Step right up for this month's digest (aka my monthly overshare) as I talk you through what's been going on, things I'm loving and so much more.
Word of the year
I'm not into New Year's resolutions. It's just a BIG ask. I mean, I think the only habit I've actually stuck to has been flossing. And that's only as of this year and it wasn't even a resolution (I feel like a whole new person, though. Hi, I'm Peggy and I floss).
I was very intentional with choosing my word of the year in the beginning of 2023, which was, in fact, INTENTIONAL.
My biggest goal was to give myself pause. The more I grow as a small business, the more I realize that I have a bad habit of acting before I fully process my ideas. It's a blessing and a curse, really. Pumping the brakes didn't mean slowing down, necessarily. It just meant putting more thought into my processes. In fact, it took a lot more out of me to slow down and stay intentional with my decisions around pruning and planning and executing.
Learning and developing a new habit, not to mention putting that habit into constant practice, well, it's kinda like a toddler learning a new skill without understanding the emotions around failing. Because when we learn a new thing, we fail. Over and over again. It's science. And each time we fail, we fail better. I learned a lesson or 500 this year, and while I had my usual two bi-annual moments of feeling overwhelmed and wanting to give up, it was still only twice! So in allll of my learning moments, my goal of staying intentional worked. And the results are satisfying ✨
The 2 biggest takeaways I 10/10 recommend:
☑️ PROCESSES
Honeyyyy she's got them! This was a huge feat for my small team. We put our heads down and tore our processes apart from the inside out. We reworked them and set up playbooks (SOPs) for all of the moving pieces we have throughout the year.
Honeyyyy she's got them! This was a huge feat for my small team. We put our heads down and tore our processes apart from the inside out. We reworked them and set up playbooks (SOPs) for all of the moving pieces we have throughout the year.
So what does that mean? It means that we did the bulk of the work now so that every time a repeating project/task/launch/program/class etc. comes up, it'll be streamlined and cut a ton of busy time so we can focus on the most impactful parts.
☑️ ANNUAL PLANNING
I never applied annual planning before this year. I'm an enneagram 7. Does that excuse even work?
I realized that my efforts, while appreciated, were overkill. I was doing too much in small windows of time, and I expected everyone to come along with me… yikes. I was therefore overwhelming everyone with toooo much going on. This was actually one of the big reasons that I chose my word for 2023.
I knew that I needed to let my launches breathe.
I never applied annual planning before this year. I'm an enneagram 7. Does that excuse even work?
I realized that my efforts, while appreciated, were overkill. I was doing too much in small windows of time, and I expected everyone to come along with me… yikes. I was therefore overwhelming everyone with toooo much going on. This was actually one of the big reasons that I chose my word for 2023.
I knew that I needed to let my launches breathe.
I needed to let YOU breathe.
And I desperately needed to learn to let myself be okay with taking a breath.
My chosen system
For me, annual planning was difficult. To start. I tried a ton of the “best methods” – planners, Notion, Google calendar, physical calendar, but it wasn't until now that I found my hack. I
ended up purchasing a large acrylic wall calendar (it's on sale right now too) and using this cheap thin washi tape to color code my production dates, launches, and importantly, breaks throughout the year.
Boom. I kept saying “That was so much easier than I ever thought it would be.. I just needed to DO IT…” because it really was. I just needed a system that worked for me. I repeat…
I just needed a system that worked for ME.
I felt free, like a huge multi-year weight was lifted.
All to say, don't think that something doesn't work for you if you don't get the results you want. Just know that we all have brilliant minds that are unique, so when we find that system that gives us A-HA, we'll nail it.
Sketchbook Bootcamp
The past 5 weeks have been an incredible journey with so many of you in our Sketchbook Bootcamp. Seeing how everyone makes the prompts their own is what brings me the most joy.
I absolutely love connecting in this way. I think there's a lot to be said about diving into our sketchbooks – there's no judgment. There's just permission to play!
