Hi friends! It’s been almost two months since I went full-time with Dear Kathryn, and I wanted to give a quick little update! Let me give you a glimpse at what has changed since June 4th, and why I now enjoy every single day of the week.

Before:

5:30 am – first alarm

5:39 am – second alarm

5:48 am – third alarm

Somewhere around 6:00 am – finally get up and take Chevy for a walk to the end of the street and back

6:20 am – shower, get ready for work, struggle to find something to wear that I feel confident and comfortable in

7:00 am – feed Chevy, make a snack for work, spend 10 minutes saying goodbye to Chevy because I don’t want to leave

7:35 am – leave for work, drive 20-25 minutes

8:00 am – sit down at my desk, wait for my computer to turn on, check Instagram, play a game on my phone, open the blinds, check Dear Kathryn emails on my phone, make a to-do list for Dear Kathryn (still waiting for my computer to turn on), get frustrated with computer, eat breakfast while computer continues to turn on, etc.

9:00 – finally get started on work for the day

10:00 am – snack time, watch Netflix

10:30 am – wait for brokers to approve flyer designs and start designing something fun for Dear Kathryn

11:40 am – leave for lunch, drive 20 minutes back home to let Chevy out, spend 20 minutes wishing I didn’t have to go back, drive 20 minutes back to the office.

12:40-1:15 pm – eat lunch while watching Netflix at my desk

1:15-5:00 pm – do various design tasks, input business card information into a large database, type pages of handwritten letters, work on Dear Kathryn stuff, schedule pins, worry about someone coming into my office and seeing Dear Kathryn work, etc.

5:00 pm – fight traffic for 30 minutes to get home

5:45 pm – take Chevy for a walk, feed her

6:30 pm – feed myself, usually something I spent my Sunday cooking

7:00 – ??? pm – calligraphy, watercolor, etc. for Dear Kathryn

Go to bed, wake up, and do it all over again.

Sounds fun, right? I did that for over four years. It was like Groundhog Day. I was doing the same thing over and over again. Nowhere in that schedule did I really have time to enjoy working on things for wedding invitations, and I definitely didn’t have time to do any self care. I was having migraines and panic attacks, I gained weight, and my mood was terrible.

Y’all, I started getting the Sunday Scaries on Saturday.

When you wake up on Saturday morning and realize you only have that day and the next to run errands, cook for the week, do laundry (which reminds me, I need to go put my clothes in the dryer!), and spend time with your significant other, you start to get a little anxious! If that doesn’t prevent you from enjoying your weekend, I don’t know what does.

Let me tell you about what I do now.

5:30 am – I still set my alarm, but I (usually) only hit snooze once!

6:00 am – Chevy and I now walk around the block, and sometimes she pulls me because she wants me to go the long way…she somehow knows that I have more time!

6:30 am – workout time!

7:00 am – feed Chevy, shower

7:30 am – go back to my office and start checking emails, create and schedule pins with Tailwind, make a to-do list for the day

9:00 am – eat a small breakfast, usually a breakfast sandwich, while throwing the ball outside with Chevy

9:20 am – back at my desk designing, sketching, painting, etc.

Somewhere around 11:00, Chevy and I go for a short walk. (The exact times are no longer necessary and I feel motivated to get things done instead of watching the clock!)

I come back to check emails again to make sure I haven’t missed anything, then eat lunch.

More design, calligraphy, watercolor, quotes, etc. until around 3:00 or 3:15 pm when Chevy starts nudging my leg, then we go for another short walk.

Work until 5:30 pm and sometimes later, depending on if I’m on a roll! Take Chevy for another walk, feed her, then cook dinner.

Yes, I now sit down at my computer earlier and work until a later time, but I am more productive, motivated, I can move around, and I have no more headaches. I’m happier, I feel better, and I get to spend more time with my 10-year-old pup.

Long story short, I love it.

Each weekend, I’m excited to be able to go out and do things instead of worrying about what errands I have to run or what design work I need to get done before Monday. I no longer get the Sunday Scaries, and I look forward to getting up each Monday morning to work on wedding invitations, custom watercolors, calligraphy, inquiries and estimates, etc.

I know I said this before in my original blog post about going full-time, but I really want it to sink in. If you have the opportunity to go full-time with something you have a passion for, do it. It’s as simple as that. Don’t wait until you feel stuck in a never-ending schedule like I did. It’s not good for you. And if you ever need any encouragement, feel free to email me! I’m happy to give you a push (or a shove) to pursue your passion!