It’s so easy to chase squirrels and spend time on time suckers… can you relate?

A little background:

About five years ago, I got my first iPhone…that was my first real ‘smartphone’. And, man…wow did it open up a whole new world of possibities. The smartphone has changed the way we live, the way we do business, the way we connect to one another…literally our entire lives…some for better, some for worse…

Not long after that, I was scrolling through Facebook (yep, on my iPhone), and came across an ad…a VERY well timed ad. I was currently considering going back to work, after a hiatus to just ‘be a mom’. SIDEBAR: those of you with the capacity to just be a mom – I applaud you, seriously…you are THE BOMB – I couldn’t do what I do, and my kids wouldn’t be as awesome as they are without you – I SEE WHAT YOU DO – I see what you do for your family, and I see what you do for mine, and for the schools, the community…all of it…truly…you are SUCH a tremendous blessing…maybe I’ll write about that another day? – I don’t have it in me…I didn’t enjoy mom groups. It’s not that I didn’t like the moms…it’s just that I’m actually kind of an introvert and I found it very overwhelming to navigate those new relationships…I have a BIG family. That pulls a lot of energy and time…and now, I have a lot of friends…I spend more time with them than I do my family…

So, back on topic – that ad…I was toying with idea of looking for a part time job…that’s a hard thing to do when you’re the ‘mom’ and your husband has one of those jobs that he can’t just ‘leave’ for the little things…like, literally…in the 15 years we have been married, I can’t recall him EVER leaving work early unless it was pre-planned…yea, I know…he’s the picture of good work ethic…

So, I wasn’t really ‘committed’ this idea…but there it was in my head…but it’s hard to find a part time job that works around the school schedule…and I never liked being that person that had to constantly ask for schedule adjustments or take a day of or call in sick…or be late because my kid forgot their glasses….

Enter Shipt….there it was…Deliver Groceries….I can’t remember the specifics of the ad, but basically – what I saw was – make money, delivering groceries…Um..ok…I can do that…

Well..it worked GREAT with my schedule – I could basically work whenever I wanted to…sort of…In the early days, there were no ‘notifications’ of orders…we basically refreshed our apps and hoped for something to pop up – that wasn’t an hour away…that’s where the problem started…like, literally…every few minutes refreshing…

Then the notifications came…and the zoning…and scheduling…etc….so, still your phone can’t be far away…Shipt had a slogan – Be accurate. Be on Time. Be Awesome….we kind of turned that into our own play on that…Be tired. Be consitipated. Be stinky. Because, basically – if you walked away from your phone for a minute…to you know, take care of basic needs and sanitation…you might miss an order…I’m not even kidding…some shoppers even reported taking their phones in the shower in a plastic bag…

Things have come a long way since then. We can sleep now. Orders are dropped between 6 am and 10 pm…so we can sleep between those hours…🤣. If we’re not on the schedule, the habit is to constantly check the ‘Metro’ pool – those orders that haven’t been picked up by other shoppers…to see if one of our favorite customers is there, or a close by quick and easy or high paying order…or anything that we might want to grab.

So. Tied to our phones is an understatement….

Fast forward to present day…I don’t shop as much. I rarely check the ‘Metro’. I’m rarely even on the schedule. What do I do instead? Well, I sell hair pretties. They’re fabulous. The trick is, this requires a GREAT deal of engagement, analytics, tweeking, posting, sharing, conversating. I also have a very active YouTube Channel dedicated to Shipt Shoppers, and one dedicated to hair that is still…shall we say, blossoming?

So, I am no SO MUCH in the habit of checking my phone – it’s REALLY easy for me to check the following things – like, ALL DAY:

• Facebook notifications – I’ve lost count of the groups and pages I follow…much less keeping up with my friends and personal profile.
• Instagram – I didn’t love that at first, but I have found it’s a great platform and actually can be fun.
• YouTube – did you know there’s a separate app for YouTube creators? It gives you all the numbers…in real time…oh boy!
• WordPress – yup. This one…talk about a rabbit hole! Love it!
• Pinterest – do I even have to discuss this one?
• LinkedIn – this one, I’m better at. I share things…occassionally scroll, but not so much.
• Personal Email – I actually have separate email accounts for different ‘pockets’ of life…I’m quickly learning that’s not such a good thing…Maybe two is reasonable – an actual email address, and one for all of those specials we sign up for might make more sense. That’s likely what I’ll be flipping to VERY soon.
• Business Emails – Did you know that these platforms give you TONS of analytics on how many emails were opened, what was clicked, and even who opened and clicked? Fascinating and useful information! I’m also in the process of flipping to a better platform…ConvertKit
• Customer Management App (AMI) – if you’re in sales, or customer service…seriously, this one is amazing.

Do you see how this could quickly eat up HOURS of my day? Especially if I check them FREQUENTLY?So, what I’m working on currently is a “SET IT AND FORGET IT” mentality…make the post, share the thing, walk away. So far, I’m doing ok…the biggest struggle is the few hours AFTER something important (in my mind) is posted…a sale or special, a new YouTube video, new releases…etc…So, how do I STOP CHECKING EVERYTHING CONSTANTLY? Here’s the current game plan that’s working, and allowing me to focus on my personal needs and life SO MUCH MORE – and guess what? Those numbers haven’t changed for better or worse, regardless of how often I check them…

I have begun typing out how I’m handling each of these platforms, and wow….this is turning into an incredibly long post…so, I think I’ll break it down a little into parts…Today, where my struggles are. And, to come, I’ll discuss how I’m handling each platform.

So I’ll leave it that…get this posted…and check back tomorrow morning…because that’s the goal for WordPress! Once a day! I love seeing your posts in my feed and sometimes I get to read ALL of them…sometimes, I’ll grab a couple and skim – depends on my day! So, keep them coming…I, for one, am reading…

Thank you for reading, I’d love to hear your thoughts on the topic, and hope you have a blessed day!

💜 Cindi