Monthly Goal Meetup

{June Goals}

1. Design: One amazing wedding invitation suite
2. Prep: Research online press kit
3. Complete: Design and packaging of “variety pack”
    (I don’t want to talk about this goal. Meh) 
4. Market: Design ad and purchase spot on one blog
5. Continue: Blog three times per week + one giveaway

Happy July! June was officially the fastest month of my life. I feel like I just wrote down my June goals. Scary. That being said, I managed to accomplish half of my June goals… more like 50% of each goal. For instance, I came up with a wedding invitation concept that I’m extremely excited about, but it’s only reached the sketch stage. I designed a blog ad, but realized I am too busy with summer and existing orders to actively promote. I blogged three times a week (minus the week I was out of town) but didn’t do a giveaway due to scheduling conflicts. So I consider myself 49% successful this month. 

At first I was frustrated that I wasn’t completing my goals in a efficient manner. I was struggling to fit work into every free moment: nights, weekends, etc. Then I read a tweet from a fellow designer that stated (I’m paraphrasing), “My life is 178% better since I stopped working weekends.” LIGHTBULB! At that moment, I had a mid-summer awakening.

Work life with kids underfoot all-day-every-day is significantly more challenging than I had anticipated. Time to adapt.

My little ones are too young to send outside without supervision so much of my work is done under a shady tree — great for proof sets, email, twitter but lousy for photo editing, client meetings, printing and assembling. If we aren’t outside, we are on the go, biking, hiking, swimming. Sadly, my imaginary staff of helpers never gets anything done while I’m gone! The kicker is after the kids are in bed, I’m so exhausted I can’t do anything but melt into the sofa. 

In response to our summer-of-fun lifestyle, I’ve had to limit marketing and the number of custom design orders I take on. I must admit, it has been somewhat liberating to say “no”. No, no, no, no. There, I said it! This reality check has made me contemplate how to handle future summers as my kids grow and become more active. I foresee summers with limited hours and a european approach to vacations; closing shop for a month or more of family time. It sounds decadent now, but as a my own boss, I have the freedom to plan for these times ensuring loose ends are tidy and clients are well informed. 

I’m realizing I want it all, but simply put, I’m not that talented. This realization has been a blessing in disguise. It’s inspired me to step back and focus on summer fun with my family. Typically, I become discouraged or feel guilty about my lack of ‘productivity’, instead I’m feeling a sense of freedom enjoying popsicles and shady trees. I plan to keep plugging along, and look forward to being refreshed and prepared for the fall rush.

{July Goals}

1. Design: Bear party invitation for my favorite soon-to-be four year old
2. Prep: Photograph boxed holiday cards for website & Etsy
3. Complete: Wedding invitation design (it’s gonna be awesome)
4. Market: Purchase ad spot on one blog to start July 15th-ish
5. Continue: Blog three times per week