Personal

My Work from Home Essentials

I’ve worked from home on and off over the years, but since I started my business I’ve spent the majority of my working hours at home. Working from home is not for everyone. It requires discipline, motivation, and a routine — at the very least. But setting yourself up for success can make a huge impact on your overall productivity. Now that many of us are working from home, I’ve heard from several friends that there’s been a huge adjustment going from an office scene to working from a home where they may or may not even have a desk. In today’s post I’m sharing a few things that I consider essentials for working at home and some other items that just make my work day a little easier. Let’s get it out of the way first that a desk is crucial and working from your couch or dining room table won’t cut it…but do what you gotta do.

Hot Water with Lemon – I start every day with either hot tea or warm water with lemon. I won’t go into any nutritional benefits because — to be honest — who knows if they’re true and that’s not what I’m here for. My reasoning for this is that 1) I don’t drink caffeine and 2) I find a warm beverage to be soothing but the lemon to be refreshing and awakening. I turn on this electric kettle before I take Marty for a walk, and by the time we’re back the water is ready and cooled down a bit.

A Cute Mug – For whatever reason, drinking out of a cute mug will easily put a smile on my face. I have this initial mug from Anthropologie and I also love this one.

Apple Airpods – Hear me out. (Ha pun intended.) I LOVE MY AIRPODS. I’ve had several people ask me “Are they worth it?” UM YES what are you waiting for??! Yes, the price tag is yikes, but just consider skipping a couple of dinners out or unnecessary clothing purchases and pick up a pair of these babies. When I say that I use them constantly, I am not exaggerating. Put it this way — I have the charger on the same table as my keys and Marty’s leash. As soon as I get up, I shower,  brush my teeth and put my Airpods in before a walk. Which leads me to…

Podcasts – I will do another blog post on this, but just know that I probably spend several hours a day listening to podcasts. When I’m walking, working out, cleaning, driving…all the time. And having Airpods in and being able to go about my daily life hands free = WIN!

Candles – I’ve had the same favorite candle for a while: Anthropologie’s Capri Blue. If you’ve ever been to the store, it’s the candle they’re always burning aka their signature scent. It’s amazing. BUT! I have a dupe for you. Bath & Body Works has a scent called Midnight Blue Citrus that is pretty darn similar if you ask me. Anthro’s may give off more of a scent, but they’re both awesome.

Fresh Flowers – Candles are great, but flowers give off a great scent and they’re nice to look at. I have a ton of plants in my house, but there’s something special about getting fresh flowers every week or so. I usually get white lilies (despite everyone saying they’re funeral flowers), hydrangeas, or sunflowers. And for the two weeks that they’re available here, LILACS!

Black Pens – I have a strong preference for black ink pens and I love these. I buy ’em by the box. May or may not have a subscription even though they last me a while. I keep several at my desk, one in my purse, one in my car, one in my bedside table drawer…you get the picture. The ink is smooth and I love them. That is all.

Legal Pads – My favorite thing to write on. I don’t use a planner and notebooks are a pain because I’m left handed. Legal pads have tons of lines (wow that sounds pathetic) but because they’re yellow, I feel like the writing stands out better. Plus, flipping over each page feels good. Sue me.

Wireless Mouse – I use a Macbook Pro, and while the trackpad is fine, I can move faster with a mouse. I also notice my wrist hurting from the trackpad, but not with this mouse. It’s on the smaller side but my hand fits comfortably and it’s easily stashed in my purse if I want to take it out.

Honestly this list could go on and on, but those things are what usually help me go about my day. But I’m always curious about other people’s setups and must-haves, so lemme know! Drop a comment below or send me a DM on IG. I’ll do another roundup soon! Until then, stay well my friends. 🙂

What Made Me Want to Become a Business Owner

I’ll be totally honest in that it took me quite a bit to get comfortable with the idea of being a business owner. It wasn’t so much entrepreneurship that I feared, but more the whole leaving my full-time job thing. As someone who thrives off routine, I liked the structure of a 9-5 job with vacation and benefits. I smirk as I type that now because, looking back, I just had no idea how much better it would be on my own. Here are a few reasons I finally took the plunge and how they’ve paid off since.

As much as I wanted structure, I also liked flexibility.

While yes, I do work a lot of hours, I like to work in energy waves. I don’t like to sit for 8 hours straight and the thought of sitting at a desk in the same place every day drove me a little batty. I wanted something where I could have my own space to work (home office) but also the option to work from a coffee shop, or while out of town. And as far as a schedule goes, being able to make my own on hours that work for me just made so much sense. 

I’ve been laid off twice.

Yep, twice. The first time was at my second job out of college. I was with them for a couple years and the recession hit. They laid off over half the company! And then at my job after that, same thing. Some people will look at entrepreneurship as a risk, and yeah, sure it is…but there isn’t always a guarantee with a full-time job either. On the other hand, with entrepreneurship, you’re in control of your own destiny.

I saw an opportunity. 

A huge part of entrepreneurship is seeing a gap and knowing how you, your product, or your service can fill it. While working full-time for a restaurant group, I was also working on similar marketing projects with food brands and other restaurants. I knew that there were tons of opportunities out there because I was already finding them without even trying. If I put in a little effort, I could quickly replace the income from my full-time job by finding enough projects to make it work. And that’s exactly what I did. I’ve mentioned it before, but when I left Boston Burger Company, I had a) decided to keep them on as a client and b) lined up enough other projects to replace the income completely. From DAY 1. 

