by Joey | Jun 15, 2018 | In the kitchen
Let me first start this post with a disclaimer. I am not a chef. I am hardly a “cook.” If you don’t believe me, ask my husband about our first year of marriage. I served everything Teriyaki with a side of Velveeta mac & cheese. The kitchen was a battleground, and I lost daily. But over the last eight years (yikes…), I’ve developed some kitchen habits that have helped me stay organized, save money, and serve delicious food without having to be a chef.
Kitchen Hacks: How to stay on budget, save time, and still eat delicious food.
Create a master list.
You know I’m going to tell you to start meal planning–that’s inevitably where this post is going. You know it, and I know it. So before you get mad and click out, understand that I’m going to make things a whole lot easier for you. The meal planning game changed for me when I created a master list of meals. Every family has a master list, whether they realize it or not. Think about your normal meal rotation–you likely have at least five or six meals you repeat often.
Well, I decided to take things to another level back when we lived in Buies Creek. I had more time, so I started being a little more adventurous in the kitchen. And by adventurous, I just mean I started actually making some of the meals I’d pinned on Pinterest. Every time I made something new, the hubs and I would decide whether it was an “add to the rotation” kind of meal. Eventually, we introduced quite a few meals to the master list.
A meal-in-rotation can be as simple as grilled chicken and roasted veggies or it can be as complex as beef wellington. (By the way, if you’re serving beef wellington in rotation, let me make sure you have my number because I want to be invited over, okay?) All I’m saying here is you don’t have to get super fancy with things. Having a hard time thinking about some meals? Call your mom (or dad, it is 2018) and ask what they used to serve regularly when you were a kid and snag those recipes.
Meal plan.
Yup. You knew I was going to tell you to do this. And I know, meal planning used to make me groan, too. There was some kind of voodoo magic happening anytime I sat down to plan out meals: I wouldn’t be able to remember a single meal I’d ever cooked ever. This is where your master list comes in to play.
Meal planning gets a whole lot easier when you’re not having to employ too much creativity. I typically plan out 14 dinners at a time. (I know I’m insane–maybe start with just one week, okay? I simply do two because I like to do all my grocery shopping for one pay period at a time.)
When I’m meal planning, I typically pull 8-10 master list meals (like I said, it’s gotten pretty long at this point), then I commit to trying 4-6 new recipes either from cookbooks, friend recommendations, or Pinterest.
Meal planning takes the decision out of the moment. Don’t just make a list of meals you’re going to make over the course of the next week or so, actually schedule them thoughtfully. Consider what you have going on each day and plan the meal accordingly. Don’t put a labor-intensive meal on a day you’re running around like crazy. Scheduling them out makes it so much easier to actually follow through.
Have designated days.
Meal planning, even with a master list, can get exhausting. My husband could eat the same thing all day every day and be just fine. I, on the other hand, don’t care much for repetition. That being said, I have some designated days that help when it comes to meal planning.
- Monday: always tacos of some sort
- Two Fridays: always homemade pizza
- The Other Two Fridays: always reserved for eating out
- Saturday (in this season of life anyway*): imitation Moe’s (salad for J, burrito bowl for me)
Jonathan works an 11 hour day on Saturdays, so I always bring him dinner.
Create your grocery list based on your meal plan.
I know this isn’t rocket science, but it really makes an enormous difference when it comes to your grocery bill. Buying only what you need instead of a hodgepodge of random items in hopes of having what you’ll need for dinner is a game changer.
Prep your staples.
In an attempt to avoid the urge to run out for fast food when I’m teetering the verge of hangry, I have some staples always ready to go. For us, that’s:
- A batch of grilled chicken
- Roasted veggies (California medley + roasted brussels sprouts)
These staples save us when I didn’t find the time to make dinner or I simply don’t feel like it. We can easily throw the chicken into a quesadilla, a salad, a sandwich, a pasta dish, or just eat it as it is with a side of veggies. I tend to cook these on Saturdays or Sundays for the week.
Honestly, just getting a little organized when it comes to the kitchen makes a huge difference. Employing these habits have really helped us save money, and I actually really enjoy cooking now. And on the nights I don’t? Well, that’s what the staples are for. 🙃
Tell me, what are some things you do to make your meal-planning life easier? What’s one of your go-to dishes?
by Joey | Jun 14, 2018 | Creative Entrepreneur, How I Work Series
Hey there! My name is Kat Boogaard, and I’ve been a full-time freelance writer for nearly the past four years (don’t even ask me where that time went…).
