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My New Daily Routine As A Full-Time Blogger

Jul 04

blogger desk
Happy Fourth, Friends! I know today’s post isn’t Independence Day themed (Monday’s post was about The Best 4th of July Sales) but I was just too excited to share. This post has been a work in progress for months now. Many of you who have followed me for a long time now know I finally went full-time blogger in January. Well, technically I went full-time at the end of last October when we moved back from California. I immediately started job hunting and quickly figured out I love what I do so much more and as I dove in deeper, things here at Pardon Muah HQ began to grow like crazy.

It wasn’t until recently though, that I revamped my schedule. I don’t know why but a couple weeks ago I realized I wasn’t “working” like I should be by way of my day to day schedule. I was super scattered with my daily duties and had no rhyme or reason for when I did what which meant a lot of late nights, working more than I wanted to on weekends, and me feeling tired and anxious most of the time. 
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I started reading blog posts written by other bloggers I admire like The Teacher Diva by Ashley Robertson and Chronicles of Frivolity by Katie McFarlan and gained a ton of insight and direction. I realized I was still working in the grey area. Still wondering if I could really make this happen instead of acting like I WAS DOING IT. One of the keys to success as a blogger is believing you can do it and literally making things happen… whether through persistence, commitment, not taking no for an answer, ramping up your strategy… you name it, you gotta do it! And I knew I was never going to feel like a real full-time blogger until I started to actually act like one. 

So I sat down and made myself a solid, stick to it, schedule. Now, normally I’m a paper person through and through but I decided to give Google Calendar a try since I’m at my computer so much of the time. In addition, I still schedule in my planner as it helps me to remember by writing things down… and it’s therapuetic for me to update it daily. Plus, if I ever need to go to a meeting I can take my planner with me in my bag and have it on hand should I need to look at dates. I’ve had a couple questions about which planner I use – this year I opted for swans. You can shop it HERE.

Below you will find a time by time play by play of my “regular” days. This can obviously change if there’s an event or a particular campaign I’m working on so I still have to stay flexible. But for the most part, this is a good look at how I schedule myself. Keep in mind as a blogger I’m working at any and all times (and always the weekend) because social media never sleeps. There are tons of perks, don’t get me wrong, but blogging and working as an influencer is so much more than pretty pictures and free clothes. In order to make it a living you have to WORK and work often to grow and be successful.

bedroom vanity
king size tufted bed

morkie laying on bed

kopari skincare routine

kopari skincare routine

07:00 WAKE UP || I finally figured out that 7-7:15 am is the sweet spot for getting myself out of bed. For years now I’ve tried to become an early riser and I always fail. I think it’s because whenever I tried to achieve early morning success I would resort to 5:30 or 6 am alarms and it just never lasted. Since I make my own schedule I’m able to get up whenever I want… but that doesn’t mean I want to waste my day sleeping – getting up too late makes me anxious. 7 am has been surprisingly easy and ends up being quite perfect since that’s right when J leaves so neither of us is in the other one’s way.

Once up, and feet on the floor, I take Heidi out right away. Then I like to watch the Today Show while I pick up anything out of order around the house like shoes or dishes not put away the night before. And sometimes on Mondays, I’ll finish up or start laundry too. Some nights I’d rather get into bed on time than tidy up, so I use this time to get everything into its place so I have a clear mind when I start working. 

I know thirty minutes isn’t much, but I usually also find the time to go through my quick morning skincare routine which usually consists of a light serum, eye cream, and moisturizer (you can find my skincare routine HERE). In addition, I’ll brush through my hair and throw it up so it’s out of my face. These little things really help to make me feel more awake and pulled together.


white keurig coffee maker
white keurig coffee maker
07:30 BREAKFAST || Lately, I’ve been a lot better about actually making myself breakfast. I used to forego or forget to eat because I either got up too late or got sidetracked with miscellaneous tasks right away. Now, I immediately turn on the oven and prep the coffee machine. I’ve been loving these organic maple syrup sausage patties and a cup of cinnamon dolce coffee with a days dose of collagen creamer. It’s really yummy!

black quilted bag on door knob
gold target console table
blush desk chair
blogger desk

08:00 IN OFFICE || I try to be really diligent about opening up my office door right at 8 am to begin working. Like any “real” job where I have to be held accountable to what time I get to work. I open the blinds, turn on the lights, start up my computer, put my phone in its holder, and set my freshly made coffee onto a cute coaster. Let’s be honest, office esthetics seriously help productivity.

