Time for another Day In The Life Of A Freelance interview! This week, it’s beauty guru and tweetaholic Jayne Robinson, who gives us a peek into her daily life.
Time for another Day In The Life Of A Freelance interview! This week, it’s beauty guru and tweetaholic Jayne Robinson, who gives us a peek into her daily life. Tell us a bit about you!
I’m Jayne, I’ve lived in London for the past four years but recently relocated to Brighton. I’m a freelance social media consultant and offer my services as a copywriter and blogger relations consultant with a speciality in the beauty industry.
How long have you been freelancing, and why did you start?
I started freelancing about six months ago. I’ve always wanted to be flexible with my workload so that I could pursue personal projects in my spare time and manage health problems that made it difficult for me to work a normal 9-5 job. After four years working in-house and agency side in digital, it was a scary move but so far it’s been the best thing for me for sure.
Let’s talk about the start of your day – Are you an early riser, or a night owl?
I’m very flexible, because of my health it really depends how I’m feeling as to how I work. I don’t work everyday either. Most of the time I prefer working in the afternoon or evening and find I work best with a film or TV show on the background. Weird I know, but it helps me concentrate and keeps me smiling.
Do you work from home?
Yes, I mostly work from home, which is my preference. I like being able to be flexible with my time and if the weather is nice I know I can pop out for a walk at any point without being restricted to an office environment. I’ve done freelance contracts in an office too, which works well when you need an income boost or some new experience, but in the long-term, I’d prefer to work from home.
What’s your working routine before you start work?
Again, it really varies depending on what else is going on in life for me and that’s what I love about freelancing, I like being my own boss and working to my own schedule. I don’t like routine, so it suits me that I don’t really have one, everyday is different.
Do you take a lunch break?
Yes, I’m fortunate that I don’t work normal office hours, so always make time to enjoy some time to myself and time to share with my boyfriend everyday. I work my freelance work around my personal life and personal projects instead of the other way around. Pretty amazing right?
How do you stay motivated? Do you have any particular techniques?
To do lists are my saviour! It’s a tiny thing but I find it extremely satisfying to be able to cross things off a list. Also, it gives me a simple way to see how much there is to do by a certain deadline. Simple but effective. I also set goals, like I’ll go for a walk after I’ve finished this content plan.
Tell us – what’s your favourite thing about freelancing?
I adore the flexibility, I don’t have to work any set hours most of the time and I can fit it around what I want to do. It’s how life should be in my opinion, more focus on what makes you happy instead of what makes you money. I also love that I’ve been fortunate enough to specialise in beauty, which I’m incredibly passionate about, doing work that I’m enthusiastic about doesn’t feel like work.
And your least favourite thing about freelancing?
The risk is not fun. A lot of freelance work is unpredictable and doesn’t have the safety nets that full-time work gives. So to get around that I’ve got a part-time retail job which is my safety money, it means that whatever happens I know that I’ll have the money to pay my bills which lifts a massive weight off my mind.
What tools/apps/gadgets/things could you not live without as a freelancer?
The only things that are essential to my freelancing life is my phone, GoogleDocs and Hootsuite. I have a Samsung Galaxy S4 which has superb battery life and holds all the apps I need for managing social media. Google Docs makes sharing documents super fast and simple and Hootsuite keeps all my social media platforms in one place.
Where can we find you online?
EVERYWHERE! Social media is on my mind 24/7 since it’s my career and my passion, on most networks I’m @JayneKitsch and you can find my fashion, beauty and lifestyle blog, where all of this stemmed from my blog.
The Big Question – What’s the secret to your success?
Passion. I think that’s the only key to success in anything, if you love something enough it shows and that passes on to everyone you work with making you a great person to work with and memorable. I don’t think enough people have a passion in their work lives.
