This week did not go according to plan.
At all.
Between:
- traveling for a concert
- getting pink eye
- dealing with exhaustion
- preparing to potentially host a birthday party
- worrying about my dog
- thunderstorms
- cleaning my entire downstairs
- and falling behind on my writing goals…
it felt like life hit the fast-forward button and forgot to warn me first.
And yet somehow, in the middle of all of the chaos, I think I needed this reset more than I realized.
🎶 Traveling to See Electric Callboy
At the beginning of the week, we drove all the way to Greensboro to see Electric Callboy in concert.
The show was incredible.
The energy was insane, the performance was amazing, and it was one of those experiences where you leave feeling both exhausted and completely alive.
The only downside?
Driving all the way there… and then immediately driving all the way back home afterward.
It completely wiped me out.
👁 What I Thought Were Allergies… Was Pink Eye
In my previous vlog, I kept talking about how bad my allergies were.
Turns out:
✨ it was not allergies.
✨ it was pink eye.
Which explains a lot.
My eyes were watering nonstop, my eyes were crusty, and by the end of it, I had to throw away basically every makeup product that had touched my face during the contagious phase.
And let me tell you:
throwing away favorite makeup products is emotionally devastating.
Especially when you’re staring at half-used products thinking:
“We weren’t done.”
🐶 Meanwhile… My Dog Needed Vet Care Too
Because apparently the universe decided chaos wasn’t complete enough yet, Scout developed a cyst on her leg that needed treatment.
So on top of:
- traveling
- being sick
- trying to write
- and resetting my house…
I was also:
- spraying antibacterial medication multiple times a day
- scheduling follow-up appointments
- and trying not to spiral over my poor dog looking miserable
It genuinely felt like everyone in the house was falling apart at the same time.
🧹 Why Writing Wasn’t the Priority This Week
Usually in my writing vlogs, the goal is always:
✨ get words written
✨ hit the daily word count
✨ make progress on Project Ember
But this week the goal was survival.
And cleaning.
Because sometimes life gets chaotic enough that your creative goals need to temporarily step aside while you reset your environment and your brain.
I had:
- guests potentially coming over
- a birthday celebration to prepare for
- dishes piled up
- clutter everywhere
- and a house that desperately needed attention
So instead of forcing myself to chase 2,000 words immediately, I chose to focus on getting my space back under control first.
I think that was the right decision.
🌸 Introvert Recovery Mode
One thing I realized this week is just how overstimulated I was after all the travel and social interaction.
As an introvert, there’s a certain point where your brain just goes:
“Please stop talking to me.”
So while I cleaned, I threw on Bambi in the background.
Not because I needed to actively watch it, but because I needed something soft and comforting that didn’t demand anything from me emotionally.
Just:
- pretty music
- calming visuals
- and quiet energy while I reset my space
That kind of cozy recovery day can be incredibly healing.
✨ Deep Cleaning as a Mental Reset
I spent about an hour:
- doing dishes
- cleaning the kitchen
- sanitizing the bathroom
- resetting the living room
- and slowly trying to calm the chaos around me
And something about cleaning after a chaotic week always feels symbolic to me.
Like you’re not just cleaning your house.
You’re clearing mental clutter too.
By the time I finished, I felt so much lighter.
Not perfectly productive.
Not magically cured.
But calmer.
And sometimes that’s enough.
🎀 My Disney Tennis Dresses Arrived
In the middle of cleaning, I got surprised with a package:
Disney tennis dresses. ✨
And listen…
I am OBSESSED.
I ordered them because we’re going on a Disney cruise later this year, and I wanted cute, comfortable outfits for the trip.
The dresses had:
- retro Mickey prints
- built-in shorts
- pockets (!!)
- soft material
- and the cutest nostalgic Disney vibes
Which honestly brought me so much joy after such a chaotic couple of weeks.
Sometimes tiny things really do help.
✍️ Writing Update: Only 400 Words
After all the cleaning and reorganizing, I finally sat down to write.
And I only wrote about 400 words.
Which is far below my usual:
✨ 2,000 word daily goal
I’m trying not to beat myself up over it.
Because this week was weird.
And I think there’s something important about learning how to recognize the difference between laziness and genuine exhaustion.
This wasn’t me avoiding my work.
This was me trying to recover physically, mentally, emotionally, and creatively all at once.
🌧 Why Travel Always Throws Off My Routine
One thing I noticed this week is how much traveling disrupts my rhythm.
Even fun travel.
Even exciting experiences.
When I get home after being away, I always feel like I need:
- a reset day
- a deep clean
- a quiet morning
- and some time to settle back into myself again
I don’t think productivity has to look perfectly linear all the time.
📖 Act III of Project Ember Is Taking Longer Than Expected
I’ll be honest.
Act III is humbling me.
According to my original timeline?
Draft 2 should technically already be finished.
But between:
- illness
- rewrites
- emotional character arcs
- and just life happening…
everything has shifted.
So after this vlog, I sat down to start reorganizing all of my deadlines inside monday.com and recalculating my projected finish date.
That’s part of the process too.
🎨 Why I Actually Love Editing
One thing I’m surprisingly excited about is the editing phase.
I know a lot of writers dread edits…
But I genuinely love them.
Drafting feels like:
- sketching shapes
- outlining trees
- roughly painting the canvas
Editing is where the art really comes alive.
That’s where:
- emotional depth sharpens
- scenes become richer
- lines get twisted into something unique
- and the story transforms into what it was always meant to be
I even intentionally leave little “treasures” for myself in early drafts—placeholder phrases or clichés that trigger bigger, better ideas later during edits.
That process feels magical to me.
🌸 Learning to Pivot Instead of Panic
If this week taught me anything, it’s this:
✨ Sometimes you don’t need to panic.
✨ Sometimes you just need to pivot.
Not every week will be:
- hyper productive
- aesthetically perfect
- creatively flowing
- or perfectly on schedule
Sometimes life gets messy.
Sometimes your plans shift.
Sometimes your timeline changes.
And that does not mean you failed.
It just means you’re human.
💖 For Anyone Feeling Behind Right Now…
If you’ve had a chaotic week lately, this is your reminder:
You are allowed to:
- rest
- reset your home
- adjust your goals
- change your timeline
- recover from sickness
- and start again next week
Progress isn’t ruined by one difficult season.
Sometimes the most productive thing you can do is simply:
✨ take care of yourself and begin again. ✨
That’s exactly what I’m trying to do right now. 💖
