Hi.
It is a new month. I have high hopes and big plans for October, though I will say a lot will ride on whether G continues to sleep better. I just know that once I am getting 7+ hours of uninterrupted sleep on a regular basis everything — everything — will be easier! And we are close.
(Though for the record, not last night. Unfortunately.)
One thing I would like to accomplish is the aforementioned upgrade to this site, and perhaps some renewed attention to it overall. The upgrade is not inexpensive, and while I make a bit of money from the SheKnows/BlogHer sidebar to your right, it would take ~9 months of earnings at my current rate to cover the upgrade fees. I am thinking about shifting to a new ad network, but the one I have my eye on requires at least 25,000 sessions/month and I’m not quiiiiiiite there. As it stands currently, The SHU Box receives about ~50,000 pageviews/month and just under 20,000 “sessions”. Close, but not there.
I like to think that the writing on this site is solid, and my dedication over time is certainly there (!). I also feel that I offer a bit more honesty than your typical curated lifestyle blog or how-to site these days. As you all have recently seen, that isn’t always a straightforward path to take, but I have always enjoyed sharing here and 99% of the time, the comments and notes I receive from the audience are incredibly insightful and helpful to me.
Anyway, I’d like to open it up for suggestions today. What kinds of posts would you like to see this month? Questions to answer? I am going to do a weekly planner review post from Oct – Nov (I have several lovely samples I need to share with the world!) and as always, I will share family antics and #goals and book recommendations.
23 Comments
I view your blogs through feedly, but actually clicked over to the site today to say that your blog is one of the few I still read thanks to your honesty and relatability (fellow career-minded working mom of three here!) I would love to figure out how to better plan our weekends like you guys do, so maybe a post on how to make planning more approachable? It seems like it’s so ingrained in your day-to-day life but for those of us who want to get there, where do we start?
I love this idea!
I’ve read your blog on and off over the past couple years (I found you through LV blog) but I started reading regularly around the time you got pregnant with G. (she’s darling!). I’m interested in your planning process. Not just the planners you use but how you do you weekly, monthly planning. (I’d love to read your book on the topic once you write it!). Thanks.
AWESOME, because I still really want to write it!!!
Would love to hear about how your prioritize personal goals during this season. I have an almost 4 year old and 1 year old and time to myself is limited. I sometimes get overwhelmed with all the things I WANT to do. The list is much too long for my current reality! Would love to hear how you make time and execute your personal goals.
Thanks Rebecca! I don’t set the bar super high, but I am also not willing to martyr my way through these years and totally lose myself, either. Prioritizing and unapologetically going for the things that feel important seems to be my M.O. lately.
A post on how to make friends! I remember when you first moved to Miami Beach you said it was a bit of a struggle, and now it seems like you have a great social life so I’m wondering how you made that happen 🙂
Also, I always love more book review posts.
Oh man – it took a solid 4-5 years!!! We have connected with some wonderful friends many with kids similar in ages to ours, and it’s been great.
Book reviews – yes I need to get back to the monthly round ups!
I am a faithful reader mostly to keep up on you all from afar! I love that we have kids in the same stages.
Like others I use Feedly to read posts but more often than not I click over to comment. Does that affect your stats?
Do you have any tips on how to focus at work? It seems like you do a really good job of dropping the home role and diving into the doctor role at work. Maybe that is because you have to be so present with your patients and coworkers in a way that I don’t, especially on my days in the lab when I’m reading and writing rather than doing experiments. I often "home from work" in terms of scheduling activities/sitters, researching vacations, etc, and I want to get away from doing that.
"Home from Work" – oh, it happens to me, too. But generally just quick logistical things.
I think it does come down to engagement. I’m also too frantically busy lately (due to residency stuff and all the PUMPING) to spend much time drifting at work.
"I also feel that I offer a bit more honesty than your typical curated lifestyle blog or how-to site these days." – Yes! I love your blog and found you through the podcast which I found through Laura Vanderkam. I check it often! My 2nd child was born 3 weeks after Genevieve so your posts and my life have had lots of parallels this year!
How do you make friends with other families? Mixing kids into your social life when families around you are so busy…
School! Having families over for playdates. Hosting random Sunday dinner parties while kids play. Definitely harder with really small kids!!
Med student here, no spouse, no kids, BUT I love all things planning and life balance! Your blog is awesome and you”re the reason I am a Hobonichi devotee (and turned three people in my lab onto it!!)
I would love love love to hear your thoughts on books, any quick meals that you like, and workouts :). It”s always fun to see someone on the adulthood side of medical training (as a MS2/3 doing some research in between, i feel like I”m a toddler med student confined to a playpen)
Hi Sarah! Have you thought about affiliate links… even just for books? There”s a fine line (I”ve stopped reading some blogs bc they are now one big Amazon ad!) but I don”t think you”d overdo it. And you legitimately do help your readers find new books so you might as well benefit. Just a thought.
Another Feedly reader here. I rarely comment, so I never really gave much thought about how my use of Feedly is affecting bloggers’ stats. Yours is one of the few blogs I still read, and it’s because you are so honest and real. As a fellow full time working mom of 3, I really appreciate your content. I will make an effort to click over when I see your posts now 🙂 Thank you for your writing!
Resisting the temptation to buy a new planner/notebook until I get your reviews!!
I’d love to read your thoughts on the Six Sigma training you mentioned earlier, and process methods in general. Can’t wait to see your new site design!
Short answer is I thought it was fascinating!! It was a combo lean / six sigma course. Yes I’d like to do a post thinking about how to apply some of these methods to both work + life!
Love your blog! I”ve gotten multiple book recommendations, most recently, “This is How It Always Is”. One thing I miss? Your meal planning and dinners. I just had my third and would love to see how you are managing and planning meals/food. Thanks for continuing to share!
You hit the nail on the head when you said you offer a bit more than the curated lifestyle blog. That”s exactly why I keep reading here! I also love getting a glimpse into your day to day – I”m currently a working Mom of two (and would love a third, just not yet 😉). I also LOVE all the “planning” you document. I”m a planner but your planning takes things to a whole new level and it”s so motivating.
I will say, I normally read via Feedly (unless commenting) and as a result I never “hit” your site. Just wondering if your page views may actually be much larger but a portion are lost that way.
possibly! I don’t want to force people to click through though b/c I’ve always found it annoying on other blogs 🙂
I also read your site via a feed service (Netvibes) Not sure how that affects your stats? I often click through to your main site though, especially for a longer post, as the formating is better. However (and I have no idea how all this works) some blogs I can see in their entirety via Netvibes and some I can only see a blurb and then HAVE to click through to read the full blog. Yours is one of the latter, so I can read it all without clicking over if I want. If there’s some setting on your end that only allows the blurb to post to feed readers, you might get far more people clicking through to your full site. I know I would!