.png)
Sitting down to another day full of endless pings and notifications, that familiar knot of anxiety, overwhelm and self-doubt twisted in my belly again.
My inbox was bursting with emails needing thoughtful replies.
Comments were coming in thick and fast everywhere on my managed social accounts. And the looming content calendar seemed to mock me.
How would I possibly brainstorm, create, and schedule quality content across platforms for all my clients while still finding time for my own accounts? The demands felt relentless.
Between you and me, some days navigating this online world feels totally endless. No matter how hard I work, there simply aren’t enough hours to tick everything off my to-do list.
I’m sure many of you who manage your own accounts or business profiles get how constant overwhelm feels!
It has taken me many months to find something that works for me, and after plenty of trial and error, tackling the social media jungle without losing myself. I finally created a system that works for me!
I'm here to share it with you in the hopes that it helps you too. We creative types have to stick together to stay sane!
Pre-Planning Content is a Game-Changer
One huge thing that’s revolutionised my work and social media flow is PRE-PLANNING my content and campaigns weeks and months ahead.
No more last-minute rushed posts or cobbling together marketing! I now map out detailed plans for myself and my clients in advance.
This pre-planning has given me way more headspace and creative breathing room to develop quality content vs slapdash posts from waiting too long. I’ve created a fab content calendar template in Canva, which I use religiously to stay focused.
Total sanity saver!
Taking care of clients in advance.
With a new client, I make sure to dedicate time, to research their brand, competitors, target audience, industry trends - the works!
This allows me to tailor an informed social strategy focused on their unique goals and audience.
Ongoing competitor research helps spark fresh content ideas too. I compile swipe files, in Google Drive and Canva, of inspiring campaigns and content from brands nailing it to boost my own brainstorming. Steal from the best! I also have Calendly taking care of all my client bookings and it even allows me to set up a reminder email.
Email automation is like having your very own assistant.
Another game-changing tool for me has been leveraging email automation through MailerLite. Setting up automated welcome sequences, broadcasts, and promotions has helped me nurture relationships with my audience and clients in a more hands-off way. MailerLite enables me to set it and forget it when it comes to many email communications, freeing up more time for high-level strategy and content creation. Relying on email automation to do the heavy lifting has been vital for my sanity and staying focused on income-generating tasks.
Ruthless Calendar Blocking.
Beyond pre-planning content, the other big win has been getting RUTHLESS about time blocking everything in my Google calendar.
I block out specific times for creative work, content production, client meetings, admin tasks, and even precious “me time”. Calendar white space is vital. Having every moment scheduled means I can stay laser-focused on one task without constant multi-tasking madness!
I also purposefully schedule exercise, reading, hobbies, and time with loved ones. As a mother, partner and entrepreneur, burnout is always waiting in the wings if I let it. I’ve learned self-care can’t be an afterthought if I want to sustain success.
One morning ritual I put in place is, scheduling time after my coaching call on a Thursday to pour that inspiration straight into writing my blog. With my mind opened from the session, I can just flow without overthinking.
Sharing Real Talk, Not Seeking Perfection
I aim for authenticity over chasing perfection with my writing. I try to share my genuine experiences in hopes they resonate and remind you you’re not alone! A little raw, human storytelling makes genuine connections. And we need more of that online.
This leads me to want to share more about a big insight I had recently about overcoming perfectionism and self-doubt...
I started an amazing social media internship with TechPixies, a company I admire in the industry I’m passionate about. I was thrilled with the opportunity to grow my skills and contribute value.
But despite their “no pressure, do what you can, when you can!” I still subconsciously put huge expectations on myself.
I agonized over mistakes or letting people down if I couldn’t perfectly answer every question. Oh, that relentless inner critic!
The truth is, no one has all the answers all the time, especially as we navigate entrepreneurship and gain new skills. As business owners, we’ve got to learn to give ourselves grace as we grow rather than beat ourselves up for not being perfect masters of everything already.
In chasing unrealistic perfection, I just created more stress, anxiety and mistakes - silly typos, overlooking details in my effort to do everything perfectly. Having minor errors pointed out only compounded my self-doubt and overwhelm.
It was a wake-up call - I’d become my own worst critic and enemy! The impossibly high standards I set didn’t match reality. I realized operating from fear and scarcity (“I’m not good enough, too much to do!”) only leads to frustration and burnout.
Cultivating Self-Compassion, Not Self-Judgment
This experience gave me a big insight - I have to lead from compassion, not fear and self-judgment. Cultivating faith in myself rather than constant doubt is truly the only sustainable path forward.
And you know what? Despite my inner mean girl, positive feedback showed my work was genuinely helpful and providing value. My reach and followers even doubled recently!
It reinforced focusing on the aspects of building my business that light me up rather than getting dragged down by demands and noise. There are always silver linings if you shift perspective.
I hope that sharing my own struggles and lessons as a Social Media manager may help even one person out there who feels buried by social media’s endless pressures.
Please know you're never alone! If this resonates, reach out - we have so much to learn from each other.
If you need any help untangling your social media and finding freedom, I’m here! I love supporting people in escaping overwhelm.
Remember, progress over perfection.
Let’s connect online anytime for regular updates and tips!
Here’s to learning the art of balancing passion with rest and self-care.
This work of bringing our purpose and creativity to the world is a lifelong marathon, not a frenzied sprint!
Take good care of that precious spark - you’ve so got this.
Claire Louise xoxo
Canva - https://www.canva.com/
Google Drive - https://drive.google.com/ You will find the calendar here too.
Mailerlite - https://www.mailerlite.com/
PS If you are interested in learning Social Media for yourself and diving head first into the award-winning training that got me to where I am today.
Do yourself a favour and check out TechPixies - https://techpixies.com/
And if you want to connect with me online, you can find me in these places
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/clairelouisesmm/
Email - Clairelouise.smm@gmail.com
I have no affiliation with any of the above companies. They are all tools that I use on a daily basis in my business. There are of course plenty of other options out there and what works for me, might not always work for you.
The trick is, do your research, get familiar with the tools and know what you want and make sure the ones you chose will benefit you.
Take care. xoxo
Comments