Like any writer, I’m capable of researching and writing about nearly anything—seriously, I once wrote an entire article all about how fish finders work. But, for the past couple of years, I’ve really found my niche in career advice and other content related to productivity, entrepreneurship, and self-development. At this point, I focus on that almost exclusively.
I’m a Staff Writer and Editor for the popular career platform, The Muse, as well as a contributor all over the web. You may have seen me places like Trello, Toggl, Wrike, The Everygirl, and more. I’m fortunate that my work has also been picked up by a variety of respected publications, including Forbes, Fast Company, TIME, Inc., Business Insider, Mashable, and more.
Whew. How was that for a not-so-humble brag?
I love writing for a living. But, when I’m not cranking out content for my clients, my passion project is helping other freelancers launch and grow their own businesses—whether it’s a side hustle or something they’re planning to leap into full-time.
From how to pitch publications to how to tackle the groan-worthy task of tracking your income and expenses, I author blog posts and create resources on my website (which is, admittedly, currently undergoing a major overhaul). I also have a newsletter and a Facebook community where creative freelancers can get insider insights and connect with one another about the trials and tribulations of the freelance life (come join if you’re a creative freelancer yourself!).
Needless to say, I love to stay busy. Fortunately, over the years, I’ve managed to refine some routines and habits that work well for me—and somehow keep me from tearing my hair out. I’m super excited to share all of that with you today!
How I Work
I know the increased flexibility is one of the greatest perks involved with freelancing. That fact makes me almost embarrassed to admit this: I tend to stick with a pretty consistent schedule every day of the workweek.
Most of the time, you can find me parked at my desk in my home office (with one or both of my rescue pups parked at my feet). While I do tend to head out to coffee shops for some focused work every now and then, I usually prefer to be at my own desk. It means I can work on my larger desktop computer (as opposed to my laptop) while also staying home with my clingy puppers.
I aim to start my workday by 8AM, and I usually ease into things by checking and responding to emails and tying up any other random loose ends. Between 9 and 11AM are some of my “golden hours” (to use a productivity cliché), so that’s a time when I like to focus in on actual writing—as opposed to more administrative work.
When I’ve wrapped up what I’m working on, I’ll return a few more emails (sigh, gotta love it) and then break for lunch around 11:30AM. I’ll take my pups outside for a bit and then watch a show (it’s usually reruns of Gilmore Girls or Grey’s Anatomy) while I dig into my lunch.
After that, I’m back to work until about 3:30PM, at which point I’ll get changed into my workout attire and head to the gym to meet my friend (and workout buddy). I try to make it there about three or four times a week. Since that involves “borrowing” some time from my workday, I typically work from about 6:30PM to 8 or 9PM—a bad habit I’ve been trying to break for years.
In terms of what sort of things I do during a standard workday? You can find me doing any combination of the following:
- Checking and responding to emails (so. many. emails.)
- Doing research for articles that I’m writing
- Scheduling interviews with sources
- Pulling stock photos
- Attending meetings or instant messaging with editors and other team members
- Writing, writing, and more writing
When it comes to staying organized, I’m a traditional pen and paper kind of gal. I have a paper planner that I live and die by, as well as a notebook that I use to jot down my daily to-do lists. I’ll add things to that list throughout the day as they arrive in my inbox or pop into my brain. I’ve learned from experience that if something isn’t written down, it probably isn’t getting done.
I do have some clients who prefer that I work inside their own project management systems—like Wrike, Trello, or Asana—and, I do enjoy those (I even use Trello for some personal projects). But, when in doubt, you’ll probably find me with pen and paper in hand.
I’m fortunate that I also work as a part of some pretty great teams. So, I do spend some time each day connecting with various colleagues all over the globe. In most cases, we use Slack to do that.
Habits & Routines
Unfortunately, I’ve never been a morning person (I so, so wish I was!). I set my alarm for 6:45AM with the purest of intentions. But, after letting out a few choice words and then turning it off, I typically start my morning pretty slowly in bed. Despite the fact that I advise people not to do this very thing, I spend a half hour or so scrolling through social media and checking my emails before eventually rolling out from under the covers, grabbing some breakfast, and getting my day started.
One habit I’m desperately trying to implement is to get myself cleaned up and dressed each morning before sitting down at my desk. For years, I’ve headed straight into “work mode” while I’m still in my pajamas. However, I’ve noticed that when I take a little bit of time to get myself freshened up and changed, I’m far more productive.
I’d also love to train myself to take advantage of my level of flexibility a little more. I do that to a certain extent by heading to the gym in the afternoon and taking things a little easier on Thursdays and Fridays. But, I’m hoping to become even a little less rigid with my schedule and maybe even head out to the grocery store or Target on a random Tuesday morning—gasp! That’s just one less thing I’d have to do on the weekend.
