A Day In The Life: Blog & Email Writer Edition
If you’re a TikTok lover like me, you’ve probably seen those popular “day in the life” videos that feature small clips of someone's day and somehow draw you in for hours.
Seriously, there are creators on the app that only create day in the life content and they have thousands (or even millions) of followers which is so interesting to me - here’s my favorite!
I can’t help but think it’s because people like to know what other people are up to.
What’s their morning routine? What does she use to make her face so glowy?
What’s her work from home fit of the day? What do they eat for breakfast?
Do they watch TV during their kids' naptime or do they clean their house?
If they clean their house, what products do they use? Oh, I think I need those products!
You get the picture!
While these videos can of course cause comparison and all of that jazz, I don’t really feel that way when watching them. I just truly love an inside peek to what people are up to!
It’s also because I’m slightly obsessed with routine and productivity, so I like to discover new things that I can implement.
If you follow me on the ‘gram, you’ve probably noticed that I’ve been sharing more of my routine, my time management hacks and how I plan my weeks.
People seem to love it too and I always get a few questions, so I thought you might enjoy a full day in the life breakdown here on the blog.
Finding the perfect balance between doing work for my clients and work for myself (like writing this blog post) has been something that I’ve been fine tuning for the past few months and lately it feels like I’ve figured it out!
Of course some weeks differ based on meetings, projects or life things I need to do (like get my hair done - thank God that’s on the calendar this week!), but for the most part, my days go a little something like this:
4:30-5:00am: Wakey wakey to the sound of “Best Day of my Life” by American Authors blaring from my iPhone ⏰
I made this my alarm tone thinking it would make me excited to wake up each day and put a pep in my step, but all it’s really done is drive my husband crazy and sometimes I still press snooze 🤣
Whenever I share that I wake up as early as 4:30am, it usually follows with a “WHYYYY so early?!” and I get it. For whatever reason, it feels like there’s a big difference between 4 and 5am.
But honestly, I’ve always been a morning person! I loveeee the feeling of the early morning hours when it feels like everyone else is still sleeping.
I love waking up when it’s still dark outside and making my house super cozy with lamps and the Christmas tree (during November and December).
And cuddling up with a cup of coffee, my favorite blankie while still wearing jammies just makes me so happy.
Seriously, in college I was always the weirdo that wanted the 8ams.
But this wild wake up routine really became a thing after I graduated and landed my first job - I was a digital content creator at a law firm in Atlanta and I was primarily responsible for writing blogs. Talk about full circle!
I had a bit of a commute and I hated feeling rushed in the mornings. I wanted to be able to wake up, take things slow and take my time getting ready before having to leave for the day.
Well, the only way I could do that in the way I really wanted is if I woke up at 4:30am. So I started doing it and it stuck! Even as I switched jobs and even now as I’m a full time business owner who works from home.
Does waking up at this hour happen EVERY day? Nope! But on days where I let myself sleep later, I end up not happy about it.
5:00-5:45ish am: Morning routine ☕️
Get cozy on the couch and turn on a Christmas ambiance video (during November & December because I like sitting by the tree and feeling all the holiday vibes) or plop down in my comfy office chair and turn on Bethel Music to start my daily Bible reading and prayer journaling.
This is another habit I started after I graduated college and it’s the one habit that I’ve stuck with. On the days where I skip this (which are very few) I can feel it. I’m a much better human when I stick to this rhythm.
5:45-7am: This section of my morning always shifts a bit 🌞
Sometimes I’ll do a quick Pilates workout if I’m feeling it, other times I’ll go ahead and start getting ready for the day (typically if I have meetings), but lately I’ve been doing a morning work session during this time.
This is when my brain is the most fresh, so it’s the perfect time for me to knock out a blog post (for myself or for a client) or wrap up any loose ends that overflowed from the day before.
