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How to Run a Business While Working

IN LIFE  / 

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and sleep 8 hours a day…

 

In a utopian situation, I would find myself from six to eight hours a day working exclusively on Gadriana. In reality, I’m involved in a very advanced position of having a demanding part-time job with an even more demanding personal business.

Thanks to the blog and social channels stats, I know most of you who read me are mostly millennials, and no high IQ is required to know we all want to achieve dreams while we also want to keep on paying rent and putting food on the table. Therefore, and in collaboration with the new Daniel Wellington collection, I’m sharing with you a few tips on how to carry on a part-time job (even a full-time one, why not) along with a personal project and still be able to sleep eight hours a day (occasionally, don’t get too excited).

/DEFINE your idea

First of all, you need a clear idea and to break it down in two: in the near future and in a few years. Ask yourself, what do you see yourself doing in 10 years and what do you need in order to achieve it? Small goals are always easy to visualize, as long as you don’t lose the path towards your main goal. Change your affirmations such as “I don’t have enough money to open my own office”, for “How long do I need to save in order to invest and have my own office?”.

/BE the turtle, not the rabbit
Rome was not built in a day. Saturating your agenda with too many assignments, jobs, deadlines and trips will only burn you out on the long run and deprive you of enough sleep. Be realistic and accept the amount of work you can do in the most professional way, both in your business and in your job. It won’t matter if you’re able to do a hundred things if none passes the quality standard. Help yourself with the tools that technology offers, such as calendars, alarms and notes in your phone so you don’t overdo it.

/UNDERSTAND your boss and viceversa

Ideally, you should share a good relationship with your boss and he/she should be conscious of the work you do. A good boss doesn’t expect you to have the same job for your whole life, and if yours is only finding a way to tie you into a desk for too many hours, maybe it’s time to find a new part-time job. A good boss is also a great way to learn experience for your future employees, so don’t hesitate to learn from them.

/TIMING is crucial

 

Every free moment you have is valuable. From commuting in the metro, weekends and holidays. Personally, I like to take with me a notebook to write or draw ideas I have in the moment, and I find that analog watches like Daniel Wellington‘s work the best to be aware of the time without risking to lose it on the phone (Instagram has already taken too much of my life). Accept the idea of working late at night or sacrificing a few hours on weekends. Every bit of effort will be worth it.

/NO ROOM for mistakes

We all learn from mistakes, but some are avoidable. Make sure the time you have to invest in your business is as efficient as possible. For me, I like to have the concept for a photoshoot in advance, as well as the best photography equipment so they’re are always in focus and in great quality. E.g, for these photos I assembled the outfits two days before and we arrived at the bar when lunch time was over.

/DRESS for the job you want

 

Especially if you have a strict dress code for work, it’s important that once you change your internal chip so does your appearance. Far from being a superficial matter, dressing for the job you want makes people take us a bit more seriously. Though I won’t recommend you to spend unnecessary amounts of money on designer clothes, I do believe a good sleek and versatile wardrobe does wonders; from blazers you can wear as dresses, Monday to Sunday jeans and quality accessories that will look great no matter the time of the day.
in this look –
Daniel Wellington Classic Petite
Ashfield watch, Zara checked
dress blazer, Uterqüe leather belt
(sold out, similar here),
EVIDNT jeans, Coach pumps

And if you feel you have fulfilled your goals, that your business pays you at least the double of what you make in your part-time job and you are able to dedicate yourself 100% into your project, maybe it’s the moment to do it. When? I don’t know, but as David Bowie said: “The moment you know, you know you know”.

Wearing: Daniel Wellington Classic Petite Ashfield watch and bracelet (Get 15% off with code FAKELEATHER), Zara checked dress blazer, Uterqüe leather belt (similar here), EVIDNT jeans, Coach pumps,
ALTR sunglasses, RSVP Paris bag, Uterqüe socks, Zara ankle strap sandals (similar here)

 

This post is sponsored by Daniel Wellington.
All opinons & creative content are my own.

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  2. I think you can start your own business!! You know what to do and how to do it and you need a little bit of courage to jump! Just do it! Your blog is great so I am sure your business will be even better! By the way, great outfit and that belt is extraordinary!

    Reply

  6. Thank you for this post! I am in a bit of a similar situation: working one full time job, one part-time job, working on my MA, and my blog, and trying to move towards where I want to be. It can get hectic and frustrating, but I’m trying to take it slow {sometimes I pause and settle for a Korean drama and chips haha} Love the photos, as always! The watch is beautiful *.* #watchaddictdroolinghere

    Reply

    1. Hi gorgeous, it sounds like you work a lot, and I mean, A LOT! I don’t know if I would be able to pull off so many things, so kudos to you for that! I also create a personal scape by watching a korean drama and mexican chips haha xx

      Reply

  10. Adriana, gracias por la dosis de inspiración que necesitaba! Creo que este ha sido de esos posts tuyos que más he disfrutado leer (y por este tipo de contenido es que soy fan de tus artículos).
    Creo que hiciste un ensayo perfecto de lo que significa tener un sueño millennial en un mundo donde pagar el alquiler no deja de ser una prioridad y te entiendo perfectamente porque hace unos meses estuve trabajando así, desgraciadamente la parte de entendimiento con mi jefe no funcionó demasiado bien y tuve que decir “bye” por mi salud mental jaja, ahora estoy en la búsqueda de un trabajo de medio tiempo (idealmente 😝) para balancearlo con mis proyectos de ilustración y mi vida freelancer, espero las cosas se me acomoden poco a poco para poder seguir estos pasos.
    PD: El cuaderno de bocetos yo lo llevo hasta cuando voy a hacer trámites, uno nunca sabe que idea se le puede ocurrir, ¿verdad?
    Abrazos!

    Reply

    1. Hola Pablo! Verás que todo irá saliendo poco a poco y felicidades por dejar un trabajo en el que no te sentías a gusto, no cualquier persona lo hace porque siente la presión de haber fallado ante la sociedad o algo así, pero si un trabajo no nos hace sentir personas completas profesionalmente es mejor bye bye.
      El cuaderno es lo más! A veces tengo bloqueos mentales, abro el cuaderno y digo “Ohhhhhh tuve esta idea que nunca desarrollé!” 😀 xx

      Reply

  14. Adri,
    Te he seguido durante años y me encanta siempfe regresar a tu blog para leerte.
    Tu vida ha cambiado muchísimo y tu junto con ella, es reconfortante comprobar que todos vamos evolucionado como personas y profesionistas.
    Esta entrada me inspiró, acabo de terminar mi carrera y busco un empleo de medio tiempo. Creo que es esencial tener tiempo para desarrollar una vida por separado, una donde seamos más libres.
    Gracias por estas palabras, me siento con todas las pilas del mundo.
    Besitos de una mexicana en Francia, la que siempre te sigue.

    Reply

    1. Hola Ale, muchísimas gracias por ser testigo y acompañante del crecimiento del blog 😀 lo aprecio mucho!
      Si acabas de terminar la carrera, sí te recomiendo por supuesto empezar con un empleo del que puedas aprender mucho. Hay gente que se apresura y quiere abrir un despacho inmediatamente después de terminar la uni, y me parece un error muy grande ya que ignoras situaciones de la vida real que un trabajo te enseña a solucionar y/o evitar. Mucha suerte con todo y ánimos!
      x
      Adriana

      Reply