08:30 EMAILS || I like to start my day by catching up on emails. I have three different accounts so I like to check them all in order of blog, personal, and an account where I do some marketing work for another company. As a blogger, emails accumulate so quickly, that if you don’t stay on top of them multiple times a day, I’ll quickly lose track. I hate feeling like I may have missed an important message or that someone feels ignored so I’m really OCD about getting through them all. Most times, I have less than 20 emails in each of my inboxes at any given time. And those are the ones that I want to keep front of mind. Everything else gets marked as spam, deleted, or funneled into appropriately labeled folders (I recently deep cleaned my email and boy was it exhausting! But it feels amazing to have everything current and in its place).

erin condren planner with swans

09:30 UPDATES || After I get my emails to a manageable and well-organized place, I will update my to-do list for the day/week/month, in addition to my planner and Google Calendar. For my to-do lists, I use a simple notebook and cross or highlight things off as I go which makes me feel really accomplished by the end of the day. I also like to rip out pages in my planner when the week is over. That may be totally weird but it’s super satisfying and I enjoy watching my planner get thinner and thinner as the year goes along… does anyone else do this?!

bedroom vanity

morkie laying on bed
makeup on vanity
10:00 GET READY || By 10 am I’m usually feeling pretty good about my organizational process, and have answered any urgent or pressing messages, so I head back to my bedroom to get ready for the day. Most days I get ready pretty quickly because I have my routine down to a science. I’ll put on makeup, do my hair, and change into something casual but cute since usually I’ll be talking on stories at some point. If I’m doing a try-on session, though, I’ll usually opt for my robe or stay in my pjs so I don’t have to change clothes more than what is necessary lol.

There are a couple exceptions around this time of day in my schedule. If I’m shooting with my photographer, I will usually take about an hour to get ready, starting at 8 am, and will already be on location for photos by 10 am. OR if it’s Monday, I give myself permission to stay in my pajamas (or comfy athleisure wear) all day because I use it as an admin/writing/planning day. I think it makes Mondays more pleasant when I know I get to ease into the week. And it’s so much easier to try and get all of my blog posts done on one day so I know they are ready to go.
clothing on clothes rack

photography studio setup
11:00 ON CAMERA || I like to get any photos, videos, or stories out of the way in the morning because I feel like that’s when I’m the most productive. This time can be used for try-on sessions, photography for my IG feed, blog posts, or filming new content for IGTV (I just posted my first video on my June Beauty Favs yesterday!). Many of these tasks can take a lot longer than an hour, and if so I just push my lunch back later and adjust. I also leave some holes of time throughout the day just in case things don’t go as planned. You can find all of my blogging equipment HERE.


cactus water tumbler
12:00 POST || At noon I will post my first IG photo of the day and then will try and take 15-30 minutes to stay on my phone and interact once the post goes live. As soon as I post, I head to the living room and turn on the TV to watch an episode on Netflix or On Demand. Right now I’m watching the Bold Type and am obsessed – I look forward to my lunch breaks now which means I actually take a lunch. Much like breakfast, I realized I had started skipping or forgetting lunch and I could tell my body and mind were totally out of whack. Since I can’t fast forward during The Bold Type I usually try and start it right around 12:15.

