why i scheduled side gig work hours

writing this post, i feel silly. it's a no-brainer, isn't it? well, no - for me, it wasn't. in fact, this highly intuitive, revolutionary idea was likely the furthest thing from my mind. until i implemented it, i didn't quite understand why others did, or how it would impact my productivity and overall well-being.

here's my problem: i'm a workaholic.

if permitted, i will grab a project and run it into the ground - up till 2am making tiny kerning tweaks on text in photoshop, brainstorming what i should or shouldn't have said in that email on my way to work, planning events in my brain on my lunch hour. how wonderful, meredith, you're so motivated!

wonderful, yeah, until it wasn't. there are only so many days of that type of obsessive, work-focused existence you can lead. it was truly insightful to learn just how hard i can work, that i can jump hurdles, that i can basically go into "beast mode" & get. shit. done. i am so, so good at that. but i can't do it every day.

so, i set up "work hours" for my blog and birmingham bloggers. these are the only hours i write posts, take photos, add things to the birmingham bloggers site, plan events, schedule social media or process join forms. it's two nights a week, and one day of the weekend - and that. is. it. i may answer a rogue email out of my allotted "hours" on occasion, but overall, i try to remember something i learned in the being boss facebook group regarding emails: i am not a paramedic.

what happened was i stopped putting myself first. working, writing and constantly staying on top of things became an obsession - and i was expending so much energy planning and trying to get it all done as quickly as possible that i began to neglect the basics. all the energy that fueled my over-working tendencies could have been put towards myself. now, i've finally re-shifted. i feel balanced. i handle my life - my day job, my health, my relationships - and my side hustle jobs come next, as they should. it doesn't mean i'm not just as motivated or inspired. i still have big plans, big dreams and aspirations for where i can take my own blog, businesses and my work with birmingham bloggers, but now, i am able to be much more focused and in tune. i feel much more productive and less scattered because i have my work hours, and i stick to them.

tips on how to start side hustle "work hours"

• let go. accept that it's ok to not work 24/7. (hardest part, y'all) make a list of your priorities, and then think on that - is how you're spending your time a true reflection of your priorities? are friends/family at the top? then why are you working 70 hour weeks?  

• if you have a day job and are also balancing side gigs like a blog, small business or artistic project, take a look at your calendar and keep in mind how much you're working during the day. decide on your side gig "work hours", whether it's 3 days a week or just 1. put these hours on your calendar and treat them just like the hours you do for your day job.

• stick to them! decide what emails you must answer out of hours. but really here, be honest. are you working at a hospital? is this email going to save a life? is it truly time sensitive? probably not. it can wait an additional 12 or so hours until your "work hours" start, can't it? and in that time, what can you do for yourself instead? read a book, take a walk?
• when you do work, work efficiently. how much more work on your side job could you get done if you utilized 3-4 solid hours on 2 days a week to really dive in, and opposed to feeling scattered - watching a youtube video in between answering emails or trying to do 10 things at once. focus on the task at hand. you may find you didn't need to work as much as you thought.

do you have work hours for your side business or blog? could you benefit from them?

podcast crush: being boss

after finishing serial months ago, i got into podcasts again. and then, the other week, when i was at food media south, tina antolini's chat about her work with gravy, a podcast by southern foodways alliance, alleged that the medium was returning - with a vengeance! back in 2006-2009ish, i listened to podcasts all the time - on health, news and spirituality. they were my favorite thing to listen to on my morning drive. somehow, that habit tapered off, and i didn't launch into podcasts again until serial got popular.

back in january, i started listening to the being boss podcast by kathleen shannon and emily thompson, and i have listened to every episode since! it's a truly wonderful podcast targeted to creative entrepreneurs, be it bloggers, creatives, small business owners, or just awesome folks looking to feel inspired. it's become part of my tuesday work ritual to listen to a new episode in the afternoon.

 

some of my favorite takeaways from recent episodes...

• self care is so important. take care of yourself. prioritize. schedule your workouts and downtime onto your calendar if you have to. you are your number one employee! if your number one employee is neglected - how can work get done?!
• your personal brand matters. show up as yourself 100% of the time in work & personal life.
• if you've got a side project or career, it should be giving you energy, not depleting it. if you're feeling burnt out by a day job in addition to a side project, take a step back from your side project and take a break.
• define what professional means for yourself, and uphold those standards. professional doesn't have to mean a power business suit. consider what these standards mean for your business.

what are your favorite podcasts?

are we toning it down?

lately i've been doing some thinking about the way we all communicate. yeah, that's a fairly broad topic, no? but further, i've been taking note of emails, tone, tweets... and i've noticed some things. primarily, these interactions take place between women - and, well, as a woman, i wanted to share my observations.

i think we're all guilty of it. you know what i'm talking about.

i'm talking about changing your tone and grammar online. it's a tricky firepit to dance around - after all, we're living in an age of misinterpreted text messages and "he didn't include a smiley face. does he like me?" being a legitimate question among friends at the dinner table.

language is powerful. bold, stunning helvetica glaring at you from your iphone 6 screen can feel as if it holds the weight of a ton of bricks. what we say to one another matters, as well as how we say it, and that, my friends, is an indisputable fact. but y'all, let's just say that in a lot of my correspondences (i am 110% guilty as charged, trust me) everything feels a bit... sugarcoated.

we worry that we come across as harsh or demanding if we don't use enough exclamation points or emojis. in email, we merely make suggestions instead of asking for what we want, for fear of coming across a certain way. we insert words where they don't belong - "i just thought that maybe..." replaces the confident "i thought". unnecessary apologies and explanations litter your gmail inbox like the plague.

