Today I wanted to blog about my top tips for time management. I'll have to admit, I used to be the absolute worst at managing myself and my time, forever losing things, feeling disorganised and just really not with it because I had so much going on. I am the queen of taking too much on, doing too much and cramming everything in when I don't really have the time. In the last year or so, I'd like to think I've managed my stress levels a lot more by actually working on managing my time and learning how to juggle everything. Let's discuss!
I thought stepping out of University, fresh to run Emtalks and LVNDR would leave me with so much free time, quite the opposite. I'm not complaining, if you read my blog post where I talk about what bloggers actually do and go into detail about my job, you'll know that it isn't just a 9-5 and no two days are the same. It does all sound very glamorous, heading to Milan one day for a 24 hour whirlwind shoot and then to London the next day but actually, the logistics of everything can often become tiring and stressful, endless late nights, not enough sleep and far too many 5am trains! Not that I'm complaining, (I wouldn't change it for the world) but I try my hardest to take it in my stride as it's my job and I adore what I do, but, it's definitely taught me some valuable lessons when it comes to juggling everything and really managing my time the best. I hope you find this helpful, it isn't just for freelancers but it will hopefully help busy students, busy Mums, Dads or just busy people in general!
You can do it - Firstly, you can definitely do whatever is thrown at you. I think the first thing is mindset, sometimes I feel so busy and honestly nearly melt down because I'm like: aaah there just aren't enough hours in the day! But you know what? I've always got through it! I managed to finish my final year of University, whilst juggling a social life, keeping myself fit and running two businesses.
A good diary is key - I always thought diaries were a bit old for me and even now when I say to my friends who are still students; I'll pop you in my diary - they look at me like I'm mad. But I rely on my diary more than anything. I personally use the diary on my Macbook pro as I find it perfect and visual, with it being an online diary it means I can quickly make changes to it without making a mess with pen and paper. It is also hooked up to my phone too so as soon as I put something in my phone, it then pops up on my laptop diary too which is great. Find the right diary for you, whether it's a big one which you can write a lot in, a little cute notebook or like me, a large one so I can visualise the whole month ahead.
Plan in advance - Diaries really help me plan in advance. In my job, things pop up every day but at least I can visualise what my plans are and be flexible with my diary as I look at it every day. When I was at University, I'd have a priority list, so things that were a huge priority would be done first and then I'd section my day off: three hours for University work and the rest of the day for blog work.
Shoot in bulk - For blogging, I have full days of photography so I can get the mess over with and shoot in bulk, that then means I can do writing days in bulk, I find this so helpful. With my dissertation, I couldn't do that in bulk but I planned so well in the sense that I wrote small bits every single week from September and then by the time deadline day came I didn't sweat it at all. I felt so confident in my dissertation because I'd nurtured it for so long. You can read my blogging tips post here.
Get out of the house - The worst thing to do when you're really busy is lock yourself away. I'm guilty of it all the time but that's why I make sure I get out of the house, whether it's walking over to the library, walking to the shop or going to the gym, it helps clear my mind and refocus me for the next chunk of work. You can read about my gym routine here.
Use and abuse your to-do list - I know I've already touched on priority lists, but I break my to-do list into sections, for example: Today I must do this, and then in my mind, I know the rest of it can wait until tomorrow. When everything is jotted down on my to do list, I really feel like I can then focus on actually getting the work done as then my mind doesn't feel so cluttered with thoughts and things to do.
Always take me time - plan in relaxation time - This is so important, I used to work 7 days a week and now I make sure I relax more on the evenings and on the weekends. It's so important to recharge your batteries and have down time. I wrote a blog post about little things that uplift me and always refer back to it if I need to do something for me!
Yellow dress, online here / Hair by GHD / Yellow Dress Photos by Rebecca Spencer
I also did an interview recently with the lovely team at Smart Buy Glasses (wearing my dreamy YSL sunglasses from them on this image above on my recent trip to the Maldives!) which you can read online here, it might give you an insight into my day! You can see a snippet of the interview below! You can also get 10% discount on all their designer frames with promo code EMSHELDON :)
I really hope this helped you, do let me know if you have any top tips for time management or how you cope with jugging life!
*I worked with Smart Buy Glasses on this post.
Lots of love, Em x
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