7-8am: Get ready for the day while listening to a podcast 🎙
The podcast I listen to always varies - sometimes I listen to a sermon from my favorite pastor, other times I’ll listen to a business or leadership podcast and then other times I let Dave Ramsey fire me up 😂
8-8:30am: Usually eat breakfast (still trying to nail down when I do this and make it consistent, because for some reason I struggle with breakfast even though I love breakfast food? IDK, it’s weird) and set up my day with my Full Focus Planner 📝
I’ve been a time blocker for a while now and used to do this solely with Google Calendar. But a few months ago I started craving a way to put pen to paper and be able to write all of my to-do's and plan my day accordingly.
Full Focus had everything I wanted, so I ordered the planner and haven't looked back! It’s the ultimate planner that helps you create an overview for each quarter of the year which is superrrr helpful since I have certain client projects at different times.
(if you need a new planner in your life, you can grabs yours and get 10% off with code ‘NATALIE10’)
8:30am: Start work at my desk 🖥
The actual work I do varies each day, but it of course involves a lot of writing.
I have deliverables every week for my done-for-you blog package clients and then there’s always a mix of one off projects that I’m typically working on.
Each week also typically has a few calls mixed in - whether that’s a potential client discovery call, a 1:1 strategy call or even an in person meeting with my local clients, there’s always some human to human interaction happening which is always refreshing!
And then there’s the things I do for my own business - like blog writing, creating social media content, scheming new things, etc.
When I can, I designate certain days to each of my clients so that my brain can stay focused on one industry at a time. This isn’t always possible, so that’s where the time blocker in my planner comes in handy!
11:30am-12pm: Brain break and lunch 🧠
At this point in my day, my brain has been werkinnn’ so it’s time for a break. I head to my non-aesthetic kitchen and whip up whatever is on the menu for the day.
Usually either leftovers or some sort of sandwich. While I’m eating, I usually scroll TikTok or catch up on Instagram DM’s. Sometimes I’ll hop on stories during this time too, it just depends on what’s going on!
12-2pm: Back to the grind ✍🏼
Most of the time I’ll heavy load the first half of my day with the tasks that require the most creativity or thinking so that my afternoon can be filled with things that don’t require as much of my energy.
This is what works best for me, but I know that some people are wired the exact opposite.
By 2pm I’m creatively useless and I know this about myself so it’s around this time that I’ll start winding down the important work.
I’ll review what I accomplished and take note of what still needs to be done. I’ll go ahead and set up my planner for the next day so I know exactly what to expect when I wake up tomorrow.
2-4pm: Errands, chores and daily walk 🚶♀️
I always save the last half of my day for running errands, doing chores and usually a daily walk!
Last March I committed to “mile a day March” and that’s when I picked up the habit of daily walks. I’ve been off my game lately, but I WILL be hopping back on that because it serves me so well.
On the days that I go for a walk in the afternoon, it’s so refreshing because it clears my brain from everything and allows me to re-energize to spend the rest of the evening with Kyle (the hubs!).
4-8pm: Relax and dinner 🍽
We don’t yet have kids, so my evenings are always pretty free. We’re an early dinner fam and have usually cooked and cleaned by 7pm.
After that, we typically watch a show, play Scrabble, work on a puzzle or, on the days where we both just need to chill, we mindlessly scroll TikTok.
Something I want to implement in the new year is a true evening routine that is consistent like my morning routine! I’m thinking of some sort of journaling to reflect on the day, but haven’t decided exactly what that will look like.
If you have an evening routine or ritual that you love, send it my way!
8:30-9pm: Skincare and wind down 🧖🏼♀️
By about 8:30 or 9, I’m ready to get in the bed so I’ll do my skincare and start winding down.
9:30pm: Lights out 😴
We’re also early bed timers - I don’t function well on no sleep so this is pretty non-negotiable for me through the week!
Andddd that’s typically what a day in my life looks like as a blog and email writer.
If you’re interested in seeing this routine action, make sure you follow along on Instagram where I always share a little behind the scenes!