embracing a slow, unproductive week.

A Happy Letter: Vol VI

Hello there!

This week has been quite a slow one, as I’ve struggled to sustain any sort of attention to tasks. Out of the 5 or so things on my list of things to do this week I have completed… 2, if you count this letter. One other task is almost complete and a couple more are in process but still, it’s been slow going.

It’s hard to believe that last Tuesday I was boarding a plane from Boston back home. It seems that traveling throws off my rhythms more now than it did pre-2020.

I wonder, have you felt the same? Not just with travel but with any small (or big) disruptions to the ordinary. Where pre-2020 I felt able to jump back in quickly and easily it now takes quite a lot of time for me to feel settled again. Perhaps it’s not 2020 at all and is instead just me entering my mid-30s.

If you follow me on Instagram, you may have noticed a series of stories and a new pinned post this week. That’s because, after years of struggling, I’ve at last given up on maintaining any sort of regular presence on the platform. The reasons are two-fold.

1. I find Instagram terribly distracting and the value I get from it (business-wise) is limited.

2. I’ve also struggled to find a foothold in it. I’m more of a long-form content kind of gal and with the shift over the last while to video, and all the changes that’s done to the algorithms, I’ve felt more and more stress and pressure to do things I genuinely despise doing. And to do them fast and often.

With that in mind, I’ve made my Instagram story series a highlight and pinned a post sharing what A Happy Learner is all about to serve as a bit of a “landing” for folks who do look for me there. I’ll post periodically, but mostly just when something is happening in these other spaces—a newsletter going out, a blog post going up, a new product, or a product update launching in the TpT store. And I’ve deleted the app from my phone and will just check in from my laptop (a far less engaging experience that lets me keep up with some of my favorite accounts without sucking all of my time away).

By the time this letter actually goes out this afternoon, I’ll hopefully have completed 3 things on my to do list. Either way, I’ll just adust for next week and not worry about it too much. Why stress, after all?

Going into the weekend, I’m looking forward to pizza and a movie tonight with a friend and a nice, stormy Saturday where I go nowhere and do nothing but read and watch movies. And tomorrow, hopefully, I’ll wake up a bit more productive.

We shall see!

Christin ☕️