This is taken from my bi-weekly newsletter which hits inboxes every other Monday morning. At the beginning of each month, I add in an Editor’s letter which you can read below and check out the other elements you can find in my weekly newsletters.
If you would like to subscribe to my weekly email newsletter, please click here.
Monday 5th February 2024
We did it! We made it through January. Usually this would be the point where we can look forward to a short month to balance it out, but we’ve got a leap year in 2024.
So, you can make the most of this extra day to work a little further towards your goals. Or, you can use this as a free-pass day and do absolutely nothing, completely up to you.
January was a busy month. I spent the start of the year in New York and Nashville as you most likely know, then a week back in Ireland for family reasons and have had my head stuck in work for the remainder of the month.
I had quite a few small wins in January. I surpassed 1,000 followers on Instagram which I thought would never happen as I haven’t put much love into it over the years and always felt quite lost with it. I ran for 25 minutes without stopping, my longest running time yet. If you don’t know, I’m doing the Couch to 5K program and taking it more seriously this year in order to complete it.
Let’s chat about Instagram for a quick minute though. I’ve never had any direction with my Orlagh Claire account as my blog has always focused on a mix of everything from career to PR to travel to music to books. I would show up just as often as I disappeared.
However, I’ve made the decision to make my channels more travel focused. You’ll notice that I’ve been going on a lot of trips in the last two years and documenting these. I’m travel-obsessed and in the future, I would love to be a full time travel content creator. There, I said it, I’m manifesting it.
So I set myself the challenge to start posting an IG Reel, a TikTok and YouTube Short every day and I’ve been sticking to it. One of these IG Reels happened to take off and hit 1 million views, earning me 900 new followers so far.
My mind has been blown that one video could have that effect, and I haven’t noticed any real progress on the other two channels, but I’m continuing to post and see what happens. Because nothing will happen if I don’t post.
Other than social media goals, February is going to be a very important month for us in London. I’ll be able to tell you more in next month’s email newsletter and you’ll be the very first to know some big news that I’ve been keeping to myself for quite some time now.
So keep your eyes peeled for next month’s newsletter and some Easter Eggs that I’ll probably be dropping throughout my content in the month of February.
As always, you can follow everything I’m up to on the daily over on Instagram @orlaghclaire.
Orlagh Claire x
What I’ve Been Watching
Boy Swallows Universe (Netflix)
It was a toss up between this and Traitors, but I feel like everyone’s talking about Traitors right now and I want to big up Boy Swallows Universe. This Netflix show is set in Australia and it’s quite new with only one season. You will fall in love with little Eli who needs to win an award for his acting this year. Incredible.
What I’ve Been Reading
Things We Left Behind by Lucy Score (Knockemout #3)
After racing through book two of the series, I had to get my hands on the third and final instalment to find out how the series would end. After reading the first two books, it was obvious that Lucian and Sloane’s story was going to be the most intense and I think Lucy Score definitely kept the best until last.
Where I’ve Been Eating
White Bear, Flushing Queens, NYC
I’m usually always dreaming about New York dumplings, especially my favourites from Shu Jiao Fu Zhou, but this year we tried a new place in Flushing, Queens, spicy wontons from White Bear and I cannot stop thinking about them. It’s a hole-in-the-wall so you have to eat them on the street but these were the best $10 I spent during my entire trip and I would move to Flushing in the morning if it meant I could eat these every day.
Where I’m Going Next
Bucharest, Romania
You probably weren’t expecting this one, but it will make sense in a matter of weeks, I promise. We’ve booked a few days in Bucharest, Romania in March and I’m excited to visit a new European country and see more of Eastern Europe. I’m not sure what we’ll get up to when we’re there but we have a few weeks to start planning.
Recent Podcast Episodes
53. Recapping the Year of 2023
Welcome to season 4 of The Orlagh Claire Podcast!! Can’t really cope that the podcast is in its fourth year but here we are. I’m recapping my goals for 2023 in this episode and talking a little about what’s to come in 2024. Happy New Year!
52. Missing Out on My Youth
It’s a Saturday night and at 26 years of age, I’m sat at home watching TV. Being honest, I couldn’t be more content. But at times I do wonder, am I missing out on my youth? Should I be out drinking and partying with my friends?
Recent Blog Posts
There were 20 new blog posts on orlaghclaire.com during the month of January, with another 16 lined up for February.
I’ve added in my favourites from the month, but there are plenty more to choose from if you head over to the blog!
5 Things I Hope 2024 Brings Me that 2023 Didn’t
I could list the obvious things here like more money, more success, or more happiness for example but I want to be more specific than that and look into the things that I really hope for in this New Year.
It Might Be Time for a New Adventure in 2024
Once the decision has been made to step into new territory, the feeling of fear often comes with it. Including the sudden feeling of ‘What have I done?! I’m not ready or prepared for this!’
My 8 Goals for 2024
I’ve set a small number of goals for 2024 (not resolutions) and have a few more written down that I’m keeping private and working on privately, but I’m hoping to be able to share these in the next few months.
The Best Books I Read in 2023
Of all 73 books that I read in 2023, I wanted to put together a list of my favourites. There were 20 books that I rated 5 stars during the year, but these 12 were the ones that really stood out to me as the best books.
Leave a Reply