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01.19.17

New Work Schedule

J.Crew turtleneck (old, similar), J.Crew coat, Rag & Bone jeans, Stuart Weitzman Thighscraper OTK boots, Chloe Mini Marcie bag, Ray-Ban original aviators

Stuart Weitzman thighscraper over the knee boots
Stuart Weitzman cognac over the knee boots

Stuart Weitzman boots

Chloe Marcie small crossbody

J.Crew navy double breasted peacoat
Chloe Marcie Bag

J.crew navy peacoat

S H O P  T H E  L O O K

One of our biggest goals for 2017 was to create a new schedule that would help balance work and life. I’ve discussed my struggles with you before, I tend to over work and everything else takes a back seat. Since the whole social media / influencer world tends to be on 24/7 I was struggling to find time to do stuff for myself – cook, read, workout, play with my dogs, spend time with Mike. I would work from 8 or 9 am and go all the way to 10 or 11pm. No down time, no time to do anything else. I wasn’t being efficient and felt tired and sluggish everyday. I was constantly playing catch up and there was always something that needed to get done. How could I be working all day long and still have so much to do?

At the beginning of the year, Mike and I sat down and made a list of all the things that needed to get done for work in a day and what I would like to accomplish personally. By time blocking and scheduling in time away from the computer and personal to-do’s, we were able to create a schedule that not only helped with tackling everything on the list, but most importantly, helped with efficiency. Knowing you only have certain amount of time to get something done, really helps kick your butt in gear.

Since time away from the computer is so critical for social media influencers (you need time to create), we make sure to pencil this into the schedule. This was a huge part of my time management that was missing. Blocking out time to create new looks, shop for new products, engage with readers, Instagram or Insta Stories behind the scenes shots, or take on home decor projects are all part of the business and can’t be overlooked. The fun part, but definitely still work.

Since we’re trying to create a schedule that gives us the most downtime every day (aren’t we all?), we didn’t think it was necessary to take the weekend off of work completely. By answering emails and editing 1 blog post every morning (before the actual day starts), I’m able to stay on top of everything as well as get ahead some weeks. Getting this done early every morning really frees up my entire day to tackle everything else. This is where I’ve noticed the biggest change since implementing the new schedule. Posts would linger, I would start one in the morning and not finish until 10pm because I would end up getting distracted with email or everything else. Waking up earlier (6 or 7 instead of 8) and getting the dirty work done has been life changing.

We’re still tweaking the new schedule, but so far, it’s been everything I was looking for. Much more efficient, I’m working out 3 days a week now, and there’s so much more time spent off the computer. I’ve even started documenting our behind the scenes on Insta Stories! No more feeling guilty for not working or saying no to plans with friends and family because of work. It’s definitely been a refreshing way to start the year off!

If you have any questions about how we’re implementing the new schedule, feel free to email me or leave a comment below. Also, if you have any tips or tricks on how to increase efficiency, I’d love to hear about them.

EXAMPLE OF OUR WORK WEEK (this would be ideal, but there’s always outside factors that get involved)

Monday Emails /  Edit 1 blog post

Workout

Work on new projects, to-do’s, meetings, plan content calendar, etc.

Shut down between 5-6 pm

Tuesday Emails /  Edit 1 blog post

Shoot Looks

Time away from the Computer – plan outfits, photos for Instagram, home decor projects, shop for new looks, engage with readers, etc.

Shut down between 5-6 pm

Wednesday Emails /  Edit 1 blog post

Workout

Work on new projects, to-do’s, meetings, plan content calendar, etc.

Shut down between 5-6 pm

Thursday Emails /  Edit 1 blog post

Shoot Looks

Time away from the computer – plan outfits, photos for Instagram, home decor projects, shop for new looks,  engage with readers, etc.

Shut down between 5-6 pm

Friday Emails /  Edit 1 blog post

Workout

Time away from the computer – plan outfits, photos for Instagram, home decor projects, shop for new looks,  engage with readers, etc.

Shut down between 4-5 pm

Saturday Emails /  Edit 1 blog post

Off / Open – depending on what we’re doing,  shoot for the blog or Instagram

Sunday Emails /  Edit 1 blog post

Off / Open – depending on what we’re doing, shoot for the blog or Instagram