Have you ever been in the position where your to-do list seems to be forever long and there's never enough time in the day to get it done?

So, things have been quiet around here for the past couple of weeks and I just wanted to do a quick update on what's up and how things are going in my life.

Note: I'm hoping to do more of these personal updates here and there, mixed in with the designer guides in order give you a taste of who I am (outside of being a total content marketing bad ass, of course!).

Budgeting time...

...and energy for that matter, for things outside of my 9-to-5 has proven challenging over the last few weeks.

I'm excited to announce that this is my fifth week at a brand new full time job where I'm growing the marketing initiatives from the ground up for a fast-growing family owned real estate firm here in Seattle. 

It's been an interesting journey, equal parts challenging and exciting, as I learn a brand new industry and attempt to apply my marketing knowledge to something I know next-to-nothing about (real estate). I've been learning so much over the past few weeks that some days I feel as if my head is about to explode - in a good way!

Between learning a brand new industry (and company), getting used to working in an office, losing approximately two valuable hours a day to commuting, and freelancing on the weekends, I've started to find it difficult to budget time and energy for what I'm truly passionate about. 

I've allowed myself a month to re-adjust to my new schedule, establish a routine, and get things going. Now that month is up, and I'm ready to get back to it. I'm still figuring it out.

With that said, here's one tip I've picked up on budgeting time and energy to do what you love when you're working a full time job and freelancing on the side.

Writing Down Your Goals

This one seems obvious, and yet I don't think enough of us do it right. At least, I know that was the case for me.

On January 1st of every year, we all sit down and ponder what we'd like to accomplish for the year. Maybe it's losing weight, writing every day, or reading 50 books.

We may or may not write it all down, but either way, most of us tend to fail to follow through with them, giving up just a few weeks later. 

I have a shit ton of to-do lists. In fact, I have three or four just for my day job. I've tried a lot of things, and the one I've found to stick the most is to separate out my goals as follows:

• Yearly goals - What do I want to accomplish for the year (i.e. read 12 books)?

• Monthly goals - What can I do this month to accomplish my goals for the year (i.e. read one book)?

• Weekly goals - What can I do this week to accomplish my monthly goals (i.e. read 1/4 of a book)?

I simplified my examples for the sake of easy math - I know we're all creatives here - but you get the point. Rather than identifying completely separate goals for each year, month, and week, set them up in a way that will help you reach your yearly goal by December 31st. 

How does it work?

I'm not telling you that this is the only way to get the time and energy you need to just get the damn thing done. However, it's what works for me. Why? Because checking things off a list is what motivates me. 

To me, it's a great feeling when I see something and get to mark it off. However, if you ask Kathleen Shannon or Emily Thompson of Being Boss, they'll tell you about the Chalkboard Method.

I won't go too in depth into that because you can read all about it on their blog, here. However, maybe writing down the goal is a way to ask the universe to give you enough time and energy to complete your goals.

In the mean time, I'm just hustling along and doing what I can to stay afloat. Don't worry - I haven't disappeared. I have it on my goals to continue writing on a weekly basis to pursue my passion of helping designers take their marketing to the next level.

See you soon <3