Social media: Be spontaneous and get scheduling!
by Euella Jackson
January is well, well, well underway and it’s been a bit of a busy (but nevertheless slow) start for me. With having to adjust to a new lifestyle and going freelance (eeek!), I don’t have the usual spring in my step and motivation to do all the things I promised myself I would when the clock struck 12 on December 31st. I had big plans. I was going to make more content, socialise more, move house, start a fitness regime and I haven’t been as successful as I first thought. But I will do them all. Wanna know why? Because I’m learning to prioritise. I’m trying to stop being so hard on myself. Yeah, sure, I’m trying to take over the world alongside all the other things I’m trying to do, but the world can wait – I. come. first. At this time of the year, I tend to put a lot of pressure on myself to literally change my life in one month (give me an amen if you’re guilty of this too), but as of late, I’m re-learning the value of self-care and, if you’re a bit of a busy-body like me, the value of scheduling self-care into your life. I’m learning how to say ‘no’ to others and start saying ‘yes, yes, YES!’ to myself.
I have been (legitimately) working in the creative industry for about 7 months now, and if I’ve learnt anything, I’ve learnt that the industry is hungry. Ravenous, in fact. It’s hungry for your time and your energy. It wants your blood, sweat and tears and it will eat you whole if you let it. I’m young and new to this whole thing so there was a time when I was like, ‘here I am, eat me, eat me please!’ but now I know better. And guys, it isn’t a bad thing to be eaten by the industry and by your creative pursuits – provided you’re eating too, regularly. I haven’t burnt out yet and I’ve got a lot to give but I recognise that if I don’t look after myself, I won’t have anything to give. So I’ve learnt that if you want to build an empire and take over the world, you start slow. Be thorough and generous. Give every thing you can give, but please take your time. Plan. Be strategic and be organised.
Need to plan your life? Post-its are your friend!
As a freelance creative I no longer have a routine. One week I could spend most of my time in meetings whereas the next I could be filming and editing content. And as a result, it’s hard to keep up. So, in an attempt to make things easier on myself, I bought a planner – oh and not just any old planner – a planner that actually works for me. Whether it’s a passion planner, a bullet journal or an academic planner from Smiths, get a planner and plan TF out of your life. You need to shop around a bit first to find out that fits in with your style of working but when you do find it, use it. Use it completely and recklessly. You want to make more content? Great, write it down and make a plan. Schedule in your creative time, schedule in your time for admin and schedule in time for yourself. Write down when you will publish content or when you will work on your own projects. Write it all down- the meetings, the goals, the projects you want to start – everything. I write everything I need to do down, because it serves two functions; it forms a pretty little to-do list that I can cross things off gradually (which makes me feel better about myself lol) and it is my process of manifestation. Writing it down is my way of putting things out into the universe and it hasn’t failed me yet. 2018 is the year of feeling good for the sake of feeling good and I’m trying to prioritise things that make me feel good. I used to feel guilty when I used to take time off work and, within a day or so, I’d be itching to start working again. Now I actively try to schedule in much-deserved breaks #noregrets. I’ve learnt that just because I’m ‘chilling out’ doesn’t mean that I have to spend all my free-time in bed or watching Netflix, scheduling in productive-procrastination activities like reading a book, going for a walk or working on other passion-projects, is also a valid form of self-care.
Being a young creative trying to navigate 2018, I’ve found that scheduling has been a useful way for me to ensure that my life is full of balance and that I’m sticking to my plans. I no longer need to feel guilty for working too much or too little because it’s all been scheduled beforehand and I find I’m much more productive. I have time for myself and time to pursue other opportunities. Which is great, but let’s not get it twisted, I still mess up. I still (occasionally) over-book myself, forget things and I’m still learning the fine balance between work and play but nobody’s perfect. No matter how much I plan, I don’t think I’ll ever be a complete slave to scheduling because the very essence of my job is to be spontaneous wherever possible. But I’m working on it.
I guess it’s just one more thing to schedule in. Here’s to 2018 and living your best life.
-- Euella