Howdy, friend!
1. How are you?! Is it feeling like fall where you’re at? It’s finally starting to dip under 100 here in Phoenix, so our mornings are becoming more bearable. Fall feels are creeping in, and I am so ready for it!
2. We had another cozy, homebody weekend! We binged The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives (love the drama, hate the husbands, lol), got brunch with friends, went thrifting, and spent some quality time with family.
3. Thrifting is my favorite way to get in the fall mood! I’ve been crushing the thrifting game lately and wanted to share my thrifting tips!
- Venture beyond Goodwill. Check out smaller, local thrift shops, especially religious thrift stores. I think they get the best donations!
- Hunt for high-quality fabrics. I’m always looking (and feeling) for linen, merino wool, silk and 100% cotton.
- Explore every section! Take your time and look through every section. Especially the mens section!
- Keep a thrift wishlist on your phone! Bonus points for having a “to thrift” Pinterest board with inspiration!
- Skip the basket. I swear grabbing a basket at the door jinxes the thrift experience, haha.
4. I created and shared 30 Reels in 30 days…
Why? I have been frustrated with Instagram. I felt I was trying too hard when creating videos, so, I decided to experiment with quantity over quality to see what would happen.
- I almost doubled my views! I got 4.1M views compared to 2.4M in the previous 30 days. It’s cool to have new eyes on my content, but it didn’t really convert to new followers.
- In fact, I lost followers during this time. I know I’m not alone in this—some people theorize it’s Meta removing bot accounts, but who knows? I’m trying not to take it personally because it’s not personal, but it does impact my job.
- It was hard. Posting a video a day for 30 days was tough. I felt burnt out. And some days, it felt cheap.
Will I do it again? Nope. It was too much. I felt like I was serving the algorithm rather than my community. Moving forward, I’m going back to focusing on quality over quantity, sticking to about three posts a week.
5. Out of the 30 videos I shared, these were my favorite:
- A vlog of what it was like to hike Angels Landing
- Making a camp cocktail with gorgeous Sedona views
- My favorite camp cooking hack
- A very realistic mountain biking vlog
My least favorite? This one right here.
6. I was chatting with a friend recently about how much energy to exert at work or school. She was advised to give only 80%, and I love that concept. I was really good at giving 80% (or 70%, haha) when I worked for others. But now that I’m self-employed, I fear I give 110% all the time.
So, can we all agree to aim for at least 80% at work? Let’s lower the bar a bit and use that extra energy to pursue passions outside of work!
7.
8. Kind of on the topic of thrifting, I recently rediscovered my love for eBay! I was eyeing a pair of gorgeous leather boots (originally $360), and I found them on eBay for just $100! They just arrived, and they’re practically brand new. I’m wearing them to a wedding this week!
9. Speaking of which, Dom and I are spending the week in Minnesota for a friend’s wedding. It’s a “more the merrier” vibe, and we’re camping! Yes, a camping wedding — how cool is that? I’m SO excited! ⛺️
10. Action item: Put something FUN on your calendar! Having something to look forward to in the near future is so good for your mental health. It doesn’t have to be anything big, just something that sparks joy and interest. Here are some ideas:
- Check out AllTrails and find a nearby trail you’ve been wanting to hike.
- Schedule lunch or dinner with a friend you haven’t seen in a while.
- Plan a fall camping trip. To make it official, reserve a spot on Recreation.gov or Hipcamp.
- Sign up for an art class through your city.
- Make sure you’re registered to vote so you can have your voice heard on election day!
- Plan a “sick” day from work. Maybe a Tuesday or Wednesday? Mental health days totally count!
Hope this inspires you to get intentional about scheduling joy in your week!
Sending love! Jacey
(and Kelso + Toasty 🐱)
Jacey Out West
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