Autumn planning ... a new home office, life coaching update and looking after me!

Hi!  I am slowly getting back into a routine after the summer break!  You may have seen 'being fifty and fab ... this summer' where I touched on what I have been up to during the holidays.  In this post I wanted to share my new home office and more about my autumn planning, with help from the lovely life and mindset coach, Siân Winslade!  I love a bit of planning this time of the year, much more so than new year resolutions!  It is a habit that I started once I had my children and after the summer holidays, September felt like a new year, new start.

I have moved my 'blogging' into a new home office, I decided to separate home and blog and Fifty & Fab is now based in the log cabin in my garden.  Following on from my coaching with Siân, I realised that a lot of my overwhelm was due to my crowded office in the house, and no separation between 'home' and 'work'. 

My log cabin home office in my garden!

My new home office

We built the log cabin about 8 years ago I think, originally as office space for my husbands business, then when he expanded and moved his office, I took it over for storage and my gym!  And of course home offices have become so much more popular since lockdowns, I am not a big fan of working from home however, I wrote about it here.

During my blogging break this summer, I reflected on my life coaching sessions with Siân and I knew I needed to move my blog more into a 'small business' structure and away from 'just a hobby'.  Which meant getting better organised.  And I realised that having my blogging paraphernalia in my office in the house was too overwhelming.  I couldn't see the wood for the trees!  I was constantly swapping from work to personal and back again.

So I now have a completely separate work space and I can spread myself out and I can clearly see what needs doing.  And when I come to work I can focus on just work.

Below:  2021-22 Academic Diary, pink faux flower (similar here), Pip Studio Small Mug from a selection.

I love my view across the garden from my log cabin office, it feels so peaceful

Siân Winslade Mindset Coach

I really enjoyed working with Siân earlier this summer - don't miss by previous blog post 'What does a Life Coach do?'.  But the benefits have continued too and I have used what we talked about to improve my lifestyle further.

I asked Siân how she ended up becoming a Life Coach, I wanted to learn more about her, I love hearing from women who have retrained in midlife and taken a brave step! 

Siân explained that she has always loved self-help books, even as young as age 17, she would read self-help books and never fiction!  She said she has a natural curiosity to help and was also inspired by her mother who was always helping others and volunteering.

Siân originally trained as a teacher and ended up teaching full time in an inner city primary school with SEMH children who had all been excluded from mainstream school, she did that for 14 years but it was at huge personal cost and the stress could be overwhelming.  Eventually it lead to a breakdown and she had to walk away and focus on her own health.

Siân has two daughters and sadly she went through two very difficult marriage breakdowns and had a tough time as a single mother, her younger daughter has significant hearing loss and special needs. Although recently she achieved passing her driving test with a little help from Siân and mindset exercises!

But eventually Siân learnt to 'design a life she loved' and she was able to do lots of travelling, create her independence and financial freedom and start her own business.  

Initially this was an organising business but lockdown resulted in too many limitations so Siân took the opportunity to focus solely on her life coaching.  She was inspired to help others get out of their own head and thoughts and have a better life, like she has done for herself.

Siân is also volunteering her skills to help at two charities.  One is for women that have gone through severe hardship and Siân offers them face to face coaching in the Greater Manchester area to support them to feel empowered and create the life they want.  Siân also works with one of the UK's largest charities coaching men and women online.

I did have to ask Siân how on earth she does it all?!  Working full time, young children, studying for her Masters degree ...?!  She said she had to be meticulously organised and plan and multi-task!   She also needed to be good at creating boundaries, switching off and taking time out.  

Siân is a huge fan of meditation, journalling and regular exercise.   Her daughters are almost grown-up and more independent, she has a wonderful new relationship and is loving her new business.  She is passionate about helping others and it shows, she is lovely to talk to and really supportive.  It felt like she had been sent to me to help me find the next step in my midlife journey.

​Siân offers a FREE discovery call for you to see if life coaching is right for you and if Siân is the right coach too!  Plus Siân has some really affordable packages if you want to try coaching yourself - please visit Siân Winslade Mindset Coach to find out more.  And don't forget to mention Fifty & Fab.

Me and Bonnie! See 'Shop my Look' for details of my dress

What life coaching helped me achieve

• I now have a more organised blogging schedule where I recognise the importance of planning and time blocking, I use the pomodoro method when I am particularly busy.
• I have invested some time and money in extra training, I recently booked a power hour with a video specialist so I could learn how to edit my own videos, I also love being a member of Hobby to Heyday from Top Blog Coaching.  
• ​I have a separate work space away from my house so I only focus on one thing at a time.
• I acknowledge that I love writing and sharing my lifestyle, I hope that some of what I do will help and inspire someone else.  Writing is my little creative outlet!
• I am learning not to care what others think!
• I love keeping a gratitude journal to help me remember there are good things in every day!
• Fitness is still something I am working on but I recognise that it is not a priority for me and that just moving more is enough for now.
• Having a more organised daily routine will stop me just muddling through and help me to create more time for my own wellbeing.​

New shelves in my log cabin office for my gifted items and all the admin files, plus space to relax if I want to!

It is really important to me that my blog remains real, authentic, genuine and a good representation of me and my life.  I love working with brands especially small businesses and women in business but equally I love sharing things I have done that will help other women in their 50's and 60's to 'design a life they love' too.

I was a full time mum and then I worked in my husbands business, but my blog is just for me!

If you are a regular reader, thank you for being here and reading my ramblings, if you are a new reader then I am so pleased you found me, I hope you like my blog so far!

September has seen my daughter return to university for her final year, I hope it will be a less interrupted year for everyone, and I hope we can travel again, we really need to see family and loved ones as well as getting a holiday in the sun!

And I have an exciting project coming up!  Part blog/part personal but Charlotte Minshell from Minshell Designs got in touch with me about working together and I am planning a little upgrade to my home using Charlotte to help me with the interior design!  We are currently chatting about the initial design ideas and budget but watch this space, I will be documenting how I get on with 'before' and 'after' photos and a goal to find out if interior design is just for the wealthy or if it is more accessible than we think!

What are your plans for the autumn?

Love from
Michelle xx
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Disclaimer: this is a collaborative blog post with Siân Winslade, Mindset Coach.  Some of my links are affiliate links.

The log cabin office has evolved since we first built it but I am very happy with my space, my gym equipment is in the corner (out of shot)!

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Other blogs I link up with:

Is This Mutton
#WowOnWednesday 

​Mummabstylish
#Chic&Stylish

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