A Glimpse into My Life

As this blog is new I thought a good way of introducing myself would be to share a glimpse into my life. I don’t know about you but I’m a sucker for seeing ‘behind the scenes’ of a business and finding out what people actually do. I can tell you that I’m a Marketing, Communications and Branding Consultant, but even if you work in the same industry it’s so varied that I doubt you could guess what my average working day looks like. So, assuming that you’re vaguely interested, slightly curious or unashamedly nosy (delete as appropriate), step into my life for a day…

7.30am: Not a natural morning person

I am not a natural morning person and would happily sleep until gone midday, but sadly most people function within standard work hours. I snooze my alarm several times, cuddle my dog Thor then drag myself out of bed for a quick shower. I’m out of the house in less than 15 minutes and off for a walk with all three dogs in my local park, where someone has decorated the trees with cute goggley eyes.

9:00am: A less than salubrious breakfast location

On Mondays I meet my mum and today we go for breakfast at The Mess, along with the best behaved of my dogs, Noah. Mum grumbles about the less than salubrious industrial estate location but cheers up when she sees how lovely the café is. I choose a veggie breakfast, though the fake sausages taste weirdly of blue cheese so are donated to Noah, who will happily hoover up anything edible and many things that aren’t. After breakfast I head home to start work, a little later than planned because mum managed (with little difficulty) to convince me to stay for an extra cuppa and a freshly baked cookie.

10.30am: Too many Lancaster Libraries

After making a cup of tea I head to my home office and hit play on my ‘start work’ playlist, something that I’m testing to help me focus on work and create a morning routine. I’m not sure I’m sold on the idea yet. Music playing, I check emails. I have one from a past client about a new piece of work so I send a quote and arrange a meeting, then see what I have in my planner today. I only have one client booked for half a day on Mondays at the moment so I’m hoping that I’ll have some time later to get my first newsletter sent out.

Today’s client is Lancaster Jazz Festival who have asked me to implement the marketing strategy that I wrote for them. The festival is next month now though, so the wider strategy is on hold whilst we concentrate on creating content and promoting their events. First up is a social media check in. Thankfully the artists have started to promote their shows (bafflingly this isn’t always a guarantee) so there’s some nice content going out on our behalf as well as what I’m creating and sharing.
 
Social media checked and it’s straight onto writing the copy for the gigs. I pull all the info from the website then format it so that it reads nicely for each social media channel. Then I start trying to find relevant people and organisations to tag in each post. This is always a challenge but today takes a tediously long time because most artists haven’t shared their accounts with us which leaves me hunting round websites to track them down. Even the organisations involved aren’t blameless… Did you know how many Lancaster Libraries there are in America?! It takes me nearly 20 minutes of hunting before finding the correct UK one. It’s a rewarding relief when the final post is ticked off and everyone is accounted for!

1.00pm A half-hearted lunch

​The dogs have been quietly napping while I work but are getting antsy now and unable to ignore their plaintive looks any longer I feed them then head into the garden to eat my lunch. I usually try to walk them at lunch but I’m conscious of how much I still need to do so I half-heartedly read articles online.

1.30pm: A series of apocalyptic short stories

​Back in my office and I decide to raise my desk so that I can stand for a bit. I have a new adjustable desk (not an ad, I just love it!) and I find myself standing far longer than I expected to. I’ve got design work to do and I find an audio book to listen to while I work. I’m a big fan of zombies, so a series of apocalyptic short stories is todays choice. I begin creating graphics for every Lancaster Jazz Festival event. Much like the rest of my day, it takes longer than I’d planned because I check all the times, dates, locations and names multiple times to make sure everything is correct. Once I’m happy with each image, I create a reel showcasing all events which is quick, fun and gets immediate engagement on Instagram. A nice social media dopamine hit to end the day on!

5.00pm: Wine and house plants

​I’ve run out of time for my newsletter today (which is why you’re reading it a week late, sorry about that) but I’m so happy with how much I’ve got done today despite the delays. Plus, the extra hours this week means that I’m able to finish early next week to go on holiday. I quickly tidy my desk ready for work tomorrow and head out for dinner at a friend’s, listening to a radio show about TikTok influencing book sales on the way. I sip wine and re-pot her house plants while she cooks dinner, then we settle in to watch the last episode of ‘Sex Education’ while my dogs beg for food.

11.00pm: Family, friends and fun work

Back home and after a quick good night to my husband, who has enjoyed having the house to himself for an evening of video games, I jump in the shower then head to bed with my book. It’s been a lovely and productive day full of family, friends and fun work!
 
So, there you have a pretty standard Monday for me. It changes a little depending on what clients I have booked in but I always try to leave half of Monday free for my own business admin, seeing family and friends or just relaxing so unlike a lot of people Monday is one of my favourite days of the week!

---

​Whether you’re just starting out or you’d like a refresh, I’m here to work with you every step of the way to make sure that the whole process is as easy and stress-free as possible.

You can sign up for my newsletter here and follow regular updates on my various social media pages below...
LinkedIn
Instagram
Facebook 
Twitter (or whatever Elon is calling it these days)