As I mentioned, Thursdays and Fridays are a little lighter for me. I try to get the bulk of my really heavy work done Monday through Wednesday so I can coast a little more at the end of the week. Every Thursday, I head to my parents’ house (they live about 45 minutes from me). I love to grab lunch and dinner with them. And, when the weather is nice, my dad and I will even squeeze in a quick round of golf.
I tend to reserve Fridays for tying up loose ends from the workweek, doing some laundry (again, so I don’t have to do it over the weekend!), and working on any personal projects—such as blog posts, new digital downloads, etc.
Life Balance
About a year or so ago, I came to the realization that I was teetering on the edge of burnout. I was working late every single evening, as well as the entirety of my weekend—and, eventually, it got to the point where I resented what I was doing.
At that point, I knew I needed to make a change. So, I really prioritized my own work-life balance (hence why it’s now non-negotiable for me to head to the gym a few times each week).
When I get home from the gym, my husband, Ty, and I will usually take our dogs on a long walk and then cook and eat dinner together. I’ll head back to my office for an hour or two after we’ve done the dishes, but I try my best to be unplugged from work by 9PM at the latest each night.
We’ll usually unwind by watching an hour or so of t.v. (right now, we’re really into season two of The Handmaid’s Tale, Jessica Jones, and are planning on starting Evil Genius soon!) before heading to bed and then starting all over the next day.
I’ve made a switch to reserve the majority of my weekend as work-free time. So, we’ll fill that with fun things like dinner and drinks with friends, comedy shows, and hikes with the dogs—as well as plenty of DIY projects around the house.
I won’t even try to pretend that I’m the master of work-life balance. But, it’s an area where I’ve seen myself make some pretty major strides over the past year or so—and I’m proud of that. Progress over perfection.
I feel so fortunate to be one of the lucky few who genuinely loves my work. Being a freelancer certainly comes with its fair share of challenges, but it’s so rewarding and—at this point—I really can’t picture myself doing anything else.
Thanks so much for letting me give you a little glimpse into how I work. If you feel like getting in touch or keeping up with what I have going on? I’m most active on Instagram (prepare for an abundance of dog photos) and Twitter. I’d love to hang out with you there. Come say hello!
by Joey | Jun 12, 2018 | Devotional Series
Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, constant in prayer.
Romans 12:12
Be joyful in hope. That phrase has been on a loop in my head since 2015. Daily, I hear it. Sometimes it feels like a comforting reminder, others like a cruel taunt. Joyful in hope. What does that even mean? They’re nice words to say, sure. But how on earth do I even do that, really? Be joyful in hope? I guess first I have to understand what it means.
Joyful. Joyfulness: A condition of supreme well-being and good spirits. Hope. A feeling of expectation and desire for a certain thing to happen.
Well, that’s the epitome of prayer, isn’t it? Faith and trust that God will provide what it is that we so desire deep down? I heard someone say once that we’re supposed to pray like an expectant mother waiting for her baby. It’s already been planted, and now we wait. It will come in due time. Be patient.
Jonathan and I went to Charleston this past February. Our first real vacation since the summer of 2016. We planned it at the end of December, and each day I’d sit at my desk and dream happily about walking down King Street, the sun beating down on my shoulders. I could see it. I could feel it. And it brought me joy. I knew the day was coming. Soon, we’d pack up our belongings, put them in the trunk of the car, and drive the 3 hours South. And in the meantime, I could be joyful in that expectation. It was coming.
Hope. Expectation. It’s hard to have hope and be doubtful at the same time. Or rather, it’s hard to be doubtful and have hope at the same time. Raise your hand if you’ve been living in a state of doubt lately? I know I have been. I’ve been doubting all over the place, and then I wonder why I feel like a disappointment. To myself. To the people who believe in me. And worst of all, to God. A disappointment. Doubt is a cancer. It seems deep into your soul and destroys your life from the inside out.
The cure? Joyfulness and hope. Joyfulness is different than happiness. Joyful is a condition, a state of your heart, a perspective and outlook. Happiness is temporary. Fleeting. An emotion. You can have Joyfulness without happiness.
I have a funny story about how I came across that piece of scripture. It’s an important piece of scripture to me. In fact, I’d go so far to say it’s my scripture. It hangs over the bed in our master bedroom; the words bleeding into my heart every single day.
