Five Things In October 2021

I can't believe I'm actually sitting down to write my Five Things in October already. Like, didn't I just do this for August last week?! But, here we are again, and I'm excited to share the little things that brought me joy in October.

October was kinda busy for me, and I'd even say a bit overwhelming. So, I decided to make a schedule to balance my business and freelancing. Honestly, time management has become my new BFF. And girl, I love my schedule! It's letting me have some fun in between all the chaos.

Five things that made happy in October:

Focus mode on iPhone

Okay, I'm not one to go deep into my phone settings or whatever, but when I upgraded from iOS 13 to iOS 15, I got a little curious. That's when I found the Focus feature, and OMG, it's a lifesaver!

I started off just playing around with it, setting up "Personal" mode, and let me tell you, having some distraction-free time felt AMAZING. Then I figured, why not create a "Work" mode because, ugh, I hate being interrupted while working on my phone. 

Now, I've got four Focus modes:

• "Do Not Disturb" for when I just need to disappear.
• "Personal" so I can chat with fam and friends without thinking about work.
• "Work" mode to keep me in the zone without annoying notifications.
• "Fitness" because, like, nobody needs to bother me when I’m working out.

I should've upgraded sooner because this feature is making life sooo much easier. We get way too many notifications we don't need to see right away, so it's been great to focus on what really matters.

New blog, who dis?!

If you've been around here, you might've noticed some BIG changes. Yup, I gave my blog a major makeover, and honestly, it's such a relief.

My old theme? Loved it, but it just wasn't doing it for me anymore. Plus, I kept having issues with it for, like, weeks. After emailing my designer back and forth (she's super helpful though), I decided it was time for a change, and I didn't even second guess it.

Now, I'm obsessed with this new, simple theme. It was only 9 bucks (can you believe it?!). Sure, it's not as fancy as the last one, but I'm all about clean and minimal these days. What do you think of the new look? Let me know!

October bullet journal flip through

October's bullet journal theme was totally inspired by saraah.journaling on Instagram, and the colors? Pure autumn vibes. These shades just speak to me – they're all my faves.

I even added a new habit tracker for no-ramen (yes, because I'm way too addicted to spicy Korean ramen, lol). It was a good reminder to cut back a little. For my first attempt, I think I did okay. Emotionally, though? I was a bit of a mess, but hey, we're all good now.

Spending-wise, I could've done better, but it was mostly groceries and first-time buys, so I'm still sticking to my low-buy goals. I just hope I didn't burn too much midnight oil and got enough sleep.

Also, I'm loving my new content planner spread! It's been helping me stay organized and stress-free, which is super important when you're a content creator. I honestly don't know why I didn't do this sooner. And I’m obsessed with the boxed weekly spread – it's clean, organized, and just so satisfying. Do you prefer a boxed weekly spread too?

Sisters & Brushes hit 600 followers! + giveaway

After four months of rebranding and relaunching, Sisters & Brushes hit 600 followers on Instagram! I figured this was the perfect time to host a giveaway. It's my first time ever, and I'm loving it!

I can't believe our rebrand actually worked and didn't flop, haha. It honestly feels like a dream come true. Huge shoutout to everyone who's supported us and made this possible. We're just getting started and can't wait to grow even more!

Instagram's new link sticker

Umm, hello, Instagram finally listened to us! Can you believe it?!

I've been wanting the "Swipe Up" feature forever, but with less than 10K followers, it was always out of reach. But now? Anyone can add a link to their stories, no matter the follower count. I was beyond excited when this dropped. It's a total game-changer for nano and micro creators like me. I'm literally obsessed!

What's something that brought you joy in October?