Work, Life, Instagram & Dogs | Answering Your Questions pt. 1
Last month we talked all about how we manage our daily lives and full time jobs while maintaining a profitable Instagram account for our two dogs. I was pleasantly surprised with how well this post did! We received quite a few questions afterwards about how we do it all. I decided to break the post up into two parts. Here are our answers to your first group of questions. Stay tuned for part two of this series next month!
How do you find time to workout and give the pups exercise?
The struggle is real to try to maintain our own exercise schedule and the dogs. Luckily, the dogs will keep themselves pretty busy chasing each other around the house and the yard. If I am in a time crunch and feel like I can’t make it to the gym, I will take the dogs on a longggg walk instead. Also, I recently set up a little home gym in our basement with a cycle bike, tension bands, a yoga mat, and a kettlebell. I have the Peloton app which is awesome for at home classes on demand–I love it! Zach and I used to go to the gym every single day without skipping a beat. Now, we try to eat healthier and make it to the gym at least 3-4 times a week.
How often do they dogs go out for walks?
Now that we live in the suburbs and the dogs are spoiled with a yard, Duke and Navy usually get one long walk a day. I try to aim for a 20-45 minute walk around our neighborhood, switching our route up slightly each time to keep things interesting for them.
How do you manage it all when you work more than 40 hour weeks?
Man, I remember the days I used to only work 40 hours a week! Unfortunately, Zach and I no longer just work 9-5. Lately we’ve been pulling in some extra hours at work. If I can anticipate longer hours at work, I will try to reserve the dogs a spot in day camp or let them play at their grandparents for the week. When it comes to Instagram, I tend to post less frequently, and I may post more throwbacks than usual.
What do the dogs do during the day when you are at work?
If Zach isn’t traveling for work, he normally works from home. When he is home the dogs will hangout with him during the day, bother each other, or take naps in their crates. I am actually off work while I am writing this post and the dogs are currently chasing each other around the kitchen island, fighting over a bowl of ramen dog toy. 🙂
Do you ever feel guilty when you go out with friends and family and the dogs are home alone?
Absolutely! This is why we tend to choose dog-friendly activities so we can take the dogs with us. But of course we need to experience life with family and friends without the dogs as well. I definitely feel guilty leaving them at home but I know that they are enjoying quiet time relaxing in the comfort of our home. We always make it up to them after!
How do you make time to cook, clean, take care of yourself, etc. on top of everything else?
Zach and I used to be really into prepping our meals. We were really good at it! When we lived with roommates we were sort of forced into it. We couldn’t leave leftovers in the fridge, or someone else would snag it up. Now we have the luxury of having two refrigerators and freezers where we can cook in bulk and freeze it and leave leftovers out without fearing someone will steal it. I am also a big fan of Dinnerly meal kit boxes. We’ve been using them off and on for over two years now. If you are interested in trying out Dinnerly, let us know! I think we have the ability to send you a code for your first box free!
Zach and I try our best to keep on top of our chores but we definitely can improve on this. Our iRobot Roomba helps out with keeping the floors fairly clean daily, and Zach is pretty good at keeping on top of our dishes. We usually spend the first hour of our Saturday mornings cleaning up around the house. I plan to start a little series later this Spring about keeping things clean around the house with pets. Stay tuned!
I’ll admit it, I am not the best at taking care of myself. I need to prioritize my own care and my own health more. It is a goal I have for 2020.
How do you make time to relax? How are you not so tired from juggling it all?
I really try my best to not bite off more than I can chew. Last year I really struggled trying to balance everything I had on my plate. I was always so exhausted even though I was getting 8 hours of sleep. I give myself a bedtime each night and try my best to stick to it. I may not be hitting my pillow and asleep at that time, but I use that time to go upstairs, prep for the next few days, and watch YouTube videos or scroll on Instagram.
How do you keep your priorities straight?
I touched on this a couple times in our last post. Keeping my priorities straight is a constant struggle. I really try my best to eliminate distractions that could get in the way of my priorities. I also have several really awesome mentors that help keep me on the right path. Everyone’s priorities are different, and that is okay! Determine how you want to live your best life and what makes you the happiest–this will be a good start.
Do things ever get chaotic?
Absolutely! Our lives are nuts. I joke that our lives revolve around activities for the dogs. Living closer to DC, our weekends were filled with parties, play dates, events, etc for Duke and Navy. Now that we live a little further outside the city we’ve become more picky with what we say yes to. Also, now that we have a house, our main excuse for not wanting to do it all is that we have things to do around the house–which is the truth! In short, when things are starting to feel a little chaotic for us, we will turn off our phones, turn on our TV, and just relax.
With social influencers quitting their jobs to pursue a full time career in social media, are you ever tempted to do the same?
Sure! I can’t lie and say I haven’t thought about it. Last summer we had the great opportunity to partner with some pretty great brands. It got to the point that Navy was bringing in more money than what I was making in my full time job. I guess with social media you have to realize that brand deals come and go. Work like this is not consistent. You absolutely can make it consistent, but it requires a bit of effort. Last Spring I attended a few DC blogger networking type events. One full time influencer was saying that she was constantly pitching herself to brands, to the point that she ended up quitting her full time job to pursue social media full time. It ended up working out for her, but it definitely required a lot of effort. I can definitely dive more into this in the future (if you want to read more about my thoughts on this, let me know!)…but social media is always changing and I value stability. So yes I have definitely thought about quitting my full time job, but I would never actually do it!
How do you keep the dogs mentally stimulated all day when you work from home?
We are super lucky. Navy and Duke will keep themselves entertained for hours! Of course, they can get a little loud and rowdy. Zach generally works from home and needs some quiet time every so often. We make sure to have a few kongs filled with peanut butter in the freezer. We also love benebones and chews from Real Dog box. If you order a box through our link, you will get extra treats!
Would you have gotten dogs if you were single?
(*Alex Answering*) Super good question! I would not have gotten a dog if I was single. One of the reasons I waited to get my first dog was partially because I wanted to be financially stable enough to cover all expected and unexpected pet expenses, and because I wanted the pup to have stability in their schedule. I used to travel fairly frequently for work, often working late hours and the occasional weekend. I knew if I wanted to have a dog of my own and not have them in day care all the time I would need a job with a more stable schedule, or find a partner to help me out. When I was single I had a lot of friends with dogs who loved to let me take their pups for the weekend.
Thanks so much for taking the time to ask these fabulous questions and read through this post. If we didn’t answer your question–no worries! We will answer the next batch in an upcoming post. Feel free to comment any more questions you may have about how we balance work, life, dogs, and Instagram.
what do you think?