There is so much more money to be made. 

At some point in my last job I would’ve outgrown my role. Though the company was growing and I could’ve happily grown with them, there comes a point where your salary will be capped. It’s just the way it is. The beautiful thing about entrepreneurship is that there is no cap on your income. You can grow as much as you darn please and charge what you’re worth. I think that a lot of people fear not making as much, but let me tell you, if you put the work in you’ll be so much better off. To get specific, not only had I fully replaced my income from BBC by the time I left, within 6 months I surpassed the 6-figure mark. And then, about a year and a half later, I had doubled my income from my full-time job. 

I enjoy what I’m doing.

In order to succeed, you’ve gotta be totally driven, passionate, and excited about what you’re doing. Of course there are aspects of any career that aren’t fun, but for the most part if you enjoy what you’re doing, you’re more likely to succeed. I get to work with some really cool restaurants and fun food brands, and as a former food blogger, this industry just made sense for me. To be able to wake up every day and get excited about working (and not really feeling like it’s “work”) is the best thing.

If you’ve been contemplating starting a business, I strongly suggest you write out a list of reasons why you want to do so. A pros and cons list is another great way to look at the big picture too. By doing so, you’ll protect yourself from any unnecessary risks, and you may just confirm why you definitely should become an entrepreneur.

My Morning Routine

I listen to a ton of business-related podcasts and one thing that almost all successful entrepreneurs have in common is that they have a morning routine. And I think it’s suuuper interesting to hear what people’s routines look like. I have always been someone who thrived off on routine and structure. I feel like this isn’t as common for creatives, who tend to be more type-B personalities, but I know that in order for me to stay focused, a morning routine is crucial.

One misconception that I think a lot of people have about morning routines — I certainly did — is that it means you get up at the crack of dawn. But it’s so much more than that. To me, having a morning routine is just a set of things you do to keep yourself motivated, organized, and ready to take on the day. If the first part of my morning goes “according to plan”, I already feel like the rest of my day will just run smoother. So, here’s what I do every day.

I wake up at the same time every day, or within the same ½ hour. I struggled with sleep for years. Like I could do a whole separate blog post on my evening routine too, trust me. But a huge factor of getting a good night’s sleep is staying on somewhat of a schedule. Yeah, sure, I’ll deviate from it a bit on the weekends or when I need extra sleep, but for the most part I stick to the same time. The time? 7:30 am. To some, that’s early; to others, that’s late! But that’s what works for me.

I go to the gym. I aim to be at the gym by 8am the latest. It’s about a 4-minute walk from my house, so I’m usually in and out within an hour and back home by 9. Without getting too much into the actual workout, I will say that I run every single time I go to the gym. Most days I do some form of strength training too, but running/sprints is always in the plan. It immediately wakes me up, gets my heart racing, and really makes me feel energized.

I walk Marty. As soon as I get back from the gym, I walk Marty. Often times it ends up being a nice little cool down from my workout too. He’s his happiest in the morning, so it always puts me in a good mood right away. The dood really loves life!

I eat the same thing for breakfast every day. As a business owner, you’re forced to make decisions all day long. Where I can eliminate unnecessary decisions, I sure will. Breakfast is one of them. Every now and then I’ll have something different (like brunch with friends, on vacation, etc) but at home, it’s the same thing every day. An RXBar + fruit or a protein shake. I rotate RXBar flavors (my go-to’s are Chocolate Sea Salt, Banana Chocolate Walnut, and Mint Chocolate) as well as fruit (usually an orange, banana, or berries).

I DO NOT drink caffeine. People are always surprised by this. Sometimes baffled. Caffeine and I do not get along. It makes me extremely anxious and irritable. I feel like my skin is crawling and everything is annoying. I was drinking half caff for a while but even that was too much and really triggered my anxiety. If you’re prone to panic attacks (I’ve suffered for years) caffeine is literally the worst thing. I still like a warm drink with breakfast, so I just drink tea. The Yogi brand is my #1 and my favorites are Lemon Ginger, Honey Lavender, and Honey Chai Turmeric.

I start work right away. Pretty much as soon as I get back from walking the dog and showering, I sit down to start working. To be blunt, I don’t dick around. The first thing I do is go through any emails that I didn’t get to during my walk to and from the gym. The second thing I do is check all the social media accounts I cover, making sure all scheduled posts went up and everything is running smoothly. At the time of writing this, I’m working with 18 different brands, so do you see why putting this at the top of the to-do list is a must? 😉

I always listen to podcasts. I usually start listening during my walk with Marty and throughout the first part of the day. But in reality, I listen to podcasts nonstop — when I’m driving, cleaning, cooking — all the time. But I’m sure you’re wondering why I consider this part of my morning routine. A lot of the podcasts I listen to have a purpose. They’re either to deliver me daily news, inspire and motivate me, or teach me something. I think it’s super important to always be learning, and I get a ton of useful information from podcasts. I plan to do a separate post on my favorite podcasts, don’t worry!

Other things worth mentioning:

  • The night before, I write out my to-do list for the day and use it to stay on track.
  • I time block as much as possible, focusing on one task at at time rather than jumping around.
  • I work in energy waves. I take breaks to reset my mind rather than sit in overdrive for hours on end.
  • If I feel like I’m in a temporary work rut, I either go for a walk or read a couple chapters of whatever book I’m reading.

What does your morning routine look like? I’d love to know!