Growing With My Business From Home

This post is sponsored by Cox Homelife.

2019 is turning into quite the monumental year around these parts (queue multiple life changes!). In the coming months I’ll be turning 30, this will be the first year that Bennett is working full time with me, and I’m coming up on my 7th year of working from home. SEVENTH. I feel like I just welcomed pajamas and top knots to center stage.

I’ve learned over time that there is no such thing as balance (if you’ve figured it out, let me pay you to help me). On one hand, I feel incredibly lucky to run my own business and set my own hours but on the other hand, I feel like I’m constantly trying to stay ahead, keep up with myself, and wondering why I feel this way...real talk!

Something that we upgraded to at the start of 2019 was Cox Homelife (if you like life game changers, keep reading). The little conveniences that have come into our home are something that I can’t imagine living without now. Bennett and I have the Cox Homelife app on our phones so we can see updates and activity simultaneously. This is so important to me now that we’re both coming and going at different times of the day. Plus, knowing that our security system has our backs has been huge.

Speaking of peace of mind- when we travel, I can see our front door in real time, record what the camera is seeing whenever I want, take photos, and not worry about anything. Our next door neighbor takes in our packages for us while we’re away so this feature makes the entire process seamless. I disarm the system straight from my phone when he’s ready to enter and then arm it again once he leaves (hello convenience!). We would also get alerted if anyone were to attempt to get into our place (where all of our equipment is!). Not only is the security next level, but we can see everything on our Cox Homelife app.

Lately, I’ve been waking up extra early which has shifted my work days significantly. My alarm will go off, and one of the first things I’ll do is switch on the smart plug that’s hooked up to my electric kettle in the kitchen. By the time I hear that it’s ready, I know it’s time to get out of bed and use the hot water to make a French press. This is actually the lifelong dream that I didn’t know that I had.

Another great convenience is having my hair straightener connected to a smart plug. If I’m rushing to get ready, and I maybe forgot to turn it off manually, I can switch it off from my app at any point no matter how far away from home I am. Side note: I already can’t wait for this holiday season because I can turn on all of our festive lights before we get home and then I get to walk into my dream land. Priorities!

Can I tell you something? We have been LOVING cable and I mean it. It’s been over 10 years since either of us have had cable at home and the contour remote is my new best friend. It has voice command not only for the TV (Hi Shark Tank), but you can speak into the remote and it will turn the lights on and off, change the thermostat, and more. It’s like the little hub for the entire apartment and our new favorite thing. Also, I’ve been full on recording every show with the DVR so if you come over, I hope you like Food Network.

Since Bennett has been working with me (we’re coming up on 6 months!), I’ve made some changes in my routine. We typically will kickstart our weekdays with a walk (after he arms the apartment with his Homelife app because I’m not awake yet) and talk about what we need to do that day, go over any big goals, and take in that fresh air because we’re on screens from there on out!

Typically one of us will be on the laptop and one of us will take over the desktop. He manages the print shop, produces our podcast, and so many other things (he’s my biggest motivator!). It’s been so nice and I feel really lucky that we can make this work. Not every day is totally perfect but I’ve already noticed big changes for the better. This means everything moving into our busiest time of the year!

As my business shifts over the years, I feel like I’m stepping in time with it and everything that comes with being my own boss. One of the most important things I need to remember is to not be too hard on myself. If I’m in the editing groove late one night, it’s definitely okay to sleep in an hour later than normal the next day. It’s all good!

I’ve learned so much about myself since working from home and now that it’s more of a family business, I’m excited to see where this year takes us! We’ve been dreaming of moving into a two bedroom so that we can have a separate office but for now, we’re soaking up our little beach apartment and making it work for us. Stay tuned in that department and as always, thanks for following along!