Hi everyone,
Happy hump day! I’m sure I’m not the only one happy to hit the half way point this week and looking forward to the long weekend ahead – it’s needed. Working full time and blogging as well definitely keeps me busy, especially when general life admin such as moving house comes into the mix – that’s a whole new level of busy. Especially when I’ve only just learnt How To Sell Your Home Without Realtor, which is making the process a whole lot easier than it was before, but there’s still so much to do!
One of the questions I get asked most often is how I balance everything. If you follow me on Snapchat (lou1409) you’ll know my days are normally pretty jam-packed and I wouldn’t have it any other way. I try to be as organised as I can be, here are my top tips I live by to try and keep everything balanced:
- Keep a Diary
I write down all my plans as they happen. This way I can flick forward a couple of weeks and check if I am available. On a busy day I will even write my plans down according to times – it may sound crazy but it works. I’ve become so dependent on my diary I don’t even try and remember my plans anymore, I’ve become one of those ‘Let me check my diary’ people. LOL! God help me if I ever lose it. One of these days I’ll have to master the iPhone Diary.
- Make Lists
Particularly when I’m very busy, the best way for me to remember things I need to do, shopping I need to buy or ideas I have is with a good old fashioned list. I’ve been known to have several on the go at the one time.
- Make use of spare time
Working full time, the day often runs away on me faster than I’d like. I try to make the most out of the day by being as productive as possible in my spare time. This can mean a blog shoot before work (in the case of this blog post it was shot after work), a meeting at lunch, emails while I’m travelling and an event in the evening. Not to mention weekends…
- Make time for downtime
Blogging in particular is a job that’s pretty hard to switch off from. The digital world is 24/7 – so it’s easy to get sucked in to being online all the time. I think there needs to be downtime, whether its watching a movie, exercising or just hanging with friends – it’s important to have some time without thinking about either work or blogging.
- Don’t be afraid to ask for help
The phrase many hands make light work can be applied here. More often than not people are delighted to help in anyway they can. If ever I’m feeling overwhelmed with work I’ll ring up a friend or my sisters for some help or advice.
- A Good Bag
I often hear the phrase “I live out of my car” – well I don’t have a car, so I live out of my bag. One thing that really makes my day easier is having a good big, sturdy bag that can fit everything I’ll need for the day ahead. Whether it’s a change of shoes or clothes, some make-up, my camera, I’m always carrying a million and one things in my handbag. This ‘Angie’ GUESS bag is the perfect size, and it’s simple style makes it easy to mix and match with most things in my wardrobe.
My first ever handbag was a GUESS bag. I remember perfectly – I took the money out of my bank account (which was probably just communion and confirmation money at the time) went to town after school and bought the €60 bag I had been eyeing up for quite a while. I was 15 years old. It was probably smaller than a pencil case but I loved it so much. Things haven’t changed a whole pile, other than the fact that I need a bag ten times the size now. This bag was a great addition to my winter wardrobe – expect to be seeing a lot more of it over the next few months.
Anyway that’s all for now,
Chat later,
Louise x
