Hello, lovelies! This week I was thinking about anxiety and all the ways it tends to hold me back from doing all the things that I want or, sometimes, need to do. I've seen so many of my friends and people that I follow online struggle with anxiety lately and I gotta tell you... I'm right there with you!

Some days are awesome and I plow through my to-do list like nobodies business (for some reason, I've had a lot of those days lately and I'm almost scared to jinx it) but others see me slow to move with little desire to get out of bed and barely any motivation. I think on some level, even if we don't all struggle with anxiety, we all have days like this.

Yesterday I saw one of the ladies I love to follow on Insta-stories having a down day and I reached out to share something... I think now is the perfect time to share (with you too) a tip that has completely changed the way I deal with my most anxious days:

"the 1 - minute rule"

Although I'm not sure how I first discovered this 1-minute rule (it must have been an online article somewhere), putting it into practice has been life-changing for me!

The rule is simple. If something takes one minute (or less), do it right away. Don't make excuses and say, "That's such a little thing... I'll do it later." A few examples of tasks that take less than a minute: taking your vitamins, brushing your teeth, (if you're really fast) making your bed, picking up that little bit of trash you passed on the way up the stairs, straightening your couch cushions, picking up your shoes. What I've found, when I employ the one-minute rule during times of anxiety, is that building a pool of little accomplishments makes me feel capable and like I've been able to get something done. Sometimes this trickles over and I in-turn feel motivated to dig myself out of crippling anxiety and tackle bigger things. Sometimes I just pat myself on the back, glance at my space that's tidier and to-list that's shorter and allow myself to continue wallowing in the anxiety. Both are acceptable courses of action.

So, if you're feeling down or having a bad anxiety day, I challenge you to try the 1-minute rule and do all of the little tasks that you can which take a mere 60 seconds. I hope you'll be presently suprised to find that you feel a little better!

Hello! Hi! Since this year is shaping up to be about making big moves and trying things that are a bit different, I thought it was finally time to start moving on an idea I've been kicking around for YEARS. Reading is one of my most favorite pleasures in life! I find so much excitement reading jacket covers and adding books to my queue and, since this space is all about sharing the things that I love with you, I really want to share that passion here. I've reached out to women in my real (offline) life and the idea of starting some kind of feminist/female positive book club seems like something worth pursing!

Something you may not know about this year: I've been making a shift in the way that I work to be mostly freelance nowadays and I'm currently juggling FIVE jobs. My head is spinning just typing that sentence! What that means, for both this space and the time that I spend reading, is that I have considerably fewer man hours to get everything that I want to do accomplished. I'm penning fewer and fewer posts for Hazel + Scout. I'm flipping the pages of fewer and fewer books. If nothing else, this is a way to marry the two! Now I'll be reading for "work" (and, hopefully, getting some great content out of it) AND starting a conversation about a real hobby of mine (i.e. something offline that has nothing to do with the blog or bridal worlds) that allows me to indulge in it.

While the details are still shaping up, I wanted to let you know that it's finally officially happening! I'd love to hear what you want to get out of a book club and if you'd even want to take part. What books would you want to read? What format would you want these posts to take? Does the club deserve it's own Facebook group? Would a little blurb from me and an ongoing conversation in the comments section be easier? What do you think?

I'm including a few titles that I'd love to read with you below (so you can get a feel for what's to come) and I'll announce the first book next week (March 1). Until then, let me know! Can't wait to start reading with you.

images via doen

This post originally appeared on the Glitter Guide. Please see it in its original version here.

Freelancing as a viable career choice for creative women seems to have exploded over the last couple of years! With flexibility, the luxury to design your own dream position and the bonus of working from home as major benefits of the freelance life, women are working from home in droves. Right now, we’re seeing a huge shift in the way that we clock in, get important things done AND take home the bacon.

Because Glitter Guide has always been a place for creative ladies to congregate, where better to detail everything that goes into successfully working from home? Our contributor, Chelsea Jackson of Hazel + Scout, is here with seven tips for mastering a work-from-home career.

I started my freelancing journey a number of years ago. With a blog, an aspiring styling business and a ton of creative outlets under my belt, the transition seemed natural, but honestly, the learning curve was slow going. It took me years to find my footing in the competitive freelance world and it’s only in the last six months or so that I’ve really mastered the juggling act of being my own boss lady.

Because looking back is the best way to isolate your mistakes and plan for a better future (gotta love that hindsight, am I right?), I decided to glance back at all of my time spent figuring out the freelance hustle so that I could share some of my best tips with you.

1. Make A Plan.

Without a solid plan, you can’t expect yourself to follow through with all of the tasks on your to-do list. Make a plan (with details like exactly when and where you will finish each task) and stick to it. Is something unrealistic? Set a time when you will be able to do it and put it out of your mind for now.

2. Refocus Yourself.

The biggest thing I’ve learned from working at home is that you have to be your own task master and refocus often. Try setting an alarm to go off every hour at the same time. Check in with yourself and see whether or not the last hour was spent being productive. If it was, great! If not, something needs to change. Reevaluate your workflow each time you check in and tweak the things that just aren’t helping.

Is multitasking dragging you down? Discover 5 Ways Multitasking Is Hurting Your Motivation.

3. Rely On The Right Tools.

Every good freelancer has an arsenal of tools at her disposal. Knowing and using the best ones for your workflow is a key part of working from home! I personally love Asana for keeping track of projects (it’s even what we use at Glitter Guide!) and the Poketo Project Planner for laying everything out on paper. Get to know all of the features of your Gmail account (canned responses and sheets keep me going) and never discount good old paper and pencil.

Figuring out a system that works for you is the best way to get organized and get on track for success!

4. Have A Safety Net.

If you’re striking out on your own, it’s important to set aside a safety net of funds to help ease the transition or in case of emergency. Depending on your expenses and your unique household finances, the amount you’ll need can vary greatly. What’s most important is that you have a bit tucked away to get you through the time you’ll spend building your business and finding your niche. If you’re already an established freelancer, set some money aside for unforeseeable expenses. Your peace of mind will thank you!

5. Know When To Dream.

Approaching your freelance career with practicality is all well and good, but remember to dream big, too! By thinking outside the box and going out for projects that might seem larger than life, you’re making room for yourself to grow. Make big leaps of faith but divide the corresponding tasks into bite-sized pieces. This will help you balance the day to day while creating once-in-a-lifetime opportunities that reaffirm your decision to freelance.

Thinking of taking a big risk? Read on for 5 Ways You’ll Benefit From Going Outside Your Comfort Zone.

6. Increase Your Value.

Improving your skills is something you should always be building upon, but it’s extra important to grow your knowledge base as a freelancer. In an even more competitive work environment, it pays to flex your creative muscles! One of the most difficult tasks freelancers face is learning how valuable their time and skills are, so that they can price themselves fairly. Increasing your skill set will directly reflect itself in your billable value.

Places like Skillshare are a self-employed freelancer’s best friend!

7. You Can’t Do It All.

When you are working from home or for yourself, there’s so much to get done that sometimes you have to resign yourself to the fact that it won’t always be finished…and that’s OK! You can use all the apps for keeping you on task, pretty planners and to-lists you want, but at some point you’ll have to know when to step back and save things for tomorrow. A sane freelancer is a happy freelancer!