Astronaut Rabbit Clowns
I don't know where the initial idea for these came from. At some point, I started combining rabbits, clowns, and astronauts.
Remember to give yourself YOU time (that doesn't have a reserved place online, especially when there's so much pressure to post post post post post post) even if what you create doesn't make sense 🐇🤡👩🚀
If they surface online one day, it'll be their time. Right now, it's not. Because the point is: FUN. Period.
Favorite finds
This past month has been a delight for hot finds, let me telllll you (and I will). From essentials to splurges, these are my picks for December…
- Ok listen, I realize this is nothing new to many of you. But these hair ties.. I'm late to the party, I get it. But I finally tried one and haven't looked back. People love them because they don't crease or snag hair, I love them because ummm hey PERFECT messy bun every single time!
- If you've ever wanted to try animation, or even just make it easier, Procreate Dreams just launched and it introduced a groundbreaking animation technique that records your movements in live time. And yes, it's as easy as it sounds.
(I had the honor of partnering with Procreate & Skillshare for the live unboxing on launch day and I made a full class on it too so you can make it even easier to learn).
- If you love a weighted blanket, you might also love a bead-filled eye mask. This one blocks light, stays put, is sooo soft, and the slight weight makes me feel like I'm at a spa.
- And the one I'm most excited about (which is easily the most boring 🤣) - this brand spankin' new label printer. So far no jams, no “I can't read this label" (because one of its selling points is that it reads ANY label), just… easy. EASY. And FAST. ANDDDD supports wireless and AirPrint. I'm pleased.
And my monthly can't live without item… I switched to this a few years ago and never looked back.
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The BEST pillow (and I mean BEST best) you (and your guest room's guests) will ever use - Its firmness is fully adjustable and anyone I've recommended them to always updates me with how pleased they are.
Hello holiday wish list 👋
Random fact
This month's Random Fact For No Reason is:
The difference in karats, such as 14k or 18k, affects the yellowness of gold; higher karats like 18k contain a higher proportion of pure gold, making them more intensely yellow compared to lower karats like 14k, which have a greater mix of other metals.
My [perhaps unpopular?] preference: Lower karats - gimme that yummy coppery gold, pls.
Another perhaps unpopular preference: I think I'm going to wear more mixed metals. Because why 👏 not 👏
Spain art retreat
The objective I had for this retreat was to inspire to not only contemplate but to also take tangible steps beyond their familiar boundaries. By offering thought-provoking prompts, I aimed to create a nurturing environment where individuals could embrace discomfort, challenge their artistic paradigms, and engage in layered exercises that would strategically connect them with their inner artist. And my goodness, what a backdrop we had in this picturesque region of Andalusia...I wrote a blog all about it here.
Personal musings
1. Laura is easily the best travel partner that exists. In 4 weeks, we were in 6 different countries, all of which met us with a storm of sorts. Y'all, these were legit storms. Like, they had names and everything - Storm Babet (Ireland), Storm Aline (Portugal), Storm Bernard (Spain).. I mean, an adventure to say the least ⛈️
2. I had an oracle reading and got the camel, which essentially is saying I can handle just about anything, bring opposites into balance, and fond of traveling. Ok sure, that tracks. But listen camel, right now it's time to take a break.
3. Laura captured the sweetest moment I had with a sheep in Ireland. This little guy just came right over to me and put its little head in my stomach for loves.
4. Franny doesn't want to let me work since returning home. She gets up in my lap and shoves her head into my hand and makes me hold her little head while she naps. And I do it. Because she owns me.
5. I got to spend some time with sweet, beautiful, wonderful Elina (if you've emailed us, you've almost certainly spoken with her).
6. Utrecht, we loved visiting you.
That's a wrap for this first version of nonsense blab 🥳 Thank you for being here. Thank you for contributing to this incredible community that we've built together. Thank you for letting me be a part of your creativity.
Don’t miss the next monthly digest overshare!
Who knows what’ll be in these emails, but I can promise you that they’ll be entertaining (to say the least). You can make sure you get the next one here!