You all know the story of when football made a dramatic exit from our lives at the end of 2014. I’ve told you before that inexplicably, I turned to God, knowing I couldn’t face what was coming on my own. I say inexplicably because I did not have a solid relationship with Christ at that time. I was a sometimes Sunday Christian at best. Well, in an attempt to seek comfort, I turned to the internet, searching for scripture to ease the fear in my heart. This piece of scripture was the first result, and it immediately spoke right to my heart, lifting the weight of the fear and clearing the fog of the anxiety. And then I saw it, Romans 12:12. Of course, I laughed to myself.
You see, my family has a special connection to the number 12. My grandfather died on the 12th of December, long before I was born. And I realize it’s a weird thing we do, but we hold that number sacred, finding extra blessings in all things twelve. Twelves pop up in all meaningful things, like a gentle little wink from above.
So it’s only fitting that the scripture that runs through my veins daily, commanding me to be joyful in hope would reveal a 12. Because of course it does. And that, my friends, is hope.
by Joey | Jun 11, 2018 | Creative Entrepreneur
Starting a business is a true labor of love. Some might even argue that becoming an entrepreneur requires a tiny dash of insanity. While it can look positively dreamy from the outside, there’s a lot that goes into starting, building, managing and growing a small business. I’m sure the story varies for most everybody, but for me, I wanted to start a business so I could design my work life. I wanted to have a say in my day-to-day obligations, and I certainly wanted to do more of what makes me happy on a regular basis.
I didn’t go in totally naive. I understood that you have to take the bad with the good. I knew I’d have to face hard days, difficult clients, and boring admin. So I went in armed with a plan to make joy a permanent fixture in my day-to-day business operations.
How to build a joyful business
Know what you want.
Now, this can be a pretty broad statement. To be honest, when I started my first company–my partner and I weren’t 100% clear on what exactly we were going to do. And sometimes I think it’s vitally important to start before you have all of that figured out. You learn a lot from the doing–and we certainly did. And that was the best thing for our company.
But what you can do is start narrowing in on what you want your days to look like. Answer some important questions that will help you design the kind of business you want to run. What kinds of clients do you want to work with? Where do you want to spend your days? Are you at a computer? Are you traveling around for meetings? Are you standing on a stage? You don’t have to pick just one direction, either. The best part of having your own business is you get to decide all the different things you want to do. But in order to do them, you have to know what they are first.
Know your why.
I believe this step is more important than even knowing what it is you want to do. Your why will be the driving force behind everything. And in fact, I’ve seen businesses crash and burn that had everything else figured out to a T, but they didn’t know their why. Your why is what separates you from the rest. It’s the reason people hire you or your company over another. Your why is what causes you to eagerly jump out of bed each day.
Honestly, there are going to be a lot of days where the work just looks like work. Your todo list is going to be a mile long, someone’s going to mess up, and you’ll be on the receiving end of some less-than-stellar emails. But if you keep your why at the forefront of your mind, and at the forefront of your business, it can will be total game changer.
Know what you don’t want.
There are a few ways to narrow in on exactly what you don’t want. And truthfully, you’ll probably find these things out by blending a perfect cocktail of the following:
- Educating yourself. I learned a lot about what I did and didn’t want by listening to podcasts about small businesses. I practically used Being Boss as a mentor when I was first getting started. I didn’t know anything about business ownership back then. So I wouldn’t have had a clue what to expect when it came to the tough stuff. Learning from their mistakes and experiences saved me a lot of time and a lot of headaches.
- Doing the wrong things. Sadly, one of the most valuable ways to learn what you don’t want is to, well, just do the things. Test the waters. While this way is a lot less pleasant, it’s supremely powerful. I’ve learned a lot about the kinds of services I want to offer, the kinds of clients I want to work with, and the way in which I like to work from working with the wrong people in the wrong way.
Share your expertise.
Have you ever watched a person’s face as they’re talking about their expertise? I swear to you it’s the best physical representation of joy. I’m in a networking group of women here in Charlotte, and every Wednesday I get to watch as one of them shares all about what it is that they do. And their faces display pure bliss. Sharing all about what you do, why you do it, and why it’s important doesn’t only attract and educate your clients, it keeps that passion at the forefront of your business.
It’s really, really easy to get bogged down by the day-to-day stuff. It’s easy to become doubtful in your abilities or expertise. But when you are constantly sharing that with people, it can be so reaffirming. I work with clients to help them share their expertise through blog content. Either they’re not strong writers themselves or they just don’t have the time. But always, always they are a wealth of important knowledge. We do this by having monthly meetings where they thought-download their expertise to me in a really organic conversation. I wish I could bottle up the energy from those meetings. The client is often radiating passion, and I am just soaking it up. Bathing in your passion is a really powerful way to keep joy in your business.
