When it seems like there's constantly more things we need to make space for in our days, it pays to save time wherever you can. This is why I love keyboard shortcuts. I can easily navigate various digital actions without constantly jumping back and forth between my keyboard and mouse, and hardly ever touching that top menu.

Today I'm excited to share my must-have shortcuts with your digital life. A lot of these you might already be familiar with, but you may also find some gems here as well. That said, cheers to taking the easy way!

For the last couple weeks, I've been heads down grinding away at my Illustrator Essentials course (launching July 10th). As you know, I'm a huge advocate of balance in life and business, but even I can acknowledge that there's a time to hustle when things just need to get done. That said, I've found one thing is my saving grace when the deadlines and creative block come calling.

As creative folks and small business owners, we love what we do. As a result, it's hard to separate our work from our life, making it so easy to think that each to-do is make-or-break for our brands and any hiccups are the end of the world. When we're frustrated or blocked creatively, we spend hours banging our heads against a wall and trying to muscle through. But there's a better way.

I'm a firm believer in taking care of ourselves and avoiding the hustle-for-hustle's-sake culture that seems to be so prevalent in the business world these days. Hustle isn't a badge of honor, it's a means to an end.

I think we can all agree that now more than ever it's hard to find time for ourselves—whether that means getting your portfolio website up-to-date, finding the time to exercise, or making the time for that project you've been dreaming of starting. When our jobs and responsibilities and the world come knocking, our stuff gets pushed aside.

“I'll get to it next time,” you tell yourself. “Someday when I have more time.” But it never happens, does it?

One question I get constantly is how I come up with the color palettes for my branding projects. I find this to be amazing because it was only a few years ago that I really struggled with color, and found myself constantly scrolling enviously through the work of others I considered to be color masters.

Maybe you're in a similar position right now, hoping to really dial in that eye for color to take your brand or your own work to the next level. Either way, know that perfect palette is closer than you think. So let's break this color thing down, shall we?

We start our days and our projects with the best of intentions. As creatives, it's easy to let our imaginations run away with us—visualizing our ideal scenario and just how amazing it could all be. But not every experience will be stars across the board.

I've experienced this quite a few times with projects (even recently), and thought I'd shed some light on what I've learned from these bumps in the road.

As an introvert, networking events have always been the stuff of nightmares for me. I'm terrible with remembering the names of people I just met because I'm way too worried about having something to talk about next and—wait—is there something in my teeth? I've always hated the small talk and business jargon, and to be perfectly honest approaching random people just stresses me out.

Pushy sales tactics and a heap of business cards from momentary encounters put a bad taste in my mouth, not to mention the multitude of meaningless LinkedIn requests afterward that no one ever follows up. I never thought I'd be good at networking, and according to my understanding of what “networking” was, I didn't want to be.

When folks sign up for my branding newsletter, the first thing I ask is “what are you struggling with in your brand?” When I first created my newsletter, I expected the answers to be all over the place and while there's been a decent variety, over time I've noticed a trend.

Consistency is tough for all of us

It seems like so many of you struggle with being consistent in your brands. I totally get it. Consistency is a complex, relentless beast.

You've got all these ideas, but you don't know where to start. There are so many responsibilities, distractions, and “shoulds” pulling at you every second of every day. Sometimes you just can't find your groove. And on top of all that, you can't help nitpicking at your own brand as it starts to feel lackluster and stale.

So how in the heck are you supposed to be consistent with the weight of all this dragging you down? I wish I could tell you there's some magic formula, and while I can provide a guide I can't promise you it will be easy. But sometimes a shot of honesty and insight is just what you need to get your head right and find your focus.

So with that in mind, these are the steps that help me be more consistent. I hope they can do the same for you!

Last week I had the pleasure of joining Lauren of Elle & Company to chat about the importance of brand guidelines (you can tune into the webinar replay if you missed us live), and had an absolute blast! Anywho, to kick off the conversation Lauren asked me a few questions, the last of which was “what's one thing most people don't know about you?”

My answer for that, friends, was that I absolutely love hot yoga. This is something that people who don't know me personally might not be aware of, but the pursuit of wellness is a big deal in my world. The folks tuning into the webinar mentioned they really liked hearing about my yoga journey, so I thought I'd take some time here to dig in deeper.

I dabbled in yoga a few years back, but didn't seriously commit to my practice until around the time that I started my business. The studio I now belong to in West Chester specializes in Ghosh and Bikram hatha yoga (it's around 100 degrees in these classes), and I cannot get enough! Today I'm actually wrapping up the studio's February challenge of 30 practices in 28 days, and though it's been a huge commitment I'm feeling stronger than ever!

As I reflect on the impact consistently practicing yoga has had on me (beyond physical strength) in the last year, I realize it's taught me aton about myself and balancing my work with life. Today I'm excited to share these insights with you in the hopes they'll bring new perspective to your own journey in life and business.