Within These Walls

Wow! And just like that Q1 is over! That is right Q1 of Y1 is done. I am catching my breath. It has been a whirlwind navigating the start of this business. We launched our social media platform, our podcast & our newsletter all in Q1.

Wait, Q1? What do you mean? Well traditionally the year is split into 4 Quarters and Q1 refers to the first quarter. In most business this is January, February and March. Though in the healthcare sector it can be July, August & September. See the quarters refer to the fiscal year which are dictated by the fiscal closing of and opening of a new year. While a company can pick any month to hard close their books most stick to the calendar year and once the decision is made they rarely change this sequence, as that takes an incredible amount of explaining to the auditors.

In my previous life as a healthcare VP these quarters dictated my life in many ways. While I am no longer beholden to the numbers that are generated quarterly, the habits are sticking around. What I really like about quarterly analysis is it gives you time to reflect, adjust and grow. What do I mean. Well, I can take a look back relatively recently and see what worked, what did not, and what I learned. I can also goal set for the upcoming quarter. This works in business and in life.

I will be reviewing more about how I take advantage of quarterly analysis in April.

When I reflect on March, I see we had a large growth period and learning curve. Different from just new technologies. First, our family had adjustment periods as my son is starting to figure out his nap schedule and sleep through the night (finally)! We also realized we needed a new mattress (I will be doing a full vetting of mattresses and our ultimate decision soon). And I did the longest stint so far, solo parenting while Ray was tied up with work travel.

All of these did put pressure on my time to fulfill my obligations that I have created with this business. So, just like we all do, I did what I could when I could. And you know what? We made it to April!

And now I am more excited than ever to keep writing on the blog and getting started on some projects I will be planning and completing around the house, throughout this month and in Q2. While sharing all the steps here and on the Instagram feed @longtaillane.

The first large push is to spend some time organizing. I find a holiday or hosting is a great motivator and will be using our annual Easter Egg Hunt to facilitate. Keep a look out for Easter basket inspiration and table scaping (a true joy of mine). I love Jaime Oliver’s Lamb recipe and will be trying out a new dessert recipe this year for a twist!

A large project I hope to have completed by the end of the month is the painting of my office and new podcast recording studio! We are recording and working on publishing more episodes of This is Difficult and are looking forward to having a great new space!

April also brings some better weather and I will be taking full advantage of the warmer days. Meaning longer walks and more time in the garden! I am hoping to restore one of our ponds this summer!

Q2 is here and I am ready for all of the excitement that both a new season and a new project have for us Within these Walls! Follow us on Instagram & on Pintrest to see all of our upcoming design inspiration.

Until next month,