It is the end of the month. Wow, August went by fast. Did it go fast for you too? August was a month of family birthdays and relaxation, enjoying the summer.

Ujima has been doing a lot of work behind the scenes but wanted to share some things we learned this month as we say goodbye to August.

ONE- Canva Mobile– Most of you most likely have heard of Canva where you create your own graphics for blogs, websites and more. Now they have released a mobile app. You can create on the go. I find it very useful because you don’t have to pull your laptop to create a super cool graphic that you need. I do admit it did take a minute to learn how to manipulate it because it is slightly different than the website. But now I use it with ease.
Let me know what you think about it.

TWO-Weekly Writing Themes– I have increased my writing to the Ujima website by creating themes to write about each week. I know this is not a new concept but because I have been doing more behind the scene work, I needed to find a way to make sure I was posting content to our site. This has increased my writing and I have a consistent schedule to follow. I hope you have found the information to be helpful. What is your writing schedule?

THREE- Working in my home office can be stifling at times. I have had a home office for 8 years since I started my business. I was on the go and it was a place I landed at the end of the day. I have been working at home in my office consistently for the last two months. I am not able to be as mobile right now, so I have been doing ALL my work from home. I realize I have to get out and see people and be around others because if not, I find myself not being as motivated or inspired. This will change but sometimes you have to make sacrifices and this is one of these times. This is why I appreciate friends who reach out to me for coffee and art dates. Thanks because it does help. If you work from home, how do you keep your creativity and motivation flowing? Let me know. I need some tips.

FOUR- Processes are important. Creating processes have made me see where growth is possible and when growth does occur, things will be in place for a someone to follow and understand the mission, vision, and workflow of the business. I like processes this is how I work the best. How have processes helped you and your business?

FIVE- Using my calendar and color blocking  keeps me on track. I now have a system that no matter what changes in my life, I have a place to put it on my schedule and I am not stressed. I have seriously implemented my daily schedule and I have been so much happier and less stressed about what needs to be done. When I don’t get everything done, at least I can see the task and make the decision on how to proceed.

So these are my lessons for August. Ujima is gearing up for September because we are very excited about our milestone of 8 years as a business in Austin. We will be celebrating all month and we hope you will celebrate with us.

#5things #ujimamagazine #onlinemagazine #magazinelife #collectivework #responsibility #endofmonth

Damita Miller-Shanklin