I know there’s a big misconception of what it’s really like to be a blogger/influencer. Sure, I receive great PR packages, and yup, I also get to attend amazing events, but behind the scenes it involves a whole lot more than taking cute OOTD pics, and posting them to Instagram. It’s a lot of hard work, skills, dedication, and self-discipline, but it’s all worth it when I get to do what I love.
As you might already know, I also have a full time career (which I also love! And hence all the work wear outfits) in addition to my blog, so for me a lot of the time it’s a juggling act between blogging, my career, family & friends time, and trying to stay fit and care for myself without burning out. It’s definitely a plate piled high for me, but also an immensely rewarding experience as well. So today I thought I would share what a typical day in my life as a blogger would look like.
A Day in My Life as a Blogger
From day-to-day my schedule is never really the same. Each week and day varies depending on whether I’m shooting, working on a sponsored blog project, or attending meetings/events, but I do try to maintain a somewhat of a schedule to help me stay grounded. With that being said, here’s a general idea of what a typical day in my life would look like.
Starting My Day
My day usually starts at 7am. And I wouldn’t call myself a morning person, but I’m definitely not one that sleeps in either. Even on the weekends I wake up on the same time, but instead of work, and I’m waking up to a workout! I usually try not to wake up to an alarm clock, for me it’s such a stressful way to wake up to an alarm. It’s taken some time, but I have myself on a really good rhythm to my schedule, so I’ll usually naturally wake up around 6:45am and roll out of bed at 7am. In the summer summer season, this is a little easier to wake up as the sun rises, but in the winter months it’s a little tougher up here in the north as it doesn’t rise until a bit later.
I usually start my day off with 10 minutes of me time, either cuddling with my dog, doing a little meditation, and a simple gratitude practice. I find this really helps to start my day off on the right foot and helps set the mood for the day. I noticed on days I don’t have time for these few minutes always turn out to feel more stressful. So this is an definitely and important part of my morning.
To help get me out the door quickly, I try to keep my morning routine pretty quick and simple. Instead of coffee, I always have a glass of water. It’s a great way to wake up the body and re-hydrate after a long night of sleep. My skincare routine is probably where I spend the most time, I cleanse, apply essence, serum, sunscreen, and for most days I keep my makeup routine pretty simple with just a dusting of powder, blush and a little highlighter. I have both my brows and lashes done which also helps cut down on time.
I’m typically out door by shortly after 7:30 and take streetcar into work in downtown Toronto’s financial district. My commute to work is about 15-20 minutes, which is the perfect amount of time to crunch through my more urgent blog emails before getting into office around 8am.
A couple times a week I’ll set up a quick photoshoot session on the way to work. These will usually be for outfit posts and I shoot either with my DSLR or my camera phone. If it’s for a campaign I’ll usually shoot with my DSLR for more quality pictures, but for a lot of my Instagram OOTD’s I usually just shoot with my phone just so I don’t have to lug around a big camera. When I have morning shoots, I’ll usually have to leave about 15 minutes earlier. And I’ll just shoot around the financial buildings downtown on my way to work. I also shoot with a tripod and remote, so no photographer needed! And now that I’ve got my set up down, I can be pretty quick with my photoshoots. I can usually get my shots done in about under 10 minutes before off to work!
My Work Day
Things are usually pretty fast pace at work and my typical work day day typically goes from 8-5 with some occasional overtime. Once I get to work, I usually start on my work emails while having something to eat. My go to breakfast items are yogurt parfaits or a bagel with cream cheese. Both just a minute to make and give me the energy to keep me going until lunch.
Sometimes during the week, I might use my lunch hour to attend events, do meetings or even do quick photo shoot. I usually always shoot in areas that are convenient for me. Since I’m usually pressed for time, I hardly ever go out of my way to find actually go to a location to shoot. I believe this is there’s beauty all around us, and you don’t necessarily have to go to a specific location just to shoot photos. A textured wall or interesting storefront might be all you need to for a great backdrop.
Lunch is an important meal for me too, and I make sure I always eat it, even though most days I end up eating it at my desk. I’d like to say I pack a lunch, but more often than not I usually pick up a salad or poke bowl from nearby my office, which also give me a reason to get up for a brisk walk which is always good when you’re sitting for long periods at a desk job. I always try to opt for something on the healthy side, since dinner is when I allow myself to cheat.
On my commute home, I do a second crunch session for blog emails. This usually helps me gets through most of them for the day. I may have a few left over for the evenings that require a more thoughtfully written response. But in general, I make a rule to answer emails as I read them, otherwise procrastination kicks in and they may not get answered in a timely manner.
Evenings
Industry events usually take place after work hours, and I typically limit myself to attending 2 events during the work week to prevent myself from burning out. They’re a great way to connect with other fellow bloggers and people in the industry, not to mention fun and often full of surprises, so I try my best to make it out. Depending on the timing I’ll might stop off at home to change or sometimes even go directly from work.
I’ll also set aside at least another 2-3 nights to stay in where actually to work on my blog doing activities such as photo editing, writing, outreach. I’ll usually do this later in the evening, and for the most part always try to live a pretty regular life. When I don’t have anything planned, I head home to unwind for a bit, cook dinner with my hubby, shower and spend evenings curled up on the couch watching Netflix.
It’s been my goal this year to go to bed by 11pm, but most of the time it’s midnight before I can hit the sheets. Much like my morning wind up routine, I also have a wind down routine too that includes a journaling and meditation which helps me close the day off.
So there you have it! That’s what a typical day for me l looks like. In the beginning as my blog was starting to pick up it was hard to juggle the new influx of demands and deadlines, but now that I’ve been doing it for a couple years, I’ve been able to refine my routine to find a good balance between work life, blog life and home life. It really comes down to time management, and one of the most important lessons I learned is to set a time limit for your tasks. This helps drives productivity, helping you focus and prevents your tasks to expand and fill up your whole day. And I could go on for a whole other blog post about this. So I’ll leave it there for now. Hope you enjoyed learning more about my life!
Outfit Details:
Top: Lace Mock Neck Blouse c/o Shein
Bottom: Pants c/o Shein
Shoes: Woven V-Slingback from Everlane
Lipstick: Le Rouge Perfector Beautifying Balm from Givenchy Beauty
Bag: Pink Bucket Bag from Katie Loxton
Get 10% off at Shein with code Q1yesmi10
Eula Li
November 23, 2021I like Your dress.
Eileen
November 25, 2021Thank you!
Clipping Path Center Inc
February 3, 2020I like fashion photography. There are you provide excellent tips here. Thank you.
jinmy
September 24, 2019ur a busy bee
Kim
July 18, 2019Great post!
Eileen
July 18, 2019Thanks Kim!
sapphireroses
March 20, 2019Literally style goals ❤️
Eileen
March 20, 2019Thanks so much Emma!
natalie
March 7, 2019Sounds like you had a busy day!
nataliesdailylife.wordpress.com
Eileen
March 8, 2019Thanks Natalie! It can get pretty busy sometimes, but always rewarding!