An Announcement
I just wanted to pop in and let you know that I have decided to take a break from Web Design.
From today I will not be taking on any new clients, and will be finishing up the client work that I have been contracted to do, and will then be packing up my life for Canada.
I’m not sure if this break will be for 3-6 months or for much longer. I am going to reassess when when I have settled in and am ready to make better decisions. I have a few ideas on what I would like to do next year, but I will wait and see how they pan out after my trip across the USA.
If you have supported me in any way throughout this time, I want to say a big THANK YOU to you. I am incredibly grateful for the support I have had.
It’s time for me to take a break after nearly 4 years of being a small business.
Thanks again,
Dannielle
P.S. normal blog posts will resume soon.
Next Year
This is the time of year where people start asking about your business plans for next year. It’s less than a month to the new year after all. But if I answered honestly: I don’t know what my business plans are for next year.
I have some ideas, but with the big move and the travel that’s coming, I’m not entirely sure what’s on the business horizon. It scares me a lot that I don’t know, but I want to make these decisions with a clear mind and that’s something I do not have right now. I’m trying to finish up my web design for the year and get all the travel stuff organised and I’m thinking about a million and one other things that are making it hard to breathe.
That’s not the environment that I want to be setting my goals for 2013 in. It doesn’t mean that I won’t make any though. The thing travel for me, is that it clears my mind. It opens my thoughts to new ideas and opportunities. Well thought out clear ideas and the confidence I need to see them through. Not ones guided by fear or December 31 everyone-else-has-their-shit-together ideas. The latter has sent me on many a path I didn’t want to be on and I don’t want that for my first year in Canada.
I want to take the time to clear my head. To be inspired by things again. To breathe the fresh air and to laugh with good friends. That’s where the good ideas will spring from. I have my backup plans and I know who I can call on when the doubt comes in. But I really believe that trying to do it all now will not lead to the best outcome.
The things I know for now about next year: I want to write more. I want to take more photos. I want to laugh more and be inspired. I want to find new friends in what will be my new home. I want to make exercise part of my everyday – but not get obsessed about calories or take the fun out of food. I want to keep a connection with Australia through the wonderful people I know that live here.
This time last year Canada wasn’t even a thought that had crossed my mind, but it’s been my focus for 6 months now.
I think sometimes, one step at a time is perfectly ok. So maybe, if you’re finding it a bit overwhelming too, then you can get through the next few weeks not thinking about it and come back to it when your brain is clear and happy and you’re ready to think about it.
Make your own rules that work for you.x
What Tech to Take to a Conference
Problogger was a few weeks ago now, but it was my first conference where I knew that I wanted to take notes. I had grand ideas about using my laptop and taking quick but awesome notes on there. I took quite a lot of things with me that I thought I would use, but I thought I’d share what I took with me vs. what I actually used at the 2 day event.
What I took:
- My 13″ MacBook Air
- My Olympus Pen Camera
- My iPhone 4
- My Power Bank External Battery (for any smart phone that uses a USB to charge)
- Notepad and pens
I thought the laptop was going to be awesome and would be the main thing I used, but it was a bit awkward to balance on my lap and I noticed that people were watching me type, which always causes me to get flustered and make silly spelling mistakes. While it is really light for a laptop, it was still quite heavy and annoying to lug around as many of the sessions were in different rooms and you had to change quickly.
I also thought I would take a heap of photos with my digital camera, but I found that I was paying too much attention to the speakers to be snapping away. I did take a few with my phone though.
What I used:
- My iPhone 4
- My Power Bank External Battery
In the end it was my iPhone and the Notes app that I used the most over the 2 day event. I can type on it quicker than I can on anything else and have learnt that I don’t even need to look at the screen to type the words correctly. Awesome! It may have looked a little rude, like I was texting through the whole thing, but I actually managed to take some quite detailed and super helpful notes while the speakers were taking. I took a few photos here and there, but had a separate note for each session.
The Notes app is awesome if you have Mountain Lion on your Mac like I do, as I have them set to auto sync, so all my notes from the conference were on my Air when I opened it at the end of the day.
The Power Bank* was (and still is) my best investment, and I’m glad I took it with me. It is an external charger that holds around enough charge to charge your smart phone around 10 times (approximately). Because my phone is old, the battery runs out faster than it used to, but having the external charger meant that I could charge up the phone while still taking notes. It meant that I didn’t have to worry about the phone being flat when I needed it most and I still keep it charged up and in my handbag for whenever I’m out.
I didn’t really use my notepad and pens at all, but they were handy to have. I did use them in the break when I was doing some planning. Sometimes it’s nice to handwrite your ideas when you’re thinking through an idea.
What do you take to these sorts of events? Do you have a can’t-do-without?
*Link is to an Australian site. Not an Affiliate Link.
