Lipstick & Chiffon : November 2014

A La Carte Scheduling: The Life of a Freelancer

For the past few years I have gone through so many types of schedules. Productivity levels were like a roller coaster. Most of this happened because of the viscous cycle of uber productivity and then lapses that followed suite when inevitably I would burn out. The hard thing about being self-employed and a freelance makeup-artist is that you have to remain motivated and driven in order to continue your growth and obtain new business.

My goal has been to create a balance between all of the dreams I am cultivating and having a social life and most importantly getting enough sleep. Most of the time in the past I am able to throw myself into one or two of those things and always having one fall into the background. I have found that if I slow things down and give small amounts of time (except for sleep- need a bit more than small amount of time) to each task/job at hand I am able to get more done. Below I am going to break down how I have broken up all the tasks/jobs I have to normally do or get done and how I can schedule each type of day I could have depending on the type of work I have lined up.

Of course I have a daily planner where I keep track of when I do a blog post and when I work out and jobs I have scheduled. I usually keep a general to do list for each week on that calendar. I now have added a new organization to do list tool and that is the small notebook (photo above). So each day I break down in that notebook what tasks/jobs I have on hand and what things I need to get done in each category. One thing I try to do is, that say I get carried away with a certain task/job and even get ahead in it, but other things on the list fall to the wayside. Instead of stressing, anything I didn't get done will get pushed to the next day that I have time to get it done. I have to teach myself to prioritize and to not stress about not finishing things. There is always tomorrow.

Here are my types of tasks/jobs defined:

Long Workout: 30 minutes or more of working out-- walking or running outside and workout videos

Quick Workout: Short workout video or quick walk or run, 8 minutes - 20 minutes of working out

Blog Work: Editing photos for blog post, writing a blog post, taking photos for blog, researching new post, filming video tutorials, anything to do with the blog basically

Website Work: Updating makeup artistry website, updating photography website, getting photos organized, emailing photographers for photos, updating spreadsheets for makeup and photo business

Art Projects: Any paintings to start or finish, sewing projects, makeup face charts for projects/collaborations, photography pieces to edit

Social Media Posting: Posting to Facebook, Tumblr, Chictopia, Social Bliss, Pinterest, Instagram, and Twitter for Lipstick & Chiffon, Carolyn Thombs Makeup Artistry & Consulting and Carolyn Thombs Fine Art & Photography

Miscellaneous Tasks To Do: Organizing, cleaning, laundry, finances, paying bills, answering emails, cleaning brushes, organizing kit, appointments and errands

*Now of course these can always change, especially if I ever get caught up on certain things-- i.e. updating my websites-- but then again that is life: ever changing! *

Now here are how my different types of days can be scheduled:

Open Workday Schedule-- usually is a day off, or a day where I don't need to travel- I need to try and do at least 5 of the above tasks/jobs: Long Workout (30mins+), Social Media Posting, Blog Work (30mins+), Website Work (1hr+), Art Projects, or Miscellaneous Tasks to Do

Short Workday Schedule-- normally just a photoshoot in the morning or afternoon (9-1130am or 3-6pm), Wedding early in the day short distance away (9am-1230pm), Dior evening events (4-930pm)-- I need to do at least 3 of the above tasks/jobs: Long Workout (30mins+), Social Media Posting, Blog Work (30mins+), Website Work (1hr+), Art Projects, or Miscellaneous Tasks to Do

Dior Workday Schedule-- normally 12-6pm-- I need to do at least 2 of the above tasks/jobs: Quick Workout (8-20mins), Social Media Posting, Blog Work (30mins+), Website Work (1hr+), orMiscellaneous Tasks to Do

Long Workday Schedule-- normally 9am-8pm- long phtoshoots, weddings farther away, multiple jobs lined up-- I need to do at least 1 of the above tasks/jobs and to sleep as much as I can or unwind when I get home after the job: Social Media Posting, or Miscellaneous Tasks to Do

Rest Day-- a day off that I schedule when most of my work is caught up on, or if I need a break, to just do nothing and to reorganize my thoughts-- Relaxing, meeting up with friends (trying for that social life), reading or working on art projects that are soothing in nature are all in order-- Essentially my Sacred Pause Day

I have slowly been implementing this type of scheduling into my life and it definitely has made me feel more productive and less stressed! I will keep you updated on how it works in the coming months! I hope all of you freelancers out there trying to find some balance in your scheduling find this helpful- let me know if you do!

I hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving this week!!!

What types of organizational or scheduling techniques work for you?