Category — The Organized Creative

I’ve been reading Gaby’s blog, The Vault Files, for as long as I can remember. Her layouts are gorgeous, her posts are on point, and I want to buy everything she talks about ( … which is probably not a good thing!) She’s also amazingly sweet, which makes me like her blog all the more.  As a blogger, shop-owner, wife and mama, I knew I had to find out how she gets it all done!

1.     Take us through a busy day in the life of a successful blogger/wife/mama.

Well, I’m not sure that my roles as a blogger, wife, and mama are exactly a success (I do what I can!), but I can tell you that I’m constantly adjusting my daily routine according to the weather. Because two of my most important activities are Matthew’s (my son) playground time, and my running time, I’m constantly looking for the most convenient time for both (not too cold, not too dark, etc.). So, I feel that my routine is ever changing; not the activities in it, but the time at which each is done.

Right now, I try to wake up before Matthew does for some quiet time for myself (he stopped napping, so I have to take advantage of every window!). I get dressed, I check my e-mails and I make a first round of blog visits on my reader. After we have breakfast I work for an hour or two, and that involves blogging, getting some work related to my freelancing done, and managing my etsy shop. Then, if I’m running in the afternoon, I take Matthew to the playground at this time. If I’m not running that day then we go out to run some errands and come back home for lunch. After lunch I work for an hour or two, and then we hit the playground (or go for a run). Then we come home, and my husband arrives from work so he helps me with Matthew and his bath and dinner time. After we have dinner I stay up late working (this is my most productive time of the day), and just before closing my eyes I like to watch an episode of one of my favourite shows on my iPad while in bed (right now I’m watching Once Upon a Time, Revenge, 666 Park Avenue, and of course Jimmy and Conan). I’m usually asleep around 11.30.

2.     What’s your go-to day-to-day planner of choice?  Are you a pen-to-paper kind of girl or is it all technology for you?

I’m definitely a pen-to-paper kind of girl. I have tried Evernote, Go Tasks and many other tech apps for staying organized, but nothing works best for me than writing things down. I love making to-do lists and I feel like I can’t function without them, they give me structure. I enjoy writing down what I have to do and cross it once is done (isn’t that the best feeling?!)

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Sara is the Editor of Study on Style, the fashion editor at Poppy Magazine, and a freelance stylist and consultant.  Sara was kind enough to answer a few of my questions and was amazingly candid and open.  Take a peek inside Sara’s day-to-day world …

Take us through a busy day in the life of a Blogger/Editor/Stylist/Business Woman.

I have so many different jobs- some that pay, some that don’t- some that are similar, others that are completely unrelated- some that have daily deadlines, others with monthly deadlines. I’m not just a Blogger, I’m also the Fashion Editor of Poppy Magazine, a Freelance Writer and Stylist, and a Web Consultant. The common denominator of all my jobs is that I work entirely from home- an aspect that requires extra focus and structure. I’ve had to become creative and more of an entrepreneur in the last few years because I have agoraphobia (a fear of crowds that often leaves me housebound.) I divide my work up for each month as far in advance as possible so I’m aware of my monthly deadlines and can plan an even daily workload. I always start my day with jobs with deadlines for other people; in other words, my blog is always the last thing I work on. I also try to start my day or week with jobs that pay, primarily my Freelance and Consulting work, just in case something unexpected happens later in the week. Then I fill in my day with jobs with eminent deadlines. I try to cook dinner for my fiancé before he gets home (I’m not the best cook!) and spend some time with him before I work on my blog. He also works a second job from home consulting, so, sadly, we usually pass out side-by-side with our laptops.

What’s your go-to day-to-day planner of choice? Are you a pen-to-paper kind of girl or is it all technology for you

I spend a little too much time organizing my life! I practically have to schedule time for scheduling! I use both pen-and-paper and technology; I have a day planner and monthly calendar so I can look at my schedule short-term and long-term. I also keep a to-do list in a Word document of my weekly tasks. To keep track of my tasks when I’m on the go I have Orchestra, an app on my iPhone, that syncs with my computer. Of course, I never actually leave the house without my planner!

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Dianna Baros of The Budget Babe has built her very own blogging empire, with the girl-on-a-budget in mind.  Her goal: helping readers look “fab without a fortune.”  The Budget Babe’s breakdown of celebrity looks for less are my favorite, since I basically want to dive into some combination of Rachel Bilson, Reese Witherspoon, Ashley Tisdale, and Kourtney Kardashian’s wardrobes at all times.  Check out how Dianna stays organized and gets it all done …

1. Take us through a busy day in the life of a full-time blogger.
Email, research and write mid-day post, more email, research and write afternoon post, email, research and write the next day’s morning post. Mix in a healthy dose of tweeting, instagramming, phone calls and field research aka shopping!

2. What’s your go-to day-to-day planner of choice? Are you a pen-to-paper kind of girl or is it all technology for you?
I hand write daily to-do lists; the rest is on my iPhone. I depend on iCal and Google calendar.

3. What one tech accessory can you not live without?
Definitely my iPhone and my MacBook Pro. That’s two, oops!

4. Is your organization more OCD or organized chaos?
Organized chaos. Sometimes just chaos.

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Most of my design fans probably already know who Mackenzie of Design Darling is, but for those of you who have not had the pleasure of getting to know her, she’s unbelievably talented and amazing at juggling so many big things at once.  I had the pleasure of finally meeting Mackenzie in real life while in NYC for New York Fashion Week, and she is just as adorable and on her A-game in person!

Take us through a busy day in the life of a blogger/business owner.

What I love most about my job is that every day is different! I manage my social media presence, respond to customer service inquiries, scout new products, ship customers’ orders, write blog posts, and try not to let my inbox get too out of hand. And of course I’m playing on Pinterest and reading blogs! The fact that that’s part of my job is a big bonus ;)

What’s your go-to day-to-day planner of choice?  Are you a pen-to-paper kind of girl or is it all technology for you?

I use the recycled leather notebooks from my boutique to jot down ideas and to do lists. I like writing on blank pages instead of conforming to a printed calendar! There’s nothing like the satisfaction of crossing something off that list. But I also use iCal to keep track of appointments, blog conferences, coffee dates, etc.

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