Balancing the 9-5 and the 5-9!
So I have been meaning to get around to writing this piece, however LIFE has just been getting in the way! Between work, school, fitness, daily blog maintenance, and loved ones, all of my ideas take some time and planning. *Excuses,Excuses build bridges to NOWHERE*..Any who, So this is indeed a perfect time to showcase how I balance all of my different channels.
So YES I said it! "I work the 9-5 life".lol...I serve as the Finance and Operations Manager for one of the largest tech organizations for young people and social change, DoSomething.org. On my free time after work I am studying part time for my Masters in Public Administration. When I am not working or studying I am blogging, influencing, in the gym working on my fitness and spending time with loved ones..So yes, it is indeed a lot at times and not enough days or hours to get it all done, thus I have learned the art of "BALANCE."
I did not wake up one day balancing all of my different channels. Imagine yourself juggling two balls and then someone giving you another. As you get good at balancing the three you get another. You get good again and they throw you ANOTHER. After a while you begin to lose count of how many you are juggling and begin to focus more on strategy and efficiency. When I first started working at DoSomething, I did not blog, was not working on my masters, or training my body as hard as I do. As time passes and you grow you get busy and your time becomes precious
There lies this misconception that working the 9-5 with a creative spirit is daunting and miserable. I DISAGREE! Blogging, Creating and documenting is a passion of mine, however taking care of people, managing money, problem solving and getting SHIT DONE is clearly my calling ! Blogging and modeling fuels my spirit but I am damn good at my job so why aim to leave something you are good at..Well at least that is my theory! Here are some lessons I have learned while balancing the work and blogger life!
1.Get Over It
Yup I said it, first step is to get over it. Chances are you are working to one day take a leap and need to pay your bills or waiting for the “one day” you do not have to work that job. While it is always good to keep that “One day” motivation, you need to get over the fact that you have a job that keeps for 8 hours throughout the day. When "TheCurlyBee" first started to pick up I quickly noticed that having a job in the blogger/model world can be very cumbersome at times, however I had to learn how to work through it and learn how to make my schedule work. The thing for me is I am in no way looking to leave my job/Finance industry, instead I am hoping to have my two worlds intersect at some point. So as long as I stay in my field I will continue to remind myself of my long term goals.
So first thing first is to stop comparing yourself to others out there who may appear to have more time than you. It is a complete waste of energy that you can be directing elsewhere. Everyday I tell myself, “There is someone else out there with a busier schedule, so shut up and get it done.”
2. Be Intentional about your time
There are 24 hours in the day and chances are your work takes up about eight hours of it, how are you using your time? I hear people all the time use the phrase “I don’t have the time; It’s not worth my time; or Girl I don’t got time" the real question is, Do YOU know the value of your own time and are you wasting your own time? If you are at work each day for about eight hours, how are you using the rest of your day to be productive and fuel your creative spirit? Fortunately I have always been an early riser so I always try to be the most productive first thing in the morning before heading to work. Most times this includes the gym and studying however if I have an extra thirty minutes I can even squeeze in a photo-shoot or even catch the golden light and shoot a quick tutorial before heading to work. Granted I may not be able to edit and publish that morning or day, but most importantly I was able to be productive, which at times helps me perform better at work. More than likely your creative side is your outlet and passion so make sure you are intentional about how you use your time so you can spend more time doing what you love.
Learn how to be creative with your time to simultaneously get things done! Whenever you approach something get into the habit of asking yourself, how can I do two of these things at once? For example, you want to hang out with a friend but also need to work on some editing or a photo shoot, WHY DONT YOU invite that friend to come along with you. At the end, not only did you hang out with your friend but you also checked something else off your list as well... Now I’m not saying only hang with your friends when you are doing other things but ultimately just figure out ways to bring your friends into different parts of your life and not just at the brunch table or bar. Theres this misconception that spending time with your friends always needs to be at a restaurant, bar or social place, SWITCH IT UP! Meet your friends at a coffee shop or somewhere to help each other work on their passion or purpose work.
3. Curate a productive and inspiring environment
So this is a dual tip.. make sure you are surrounding yourself with likeminded people that keep you inspired at all times. Similar to a workout partner, it is good to have that comrade all over because these are the people holding you accountable and bringing out the best in you. Fortunately I am lucky to work for an organization that values outside creative projects so I am always excited to share new CurlyBee projects with my colleagues and learn from all the people around me. When I first started TheCurlyBee I had no idea how to take a photo, film and edit, fortunately I am privileged to work with inspiring creatives who can always lend a helping hand. Perfect example, my main photographer is one of my closest friends and also my colleague @CHRISFONZI :-) .
Along with surrounding yourself with likeminded peeps, curate a tangible environment that allows you to work best. I HATE clutter and feeling crowded, I love clean open space and plants, so that is the environment I try to maintain to allow myself to remain productive both before and after work/school. Since I know my time is limited I always try to think of ways to curate the perfect environment that will allow me to enter my creative flow much faster. These are all little things like; never leaving home without making my bed, making my dinner in advance, or creating a new writing playlist in advance. Ultimately what I am saying here is, you know yourself best so always try to curate an environment that will allow you to work best.
4. Find tools that work for you
The power of technology here, we all probably spend half the day on a device either checking social, email or just wasting time. Use that same device to allow you to be the most productive and stay on top of everything. Some of my favorite tools to allow me to balance life on the go and hold me accountable. Here is a list of the apps/platforms that help me stay balanced and scheduled.
- Calendar - DUH keep one for personal and log everything to visually see your time and how much you waste :-)
- Trello - Project management tool primarily, however I use to visually see my "To Do's" in every channel of my life.
- UNUM - This is the app I use for Instagram Posts to plan ahead.
- MyFitness Pal - Yes it works, this app helps me stay on top of my eating throughout the day.
5. Sacrifice
Now "sacrifice" sounds a bit harsh but ultimately what I'm trying to say here is knowing when you have to" sit" some things out and be okay with not being able to attend every social event. Sometimes it does suck to see my friends and blogger friends out living life/working while I am home studying or at work. It sucks even more when I have to pass up a gig because I can't make it due to school or work. Any who like I said "GET OVER IT." Being busy and having a strict schedule can indeed suck sometimes so when you find yourself dwindling and feeling lost remember why you started. :-)
When you are juggling a ton of things there comes a time when you feel like something is being neglected and sometimes/most times that thing can be you and your self care. While I can provide all my tips to help keep my world balanced, only you know what you are capable of and when it is time to for you to shut down and re-calibrate. AND that is totally OK. For me there are weeks when I contemplate quitting school, leaving work to freelance and letting go of my fitness goals, then I take a few days to spend time with my girlfriend, siblings, friends and silly nephew then suddenly everything feels a little better.
Remember "You can do it all, just not all at the same time" - Oprah
Rose