Coffee Date: What a Normal Day Looks Like at SJ

Yesterday I shared a little of my struggle to stay focused lately, but I don't want you to think I'm slacking *cough, cough* so today, for our coffee date, I thought I would candidly share what my days really look like.Of course no two days are exactly the same, but for the most part, I have a very standard routine. I love routine. I'm like an infant. I also like to eat and nap. All the time. But, unlike an infant, I cannot do that. Some of us have to work for a living....

I digress.

Here's what my day looks like.

6:30am-8:00am: I do not set an alarm. I wake up when I wake up, and I am pleased that I am slowly waking up later and later. When I was working full time, I was regularly waking up between 4:30-5am. NOPE, not anymore. Every morning I do several things: turn on the news, make coffee, eat breakfast (avocado toast or scrambled eggs with spinach), wash whatever dishes are in the sink, and then do a quick vacuum (Miss Juliet sure does shed a lot).

9:00am-9:30am: I try to be sitting at my desk by 9:00 every morning. Some mornings it's a little later than that - especially if Kelly and Michael have a good guest on in the morning. What? Don't judge.

9:30am-12:30pm: As soon as I sit at my desk I make a list of everything that needs to get done. I spend the morning knocking things off the to-do list, while also answering any important emails. I try to hit on one "big picture" item every day - whether it's a quick update to the blog, Etsy shop, or emailing somebody that I've been meaning to reach out to for months. I also spend my mornings packing orders and scheduling USPS pick-ups. I am, for some weird reason, afraid that the mailman won't pick up the order the next day if it isn't scheduled before noon.

12:30pm-1:00pm: Lunch time. I'm a total mess for lunch. I stare into my fridge aimlessly for far too long. I usually resort to some sort of leftovers, frozen chicken tacos from Trader Joes, oatmeal, or my no-fail pastina egg drop soup. Lame. I know. Wednesdays are pretty exciting though - it's my husbands day off and he plays beach volleyball at night; so we usually order in Chinese as a late lunch/early dinner and eat together.

1:30pm-5:00pm: I always go back to my computer for at least an hour after lunch. I assess my to-do list and complete any items that are truly urgent. Sometimes I have enough urgent items that I work straight through til 5pm. Other days I don't have anything super urgent, so I either catch up on little things around the office, or I take the afternoon to myself and get some chores done. Whatever I end up doing, I make sure I am done by 5pm.

6:30pm-8:00pm: I love cooking, I really do, but I don't do it very often any more. My husband works during dinner hours, which leaves me by myself. After spending all day in my office I am usually desperate to get out of the house. Luckily both my parents and my in-laws live within 10 minutes, so I mooch dinner off of them at least three-four nights a week. The other nights are spent at the beach, with friends, or going to bed stupid early, skipping dinner completely, and not feeling at all guilty.

8:00pm-11:00pm: I have ADD and split personality disorder when it comes to my entertainment preferences. If I do decide to watch TV, I bounce back and forth between Fixer Upper, The Food Network, and scary shows like The Haunting. I either read or browse Craigslist during commercial breaks - because, well, why not.

So there you have the basic outline of my day. I also ABSOLUTELY MUST listen to music (lately it's been DMB on Spotify, but most days it's the Elvis Duran Show on I Heart Radio), and I try to avoid time suckers like Facebook and Instragram as much as possible. Who am I kidding? I probably spend more time on Istagram than I do checking emails.

I have a very, very interesting life. No?

Come back every Thursday for a coffee (or tea!) date. During our coffee dates, I let my hair down and chat a bit more personally about whatever's on my mind, as if we were old friends catching up over a cup of java at the local coffee house. See you next week!

Sincerely,