Set up boundaries.
Now that you know what you want and what you don’t want, you actually need to do something with that information. In fact, if you don’t do something with all of that information, it’s really easy to end up resenting the very business you’ve worked so hard to build. Laying a foundation that’s protected by boundaries is so important, but undeniably difficult.
You need to have a firm grasp on your process and you need to be able to communicate that clearly to your clients in a way that makes them feel confident in their choice. But here’s the thing, people aren’t always going to want to respect you or the way you work. So while having the boundaries is important, what’s even more important is your ability to implement and defend them.
I believe that if you’re going to put in the effort to build a business, it should only be for joy. Sure, you’re going to experience a myriad of emotions throughout your general experience, but if joy isn’t at its core, you’re doing something wrong. I know I left the traditional workforce in an attempt to leave that miserable-every-day feeling. And i”m sure I’m not the only one. We’re all so obsessed with the hustle and success, that we forget to allow ourselves to enjoy it. And we most certainly forget that we’re allowed to design joyful businesses.
If you need a little help sharing your expertise or implementing the proper boundaries to build your own joyful business, get in touch. I’d love to help you find joy in your business.
by Joey | Jun 7, 2018 | Creative Entrepreneur, How I Work Series
Hello sprinkley friends, my name is Liz Butts and I’m the owner of Sprinkle Pop. My company (i.e. me and one other sprinkle fairy) manufactures artisan sprinkle mixes for baked goods and sweet treats. A little bit about me…I’ve been a cake decorator for over 15 years (half my life). I also worked in the oil and gas industry for a startup company for nearly 10 years. My point is, that I’m kind of an overachiever and a work-a-holic. I live in Houston, Texas with my husband, Sean, and our three perfectly quarky border collies, Maverick, Kinsey and Jelly Bean.
I launched Sprinkle Pop somewhat on a whim in March of 2017 and haven’t looked back. Through hard work, some lucky PR, and determination I grew Sprinkle Pop into a 6 figure company in 1 year. 9 months in, I got to quit my corporate job to live the sweet life full-time. In May of this year, I moved the business out my home (things were getting kind of cray) into a warehouse in the city and hired an employee. Needless to say, it’s been a crazy year, but I can honestly say I’ve enjoyed every second of it and the challenge of growing this business gets me out of bed in the morning and excited to face each day!
How I work
A typical day for me starts with puppy cuddles in bed. Then I get up and get ready for the day. I’m a self-proclaimed makeup addict, but it really doesn’t make sense to get all dolled up to work by yourself most days, so I typically put on some light makeup and put my hair in secure braids. My go too outfit is yoga pants or leggings and a t-shirt. I’m on my feet a lot, so I love my sketchers easy walk sneakers…they are the BEEESSSSTTTT. After I feed my doggies and pack my lunch, I hop in my beloved Yukon and make the 24-40 minute commute to the “office.” I usually listen to a podcast or book on tape on my way in.
My office is my happy place. I have a sprinkle wall, and a sprinkle couch and sprinkles everywhere. When I get in, typically log on to my email and respond to any pertinent messages, wholesale inquiries and what not. Then I print out our shipping labels for orders that need to go out. My employee, Tisha, comes in Mon/Wed/Fri. She brings her kids with her. One is 3 months and 1 is 4 years. They keep things interesting but are so well behaved and provide some much needed comic relief at times. Every day is a little different, but there are several tasks that may or may not need completing: Filling orders, dying sprinkles, mixing up sprinkle mixes, bottling, labeling, cleaning, planning new sprinkle mixes, take photos for the website or social media.
Life Balance
To be honest, life balance is not a luxury that all small business owners get. I’m trying to build a sprinkle empire so Sprinkle Pop pretty much consumes my life. In fact, since I moved Sprinkle Pop out of my house, I find myself incredibly bored on weekends. I’m searching for something to work on but all my sprinkles are in town, so I typically try to create some sort of blog post or marketing material or plan for the week. I find time for friends and leisure when I want or need it, but working on Sprinkle Pop makes me happy so I typically spend as much time as possible doing that. Ok, ok… I do watch A LOT of TV in the evenings…while I work…even while I’m writing this I’m catching up on West World!
So…next time you find yourself in need of sprinkles…you know where to go. sprinklepop.shop
Thanks for hanging with us today, Liz! Be sure to follow Sprinkle Pop on Facebook & Instagram to swoon all over the colorful sweetness! And trust–her sprinkles are so creative that they can make even this amateur caker look profesh!
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