12:30 LUNCH || Lately, I’ve been eating lunch and watching my show. It’s a good way for me to disconnect from my computer and give my mind a quick break. I learned a long time ago that if you go, go, go all day it’s a lot less productive then taking several small breathers. If earlier or later in the day I have to be out of the house, I may work through lunch and eat in my office… it just depends.


blogger desk
01:00 EMAILS || Once 1 pm rolls around the emails will have stacked back up again, mostly a lot of advertisements in my personal account (I swear I constantly unsubscribe and they always find a way to send me emails again hah!). This is a good time for me to circle back about possible collabs and sponsorships as most people in all time zones are working. Something to think about when sending emails to brands and companies!


gold balloon animal figurine

time cube
02:00 ENGAGE ON IG || Social media makes me so happy. Seriously, I LOVE what I do. But it’s also a total time drain lol. Obviously getting on social media is actually part of my job (how amazing is that?!) but I have to be intentional about when and how long I take to scroll through my feeds. I recently decided to make time in my daily schedule specifically to engage and comment and like on Instagram. It’s a great way for me to be, again, intentional, and keeps me from falling into the IG abyss 100’s of times a day. I also purchased a time cube to help me stay on task. You turn the amount of time you want on top and it starts counting down – it’s super simple but super cool!


bloomingdales emoji coffee mug
03:30 COFFEE BREAK || I think it’s important to give myself time throughout the day to look forward to, and to reward myself for hard work and commitment to checking tasks off my to-do list. Around 3:30 pm each day I like to make a fresh cup of hot coffee and grab a snack like peanut butter pretzels, two (or three) Oreos, or some candy. 

 04:00 POST+ PHOTO PREP || Once 4 pm rolls around I like to make sure all the prep work is done for the next days blog post if it’s Tuesday or Thursday, and I also make sure my 6 pm photo and the following day’s 12 pm photos are edited and ready to go on IG. This makes life so much easier!

 05:00 WRAP UP || Around 5 pm I try to start wrapping up my work for the day. Meaning I will re-update my to-do list and planner, I’ll answer any last minute emails, will clean up my desk, and will put away any clothes or products from try-ons or haul sharing earlier in the day. I’ve also started shutting my office door at the end of the day. It’s a simple task but it makes me feel like I’m actually leaving the office and that I can decompress for the day.
06:00 POST || This is when I’ll post my second photo of the day on IG. And like earlier in the day, will take some time right after to engage with followers and answer comments. 
06:30 DINNER || Usually J will be getting home from the gym around now and we will start dinner. I was primarily the one starting dinner since I’m here at the house, but lately, we’ve been loving cooking Hello Fresh (not sponsored) meals together. They are seriously so yummy and the portion sizing is perfect. You don’t realize how ill-measured your dinners used to be until you order from a meal service haha! Our favorites have been anything with salmon – and honestly, it’s been really fun for both of us to spend time prepping and cooking together… getting in some good ole’ quality time!

Once we finish cooking we will head to the couch to eat. We have a dining room with zero furniture so we always eat at the coffee table… and even when we do have a dining room… we will still eat in the living room lol. We are notorious for marathoning shows on Netflix, HBO Go, and Amazon Prime TV… we love to watch cooking shows and all the popular mainstream series. I’ve been trying to make  a concerted effort to put my phone away during this time because I really want to differentiate my “work time” and “personal time.” My work never really ends, and it’s totally okay, because I love it, but I want to make sure I make time for J (and myself) that doesn’t involve my phone.
bedroom view into bathroom
ikea bedside table
morkie laying on bed
09:00 ENGAGE ON IG || I like to engage one last time at the end of the day on Instagram. It’s such a good feeling to catch up on dm’s and comments before going to bed so when I wake up the next day I don’t feel overwhelmed. AND so no one feels ignored. 

10:00 HEAD TO BED || Okay… I am SO proud of myself for actually going to bed around 9 or 10 lately. I’m notorious for going to bed at midnight, 1 am, 2 am, and even times at 3 am… usually because I wasn’t as productive as I should have been during the day… hence the new schedule! J and I look forward to bed every night now because, one, we have a new king size bed we love, and two, we always watch The Office. Justin is totally and completely obsessed (he can recite every single episode I kid you not), and now I am too. There’s something soothing about it and now I don’t dread the end of the day like I use to. It also helps that I love my work so I also look forward to mornings.

For those of you who made it all the way through, thank you so much for reading! I hope this helped shed some light on the day in the life and/or helped any of you who worked from home and are working to master a productive schedule and work/life balance. 


Have a fabulous, and safe holiday!

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XO Amanda
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