i'm catching my own bias here. i'm trying to think of ways to eliminate the "justs" and the "maybes" and exclamation points and still come across as warm, sincere and inviting - and my first thought is, "but i don't want people to think i sound like a bitch." but further, is it necessary to be buttery warm and inviting 24/7? who is really like that?

maybe the focus should be on cutting down the verbal clutter. don't change your words, just eliminate them. trim up your interactions to make them succinct, passionate and wholly you - minus unwarranted punctuation. we can compliment, encourage, express and ask, or even demand, without dripping it sugar, and convey the impression of a competent, friendly person. it's not about being rude, it's about being confident in your wants, needs and ideas. they're good enough. don't feel you have to frame them with emojis for them to be valid.

what do you think? are you mindful of how you communicate online?

my nashville favorites

nashville is a short 3 hour drive from birmingham, so weekend trips there are one of my favorite things. the culinary scene is nashville is diverse and delicious, the coffee is amazing, and the entertainment is second to none. now obviously, i'm not a local, but i've spent some time in nashville and have developed some go-to spots.

i'm very excited to continue exploring music venues, bars & restaurants in the music city whenever i get a chance. i am dying to try the patterson house for cocktails and etch for dinner!  if you've been to nashville, what are your favorite spots?

my favorite bites

• gabby's burgers - ok, so the great nashville burger war. i have been to the pharmacy, and honestly? i prefer gabby's. it's a burger. it's gonna be delicious. the atmosphere at pharmacy is super great. but taste wise? gabby's, hands down. best burger in nashville. cool staff. go. you won't regret it.
• silo - my favorite in germantown. described as "upscale southern", you can get your hot chicken here with a fantastic cocktail on the side. silo serves family style sides, including killer mac n cheese, jalapeno bacon cornbread with bacon butter and more. their drinks are delicious and i felt like dying and going to heaven afterwards. it's almost a year since i've been and my friends and i still talk about this place.
• barista parlor - if you want to die and go to heaven after eating a sausage biscuit, this is your place. you cannot beat coffee + a fresh biscuit here. don't be intimidated by the menu, the baristas are super friendly and will gladly point you in the right direction. 

drink highlights

• crema - i am such a fan of the cozy, mod coffee shops. they remind me of austin. crema is a really laid back atmosphere where you'll find all sorts of folks. their iced mocha is my favorite.
• city house - if you want a killer gin cocktail, this is your place. devoid of the often typical vodka + fruit combos (don't get me wrong, i love 'em), city house has a broad, diverse cocktail menu. and they're all delicious. my favorite was the samson - gin, vermouth, lemon soda, bitters & grapefruit.
• arrington vineyards - even though we aren't in california, going to a winery is so, so much fun. at arrington, it's worth it to purchase the "premier experience", which includes a tour of the property, a low down on wine production & a tasting experience with cheese. yum!

fun odds & ends

• love circle - love circle overlooks the city. it's a perfect place for a picnic or to enjoy a breezy afternoon. type it in to your gps and it might come up (i think?) but if not, ask a local and i promise you'll find your way there.
• 'i believe in nashville' sign - there are two of these in the city. i happen to prefer the larger one on the marathon music works door. the other one is located at 12 south dental studio. both are great photo ops!
• nashville predators game at bridgestone arena - this was my very first nhl game! i'm not very into hockey, but it's an experience that's fun and worth watching. a hockey team? in the south? oh yeah.

food media south recap

last weekend, i attended the food media south conference right here in birmingham, hosted by southern foodways alliance. although i am not a food blogger, i am quite the food enthusiast, as well as a member of the media, so hey, why not? i went in expecting an insightful and rewarding experience, and i definitely got one.

the list of speakers was riddled with great names - bill addision of eater.com, jed portman of garden & gun, kyle tibbs jones of the bitter southerner, dorothy kalins (founding editor of saveur), erika council of southern souffle, roscoe hall of dreamland bbq alabama royalty, & so many more.

we were treated to a wonderful lunch from johnny's in homewood, and dinner later that evening from archibald's bbq, post office pies & syke's bbq. all in all, this was a stunning roundup of local food for the out-of-towners to sample.

 

 key takeaways:

• dorothy kalins, on conducting interviews: "at the end of the interview... i usually keep one question in reserve. and then, with that question in mind, i thank the person, i start putting my papers together as if i'm ready to go, and then i kind of throw that question out, and by that time it's kind of a collegial environment where you're both in it together, like you've been working on something. revealing things happen in those moments."  
• tina antolini, on podcasts: "if you're not gathering many times more tape than minutes of your podcast, you're probably not doing enough."
• kyle tibbs jones on social media: "social etiquette is social media etiquette. don't be the loud kid at the party."
• jed portman on short, list centric/"buzzfeed" type content: "there is a sweet spot between smart, informed & shareable content that doesn't have to be click bait."
• roscoe hall on the state of food, & how food needs to be "brought down" a few notches: "food is so good right now, it's disgusting."

what fascinated me was the lack of birmingham folks at this event. hey y'all, come to food media south next year! most everyone seemed to be from out of town, and all day i kept thinking about how many birmingham bloggers would have enjoyed this conference. though not blogging centric, food media south provided an enthusiastic space for creatives and entrepreneurs of all types, with gleaming insights from some hardcore professionals with years of experience writing, creating and putting their voices out there.

i'm looking forward to attending food media south again next year, and i strongly encourage some more birmingham folks to look into this conference. i left feeling motivated and inspired to pursue a few different projects. i also felt super inspired by birmingham itself -- hosting an event like this in this city reminds me that birmingham is a growing hub for not only food, but creativity and media in general. go birmingham!