A slightly more personal story this time. But really: after thirteen years of Hugs & Things, it’s hard to pretend there’s a professional management team working behind the scenes. I am Hugs & Things. And now that the business is changing so much with Hugs & Things 2.0, I’m realizing that maybe I need to change a little too.
I think I’ve already announced a few times over the past years that I was going to take it a lot easier.
Really.
For real this time.
Time to hit the brakes.
😬
The last time I said that so emphatically was when I discovered in late 2025 that I have Hashimoto’s disease. Suddenly, there was an explanation for a whole lot of things, and it also became clear that constantly pushing past my limits might not be the best plan.
So I decided to pay more attention to my energy.
There was just one small problem: Hugs & Things stayed exactly the same business.
The same huge range, the same amount of stock, and the same dozens of little things that had to get done each day.
So I was basically trying to keep doing the same work in the same way, but with the intention of getting less tired.
Surprisingly, that didn’t work. 😂
Oops
Last week, I was confronted with that pretty harshly…
After months of Hugs & Things 2.0, a huge sale, and a warehouse turned completely upside down, with one heatwave after another on top of that, it turned out I’d pushed myself far beyond my limits without even realizing it. I thought: I can handle that easily!
But then I suddenly started making lots of mistakes. I forgot things, mixed things up, and lost track of everything.
And maybe what I dislike most about pushing myself for too long is not even getting tired, but that ultimately my work doesn’t get any better.
So from now on, I really want to step in sooner. Not wait to rest until I really can’t go on, but stop in time when I notice my head starting to feel full. That way, I can keep doing my work well and with focus.
And then I went camping alone in South Limburg for four days.
My rather unusual way of resting
In the four days I’ve been here, I’ve walked 22 kilometers, run 7 kilometers, and cycled 76 kilometers.
I’m really super good at taking it easy. 😂
But the weird thing is: I already feel so much better!
And it’s taught me something important.
A few weeks ago, at 43, I was diagnosed with both autism and ADHD: AuDHD. Since then, quite a few things have fallen into place, including how I work.
Apparently, taking it easy doesn’t necessarily make me feel calm at all doing.
What makes my mind especially tired is having to constantly switch gears.
On an average workday, I might be working on an order, reply to an email in between, adjust something in the inventory, get a message, need to look something up for a supplier, go back to that order, remember that another product needs updating, and then completely forget what I was working on in the first place.
On a day like that, my mind races down all kinds of side paths and back again, and sometimes it drops something along the way…
And “just leave that email until tomorrow” unfortunately isn’t a magical solution for me either. I can only let it go once I’ve replied.
At the campsite, I did a lot more physically, but my days were simple. Walking was walking. Cycling was cycling. And afterward, I’d sit in front of my tent in my slippers with a book in my hands, and I was done for the day.
It turns out that switching tasks less is a pretty effective way to give my mind some peace.
And suddenly I understand Hugs & Things 2.0 even better.
Because without consciously planning it, over the past few months I’ve actually been building a business that suits me better.
Fewer colors. A smaller selection. Fewer exceptions. A more organized warehouse. More structure.
Less noise.
And now that the huge clearance sale is almost over (more on that later), I also want to give myself some time to settle into it.
Not immediately filling all that newfound space with fifteen new projects, tempting as that plan may be to my ADHD. 😬
First, I’ll see what it’s like to work with Hugs & Things 2.0. Where does things feel calmer? Where do I still get stuck? What could be done more efficiently? What don’t I actually need to do myself at all?
Because after thirteen years, it’s okay for my own role within Hugs & Things to change a little, too.
For a long time, I’ve done almost everything myself. But that doesn’t automatically mean I have to keep doing that for the next thirteen years, too. I’m going to delegate tasks that someone else can easily handle, so my own workdays have more peace and structure.
And I’m going to be more intentional about how I spend my own time.
For example, I won’t be creating custom designs on request anymore. I always really enjoyed doing that, but it simply no longer fits the scale Hugs & Things has reached.
Fortunately, my creativity isn’t going away with this. Quite the opposite: there will be more inspiration pages, design examples, color combinations, and other ideas that everyone can use.
Only: not all tomorrow. 😉
I want to give myself a little time to find my feet with the new product range, the new warehouse, and all the new insights into how my own mind actually works.
And no: please don’t stop ordering!
Because after all that, I do want to make one thing absolutely clear.
I’m still incredibly happy with every order that comes in.
Hugs & Things is growing, and that’s not a problem to be solved. It’s fantastic!
What does need to grow along with it is the way I organize my business.
I don’t want more orders to automatically mean that I have to work harder, longer, and more chaotically. I want Hugs & Things to be organized in a way that keeps that fantastic growth manageable.
With an organized product range. Good systems. Help where it’s needed. Clearer choices about what I do and don’t do myself. And workdays where I don’t constantly have to jump from one extreme to the other.
So I can use my energy for the things I’m good at and that I think make Hugs & Things most fun: coming up with new ideas, buying stock, taking photos, making improvements, and creating something lovely time and again.
So I absolutely don’t want to become less enthusiastic about my business.
I want to make sure I have enough energy left to stay enthusiastic.
And maybe that sometimes means going home earlier. Taking an extra day off. Or deciding that something doesn’t have to be done today if I can feel my mind is done.
Not because I care any less about my business or my customers, but precisely because I’ve seen what happens when I keep going for too long: I start making mistakes. And in the end, that helps absolutely no one.
So that, too, will become part of Hugs & Things 2.0.
Not just saying for the umpteenth time that I need to hit the brakes, but making sure I actually can by taking a quieter road.
I’ll be home tomorrow. On Monday, I’ll work for a few hours and take care of what really needs doing, then I’ll tack on a few more vacation days.
Then I’ll be back. From August 17, I’ll be ready for you again, recharged.
Probably not right away as a fully optimized Hugs & Things 2.0 version of myself. I think I’ll really need some time to find my feet, too. (After 13 years of trying to squeeze more hours into a workday.)
But with a much better idea of what I need to keep running this business with a lot of joy for a long time to come.
Hugs & Things 2.0 shouldn’t just be a more beautiful, more organized business. It should also be a business that suits me.
And strangely enough, I was already well on my way with that before I understood why. ❤️