I have already shared a bit of my experience in the blog world in my thoughts and tips on blogging post, so I won't go into too much detail about what got me here today. But I will say openly and honestly I was starting to get a little overwhelmed.
You know, trying to wear the hat of 53 people? Yep, I am going there. This is not a pitty post, but a party post, but I will say, when I started blogging and being a "yes" girl, I may have bitten off more than I could chew. And I think it is important that we can recognize when that happens.
Things like being a wife and a mommy should always come first, but then piling on running a blog, the blog design updates and maintenance, dealing with blog techy issues, projects, editing pictures, managing emails {and more and more and more emails}, social networking, style tiles, running an Etsy shop and processing orders, custom order requests and fulfillment, managing sponsorships, billing, setting up giveaways and then counting though 867 entries to find the winner when blogger took away my numbered comments, writing posts, guest posting, and not being too tired to write a post without typos or trailing off into nonsense... I just can't do it all. Let's also remember that I have my youngest boy home with me every morning until lunch time and then my middle man comes home three hours later from school {and then they all start rolling in after that}. So I was basically attempting to squeeze all of those tasks between the hours of 12:00 and 3:00 in the afternoon, and then after the kids went to bed. I would often crawl into bed around 3:00 a.m. and be woken up by Parker jumping on my bed saying, "come on mom, let's go play!" bright and early in the morning.
Then, it happened. My inbox had, wait for it... 1,100 unread messages. If that's not daunting, then what is? I was spending every blog second I had to give on the computer, and not out finding new things to post about. Projecting slowed down. I haven't painted anything in weeks. I am reorganizing things I have already organized. The last thing I want is for this blog to suffer. It needs to flourish because I love blogging. I LOVE what I do.
I think that sometimes we grow because we are passionate about what we blog about, and it shows. For example, I love to organize and squeezed a few hundred posts on the subject out in a couple of short years. But as the blog grew, so did the amount of time required for me to maintain it from an administrative standpoint. More admin time means less organizing time. Less organizing time means less content. Arg.
Late last year with the holidays, I had realized that with so much going on, I needed to cut back some of my services and offerings. I stopped taking on Style Tile orders along with custom requests. Then, I started to work on updated printables for the shop, so I still couldn't bring back the other services. Then, I realized that maybe I was just doing too much, and that I may never be able to offer some services again.
So, feeling a little overwhelmed and stressed by it all while gazing at my sad, overflowing inbox, a sweet moment of relief was offered. A friend chimed in to my chat message and let me know that she would be willing to help with blog things if I ever needed it.
I had thought about asking for help, but mentally I was holding myself back. Afraid to loose control. Wondering if it was a sign that I was failing. But as I sat and thought about it over and over, getting to the point of needing help doesn't at all mean I am failing, but it means I am flourishing. By losing control of some of the items, it would allow me to regain control of the parts I LOVE. It will allow me to be a better family person and blog person.
I made sure to consider where I want to go with all of this. What was important to me in running a blog. Things like wanting to get out and help people in person {and share it all with you!}, expanding my shop and enhancing the site and navigation.
I said, "YES! I need your help!" I instantly felt a giant relief and weight lifted. It was one of the best moments I have had throughout the whole blogging endeavor.
Now the sweet gal I was talking with, wasn't just anyone. It was someone I had worked with in the past on both a friendly and professional level. She is someone I trust. Someone who LOVES blogs and understands the blog world. She is tech savvy and even a photographer {yep, she took my head-shot and our family photos, I adore her!}. We met last week for coffee to talk things over and have a very informal "interview" of sorts. In the end, we both walked away really excited about everything. She understands my long term goals, and really wants to help me get there.
So, without making you wait any longer, I am excited to introduce you to Emily!
"Hi! I’m Emily and I’m the newest member of the IHeart Organizing Team. I cannot tell you how excited I am to be helping Jen with some of the behind the scenes action.
I’ve been married for 6.5 years to my awesomely handy husband, Jason. We have a 2.5 year old son named Carter and a 10 year old lab mix named Cooper. When I’m not working with Jen, you can find me taking pictures, chasing around my little guy and directing marketing efforts for a local construction company.
A few weird, quirky facts about me:
- My toenails must be painted at all times {preferably "I'm Not Really a Waitress" by OPI}
- I love cold beer, hot coffee and McDonald's fountain diet coke {probably more than I should}
- I'm a former city girl turned country girl {I even own cowboy boots!}
- You will rarely catch me without my phone {I am obsessed with the Droid Streamzoo Photo app}
- My idea of a perfect morning is silence, coffee and a new magazine {not necessarily in that order}
- I could live in a hooded sweatshirt, jeans and cozy slippers for the rest of my life
- I am a DIYer at heart
I feel like the luckiest girl in the world to be here! I will be helping Jen answer e-mails, answer questions on the iHeart Organizing Facebook page and manage her amazing giveaways {just wait until you see the awesomeness she has planned}!"
I know I am not the first blogger to have a "virtual assistant", but I feel fortunate to be one that does. And the best part is that she is close enough that we don't just need to always work virtually, we have already met in person a few times and I love that we can connect face to face.
So now you will see her pop up on Facebook and via email as she works behind the scenes with me on all sorts of projects. The changes you see on the blog should be fairly seamless and of course, my big plans and dreams won't happen over night, but now I have more confidence that they will happen!
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