It’s been a while since my first if we were having coffee post. Plus I took a four-month hiatus from blogging, so it seems to be an excellent time to get caught up. 

We are all aware of the significant changes that have happened across the globe since March, so I will not go into details with that, but I would like to announce some changes that have happened in my life that will affect the blog.

So grab a cup of coffee or tea, find a relaxing spot, light a candle, and let’s chat!

If we were having coffee, I would tell you that I now work from home permanently full time, and I love it!

Like many others in the country, I started working from home in March. My company had advised it would be a temporary measure for a couple of months and then we could come back into the office. 

I already had one work from home day a week and was longing to have more, but I thought working full-time from home was a dream.

Luckily, after two months, the company found that having everyone at home was far more productive and much more beneficial and decided to make it permanent. 

I wasn’t sure if I would like working at home permanently, but after a month or so of adjustment, I found I loved it! 

So many wonderful things have happened from not commuting into the office:

• I now have time to work out again. Instead of a 30 – 45-minute one-way commute, I work out right after work in my living room. 
• I wear more comfortable clothes. Sports bras are an everyday occurrence. 
• I am saving money from not commuting and not hitting up the Starbucks that was in my building.
• I am eating healthier, and I started intermittent fasting. So far, I have lost 8 pounds!
• I am more productive at my job and WAY less stressed. 

There are many more pros to working at home for me, but these are just the big ones.

The only con is that all the lovely clothes I purchased to wear to work are no longer worn. I am not ready to get rid of them just yet, but I am sizing down a bit in the meantime.  

If we were having coffee, I would tell you that after our last chat about my interest in minimalism I decided to embrace it.

During the last if we were having coffee post, I mentioned that I was researching minimalism, zero waste, and simple living. 

Now I can say that I have embraced these ideas and started taking steps to minimize my life and live with purpose and intention. 

I started by doing a whole house declutter. A lot of stuff went to Goodwill, others were thrown out and I have four bins of items to sell on Poshmark.

Alas, my ultimate declutter is still not complete. Some things I felt an attachment to and wasn’t ready to toss just yet. I decided to keep going back room to room and get rid of more stuff each time.

My mindset as a consumer is also changing. I put thought and questioning into an item before making a purchase. A lot of things I no longer purchase at all.

I will talk more about the things I don’t buy as a beginner minimalist in an upcoming post.  

Minimalism is such a huge mindset change, and I hope to do even more posts about my minimalist journey in the future. 

If we were having coffee, I would tell you that I disconnected from social media, and I have zero regrets.

Deleting social media is also part of my minimalist journey, but it’s been a huge life-changer for me, especially with what has happened in the world so far this year. 

I had deleted Facebook about two and a half years ago and never regretted it. However, I kept my Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn accounts open.

I didn’t spend much time on social media before deleting it all. The last time I checked Instagram’s activity meter, I was averaging about 30 minutes a day. 

Even with the small amount of social media time I had, I was just really tired of what I like to call “noise.” 

Noise is just a bunch of gossip, trendy, political, fake, and pointless garbage that our society goes on and on about. 

I felt like so many people on Instagram were fake, and it all seemed so forced. I don’t know if this makes sense, but it all seemed so negative no matter how positive I tried to look at it.

Not to mention all the other facts and scientific data that backs why social media is horrible for you (possibly more on this in a blog post).

I deleted LinkedIn, disabled my Instagram and Twitter account, and took the apps off my phone. 

I haven’t been on since and honestly probably never will be again. 

I don’t miss it because I am not missing anything. 

There isn’t a single thing on social media that was adding value to my life. 

Not even for the purpose of having a blog. 

If you are thinking about deleting social media, I highly recommend you do. It will change your life for the better!

If we were having coffee, I would tell you about some changes I am bringing to this blog. 

Initially, when I began this blog I had planned to focus on travel and fashion with other posts varying between seasonal holidays, wellness, entertainment, and other lifestyle topics. 

Now that I no longer go into the office for work or go out at all, I don’t see fashion posts being something I can sustain on the blog. 

Instead, I have decided to focus on travel and entertainment. I plan to write posts on books, movies, and television shows. As well as continuing to write about travel, wellness, seasonal things, and other lifestyle topics.

As for the book and entertainment posts, I am a huge history nerd, and most of the things I read and watch are documentaries and historical dramas. So my posts will focus on books and entertainment of that nature. 

I may add a fashion or outfit post here and there, but not as heavily as before. 

I am excited to write about entertainment and cant wait to share my thoughts with you!

Till Next Time

Thank you for sitting down and reading the August 2020 edition of if we were having coffee!

Let me know in the comments your thoughts and what you would tell me if we were sitting down to a cup!

Rachel