A DAY IN THE LIFE OF A BLOGGER - Sivan
04.15.16

A DAY IN THE LIFE OF A BLOGGER

Sivan Ayla Hair

Since we have been on the subject of blogging (how I started, you starting a blog, naming a blog), I figured we should touch on one of the biggest misconceptions about blogging. In other words, running a blog full-time requires full-time attention and discipline. Key word, TIME. There are definitely perks to being a blogger, but don’t be blinded by the pretty portrayal of life via Instagram. Those are just the highlights. Not everyday is filled with vacations, photogenic meals, and brand-sponsored soirees.

Running a blog–creating content, editing content, curating content, posting content, and promoting content is a full-time job. I know I’m probably starting to sound redundant, but time management is everything. In fact, having your blog be your job is no different than the rest of the self-employed world running a small (or large) business from home. Sure, some of the perks to being a blogger outweigh those of being a freelance graphic designer, or trainer, or tutor, but are you willing to put in the time to reach that point?

I get questioned by close people in my life about how I spend my days probably just as often as my readers wonder how much time I could possibly put in when my life looks so glamorous. Maybe you guys understand more than my friends and family, but let me tell you, it can get frustrating. I’ve accepted the fact that working from home (aka not really at home much, actually) to run my blog will raise eyebrows. It’s not always to my face but I know the thoughts / conversations are being had.

Parts of this job really are too good to be true. But they are still part of the job. The travel, the gifting, the attention…I get it. How bad can it be, right? Well, I’m definitely not here to tell you it’s bad. Instead, I am here to tell you it’s hard work to reach that point. And while I am so incredibly grateful for the life / job I have, nothing was handed to me overnight.

I don’t want to turn this into a negative post about justifying anything. I just simply want to share with my readers, who are interested in starting a blog, what a somewhat-typical day in the life of this blogger looks like.

Scroll down for the full breakdown.

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A day in the life of Sivan Ayla:

7:00AM- My husband’s alarm goes off. I’m awake, but I won’t get out of bed until close to 7:45AM. I scroll through emails (don’t reply until I’m out of bed), check Instagram, start making a mental checklist of what needs to be done today. Brush my teeth.

8:00AM- I have breakfast with my husband. He always cooks me eggs of some sort. We talk about what our days entail and what our dinner plans are. I take my allergy pill and make myself an iced chai.

8:30AM- Make the bed, change into my outfit; depending on where I’m headed it’s either work out gear, or a “real” outfit. I always try to at least have mascara on if I’m just spending a day at home editing content and emailing. Otherwise this is when I do my make-up and hair.

9:00AM- I’m in my [home] office replying to emails. Once I’ve attended to everything immediate, I check my blog, post on social media, and make a physical checklist of what needs to be done that day.

11:00AM- Since everyday is different, I’m going to give you a run down of a “typical” busy day. By this time I’ve packed my bag with looks I’m going to shoot in the city later. My car is stuffed with hats, shoes, hangers, jewelry, touch-up make-up…so glam! Kidding. I also squeeze in my errands during this time–post office, bank, returns, etc.

12:00PM- I’m either at a publicist office or other venue previewing a new collection or taking a meeting with a photographer / blogger / my manager / brand.

3:00PM- Meet with my photographer in Downtown Los Angeles to shoot some looks. This part is EXTRA glam. We frantically look for parking (or an illegal spot to pull over with the hazards on), we sit in traffic, I change in the car as people stare, and often get harassed by people walking by. Don’t get me wrong, we are laughing the entire time, but this part can get a little exhausting.

4:30PM- I’m either headed to a dinner meeting, brand event, or home.

6:00PM- Traffic is most likely miserable at that time so when I get home I quickly change into my workout clothing, grab my boxing gear, and head to the boxing gym.

7:30PM- My husband gets home (or goes to boxing and comes home at 8:30PM), and I begin to cook dinner. Mind you, I’m still freshly sweaty from working out. I prepare whatever meal, Snapchat it, eat it, talk about our days.

8:45PM- I shower and wash my hair. Since I hate getting into bed with wet hair I will head back to my office to send / reply to emails until my hair is dry. I also take this time to make more lists of blog ideas, notes from the day, etc. I often write my blog posts at night because I have more creative juices flowing then, which usually takes enough time for my hair to completely dry.

10:30PM- I head to bed with my husband and puppies. Brush my teeth. Get the room set up (diffuser, candle, hand cream, etc.). We usually attempt to watch a show, and I fall asleep 10 minutes in. Sometimes when the show ends I get a second wind and am awake again, but often I’m just dead tired from the day. And then the next day it starts all over again…

Outfit c/o: elle a. boutique // Photography by: Felicia Lasala