft store without one and try really hard to only stick to one or two items since the coupons often only apply to one product at a time.
7. Go places during specials throughout the week. A local Italian restaurant here does 35 cent pasta nights or a lot of restaurants do certain days that kids eat free. If you’re trying to save money but still want to go out to dinner once in a while, create a chart to know which days your favorite restaurants have specials and pick from there.
8. Create an honest budget not one you wish you could stick to. If you like eating out like Alex and I, it’s unreasonable to yourself to cut the food budget in half with dreams that you’ll cook every single meal at home. Be honest with yourself and don’t cut everything you love just to pinch pennies. There are plenty of places in a budget to cut down without losing your favorites.
9. Save your change rather than letting it get lost in seat cushions. Over time loose change can really add up!
10. Buy in bulk during specials on products you use the most. Sure it’ll feel like you’re spending a lot of money at one time, but stocking up means you won’t have to buy more at normal prices if you run out and desperately need it.

Five Ways to Squash Self-Doubt

1. Acknowledge that what you see on social media isn’t always the truth. Does someone have the perfect kitchen that’s always spotless? What you don’t see is the mess piled up behind the photos or know that they spend a good hour every day keeping it that way. Being honest with yourself and rationally thinking about how each Instagram photo came to be can help put things into perspective. Life isn’t covered in an Instagram filter and trying to make it that way will only make you miserable.
2. Know your worth and things that you excel at. Self-doubt has a way of creeping in when we’re feeling less than others in certain things. Yet you’re probably great at so many other things that you aren’t taking stock of. Just because you aren’t good at interior designing does not take away from your baking skills or vast knowledge of literature. Take pride in what you’re good at and understand you can’t be great at everything.
3. Surround yourself with positive people who are good at different skills and bring new ideas to the table. Having positive, creative people in your corner can help you brainstorm past self doubt and lend a hand when you really aren’t sure where to go next in a project.
4. Know that you aren’t alone. Sure this may not mean much when the self-doubt becomes crippling. But literally everyone feels doubt at some point. It’s completely natural to worry and wonder how to be better. Just don’t let it consume you to the point where you don’t even try.
5. Fight past it because self-doubt is usually just the fear of failure. Try anyway. The worst that can happen is it doesn’t turn out, but at least you tried rather than worry yourself into a corner.

5 Habits to Get Into to Become a Great Blogger

1. Brainstorm like crazy when the mood arises so when you have a creativity drought you aren’t hurting for content. If you feel a few good blog post ideas coming on, listen. Take the time to sit down and follow the thought process. You never know when the idea train won’t deliver and you’ll be happy to have a list already ready and waiting.
2. Take batch photos and edit them at the same time. Taking photos all at once has so many advantages that it’s almost a blogging sin not to do it. You only have to set up a few times a month, you can take advantage of good lighting, and editing is a breeze because your camera settings are the same for all your photos. Save yourself the trouble and get into batch photography sessions.
3. Blog outside your comfort zone and don’t stick to one topic. People aren’t static and neither is your blog. Just because your blog is mostly about beauty doesn’t mean you can’t throw a book or lifestyle post into the mix. Plus variety keeps blogging interesting for you and your readers.
4. Celebrate small victories and accomplishments. Maybe you posted five days this week instead of the usual three. That’s awesome and you should take the time to give yourself a metaphorical pat on the back. Challenge yourself in little ways and make it a big deal when you accomplish them. Maybe you want to take better lit photos or want to write more in-depth quality pieces rather than rushed ones. Whatever it is, push yourself and praise yourself too.
5. Stop comparing your blog to others’ because no blog is alike. Take value in your work regardless of what other people are doing. When you stop worrying about what other people are doing you can put all your focus into your personal blog to make it the best it can be.

How to Build an Online Community That Lasts

• Don’t try to force it. Nothing’s more annoying than a company overdoing it or trying to make a community pop up out of thin air.
• It may not work the first few times. I’ve tried to build online communities before and none of them stuck. Whether it was my fault for not guiding it more or the audience just wasn’t there, quite a few of my first efforts failed. If it doesn’t work the first time you’ll just have to get creative when trying something new.
• Let the group guide itself once their’s an audience. My group more or less runs itself. Although there are still a few rules, people post the content and create the discussions themselves.
• Be genuine and not out to make a few extra dollars or promote yourself to death. This is definitely something difficult to toe the line on as most communities start because of either you, your blog, or your business. Just be honest, let people see the real you, and don’t always make it about selling.
• Be open to change. My group started as a way to communicate sales and changes, but quickly became more of a planner forum for people to share spreads and ideas. Sure I still post sales and things, but the group has become its own thing and I am not trying to force it back to what it once was.
• Give the community something to join together on like a charity or group event. My group does a lot of group weekly spreads where we all decorate our planners to a theme, but we’ve also raised money after the Paris attacks and help each other out when someone is in need. Giving your group a common thing to work together on creates a bigger bond and a point to the group beyond just sharing a hobby.
• Let it build itself over time. Your online community isn’t going to pop up overnight. It’s going to take time for people to find your platform, get interested and active in the community, and find value in it. 
• Give it a name. We call ourselves the Helloigans. Once the name was given things got so much more real. I definitely feel like I’m part of something bigger and everyone likes a cool nickname.