Reader Q&A: Getting Organized, Therapy and Career Questions!

I have been slacking on putting up the next reader q&a, which always works on your favor because it leaves you more time to ask questions!

It’s always interesting what you guys ask and when you ask it. More freelance and relaxation questions in the summer (when everyone is out hustling) and, now that we’re (so…so…slowly) headed to Fall, more questions on taking care of yourself and getting life organized.

This month, I wanted to answer the questions I’ve been getting, mainly in my Instagram DMs, regarding therapy. If you follow me on Instagram, you’ve likely seen my posts in my Instagram stories when I talk about going to my therapist. I’ve mentioned it in recent blog posts, too.

Before I jump into specific questions, I do want to say that I plan to talk more about my mental health journey once I’m in a better place about certain things and can fully articulate them here. Specifically, I’ll share about my struggles with anxiety. I’m still learning what triggers my anxiety and how to manage it. And I know many of you have likely suffered from anxiety. So once I feel like I’m managing it well and doing better, I’d love to share what that looks like for me.

Now, onto the questions!

On therapy

How did you find a therapist?

Good old google! I did a search for therapists who took insurance in my area, and was lead to a few directories that I sifted through. If you get insurance through an employer, you can ask your HR person for help connecting with your insurance provider to find someone.

What did you look for in a therapist?

I knew I really wanted to see a Black woman for obvious reasons. It wasn’t a deal breaker, but it was a high on my list. I also wanted someone who was Christian and included that in their practice because my faith is so important to me. I needed an office that was close to work and home so getting there wouldn’t be an issue.

I honestly got lucky and was able to find someone who checked all of these boxes pretty early into my search.

How does setting up a therapist work?

Once I found someone I was interested in seeing, I just called the office and asked if I could set up an introductory appointment. I knew after talking to her on the phone that we’d click. Before I even had an appointment, we had about a 20-30 minute phone call where we talked about me and she asked me some foundational questions. I made an appointment for a few days later where we mostly covered the basics (like a mental health first date).

On getting organized

How do you organized long term projects? Can you do this in a bullet journal?

Yes! You can do almost anything in a bullet journal, and that’s exactly how I organize those projects. I’ll make one page that overviews the project and outlines all of the steps I need to take to make it happen. Then, I’ll add that page into the index of my bullet journal. Any additional pages also end up in my index so they’re easy to find.

How do you organize your digital files?

I use Dropbox and Google Drive for file storage and digital organization. I categorize everything into folders! My folder systems usually look something like this:

Year > Folder > Subfolder > Files

For example: 2018 > Images > Post Images > readerquestions.jpg

I’ll add as many subfolders as I need to make things as clear as possible, especially when storing images.

Tips for organizing images on your phone?

Delete often! I hate when I look at my camera roll and see 1,000+ images (which happens often between being a blogger and working in social media). I try to dump files onto my computer into folders and off of my phone a few times a week to keep things well managed.

I use Google Photos to backup my camera roll, which gives you the option to delete files from your phone as you back them up which is hugely helpful.

Keeping the Dropbox and Google Drive apps on my phone also makes uploading and organizing photos easier.

How do you plan your days, weeks, month?

I’m going to do a full video on this as I’ve gotten a lot of questions!

But for the most part, each month I look at my future log (bullet journal terms explained here) for any events, travel or deadlines coming up that month and log them in my current monthly spread. I also note paydays, big bills due dates and other important dates. Each week, I check my monthly spread for important dates and note those, as well as any content I need to produce or events I need to attend.

Each day is a matter of noting whatever tasks need to be done after checking my weekly and monthly spreads.

On Career/What I Do

What exactly do you do full time?

I work as a Social Media Content Producer for Visit Philly. Meaning I handle the production side of anything you come across on Visit Philly’s social media. That could be shooting and editing a video for our Facebook, setting up and hosting Facebook Live interviews, creating Instagram stories, anything! It’s fun and definitely let’s me flex my creative muscle!

How did you find your job?

When I first started at Visit Philly, I worked in PR. My boss then had been my boss at one of my first internships, and we’d always kept in touch with each other. She’s the best. So when I position opened up, she recommended I apply and it seemed like a great opportunity, so I did. The rest is history.

Do you keep the blog a secret from employers?

In most cases, my blog has helped me land the jobs I’ve gone after! It would be hard to keep a secret at this point, especially working in PR/social. media and being pretty tapped into the local scene.

Do you need a website or online presence to get a job in social media?

Not necessarily, but it does give you an edge on the competition. Why would someone trust you to manage their online presence if they don’t see you managing your own?

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As always, feel free to email or DM me your questions or ask anything I missed in the comments!