Hello, Pulp Sushi readers! I'm Paige from Little Nostalgia, and I'm excited to be here today. When Marilyn put out the call for guest writers who sell on Etsy, I knew I'd have plenty to chat about. I not only run two Etsy shops, but I'm also back in school for Interior Design, and I'm trying to build a portfolio so I can start taking on clients. I'm also married, a homeowner, and trying to maintain some kind of social life. Oh, and I blog.
So that's a lot of hats to wear. It can be hard to get everything done, but I manage by working on everything at least a little bit everyday. Mainly this helps me remember when things need to be done, but it also keeps me from getting bored because I switch gears a lot. I thought the best way to show you how I work was to keep track of everything I did in a day. Here's an average Thursday for me:
6:41 a.m. Wake up. I pick up the computer from under my nightstand and get right to work. The first thing I do everyday is publish my blog post. I've tried to schedule them, but Blogger never wants to play nice.
7:25 a.m. Since we only have one car, I drop my husband off at the train station. It's about 3 minutes from our house, so he could technically walk, but I like our little routine.
7:32 a.m. I return from dropping off Hubsey and make some breakfast. Today I have an egg sandwich and coffee, and I get back on the computer while the food cooks. Aside from putting the finishing touches on my own blog post, this is the time when I read what other people wrote. I also made a treasury and researched some stuff for a DIY project.
9:15 a.m. I remember that I have class today, so I go shower and get dressed.
10:30 a.m. I throw some trail mix into my purse and head to campus.
11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Architecture and Design History is an interesting topic, but three-hour lectures just knock me flat. By the time I leave, I'm mentally drained (and starving).
2:17 p.m. Stop at JoAnn on the way home. I buy most of my supplies online, but sometimes when I try new designs I hit up the craft store first. Saves me on shipping, just in case I decide not to sell whatever I make.
2:40 p.m. Finally home and dying to eat again, but first I need to send some emails before I forget.
3:15 p.m. A super late lunch. This happens to me a lot, so I keep the meal kind of small because dinner will be in about four hours.
4:00 p.m. I decide to exercise. This involves a mix of yoga and things that they make you do in school, like push-ups and crunches. I should note that I watched Ghost Adventures while this happened, and then I switched to the Real Housewives. Only the highest quality TV in this house.
5:07 p.m. I get back on the computer and eat a few pieces of chocolate. I text with my husband for a while, trying to figure out when he'll be home that night. I do some more work, like re-listing items and designing a new business card. I also get started on this post!
6:57 p.m. In a rare moment of domestic foresight, it occurs to me that I should probably start dinner. I put the pre-made meatloaf from Whole Foods into the oven and wash some lettuce for a salad.
7:31 p.m. Pick up Hubsey! He's not usually this late, but he's been working on a big project at work.
7:36 p.m. Food time!
8:06 p.m. We relax on the couch for a while and I talk about how sad I am that 30 Rock is over.
9:00 p.m. I bring the laptop over to work on my latest design consultation while Hubsey does something with numbers that looks really boring and terrible. Neither of us get much done because we keep talking. And watching videos of the Harlem Shake.
10:00 p.m. We decide to be done with work and snuggle up to watch the Daily Show and Colbert Report. I usually doze off before they're over. We're always in bed by 11.
So there you go! How to run two Etsy shops, go to school, build a design portfolio, and still hang out with other humans. It's a lot to do at once, and it makes for some really long days, but it's totally worth it. How do you manage your time? Do you like to work on everything for a little while everyday like I do, or do you do things in larger chunks? Or do you totally freestyle it and just do what strikes you?
