Cassie DeNisco

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A Productive Work Day in My Life

Last year I shared a day in my life as a blogger, but this year things are very different for me! I now am a freelance social media consultant so not only do I have my own social media platforms, I also do a lot for other people. I thought it would be fun to share what a day in my life currently looks like and maybe share a few tips along the way on blogging and free lancing!

My Day

7:30-9am

productive work day

This time frame isn’t work related but I swear it’s what helps me start off on the right foot. I wake up around 7:30 and get Sky going for the day. If you have a Frenchie, then you know they literally love to sleep and she would sleep all day if I let her. This time period is essential for me to get myself ready for the day with skincare and maybe even a change in outfit if I’m feeling it. I also make my iced chai or iced oatmilk latte and am always at my desk my 9am.

9-9:10am

The first 10 minutes of my day are dedicated to emails. I’ll check them when I first get up but won’t reply until this time. I also like to make sure my planner is set and ready for the day. I love filling out this Doing Well Daily planner and then get in the right mindset for the day.

9:10-11am

This chunk of time is where the bulk of my work is. Depending on the day, I’m either writing and scheduling a blog post for myself or working on projects for clients. I shared a few weeks about how I plan and create my blog posts, but for client projects it’s usually working on their website, or getting together images and other media for a campaign. One other thing I recently started doing first thing is making sure I’m posting a IG or FB post or story first thing. I find that even if I’m not posting at the right time, it just helps with engagement and visibility. I try to post at least one thing per client first thing in the morning.

One question that I often get asked is how do I charge clients for work. It really depends. For somethings it would be a flat rate, like building a website but the day to day content posting and interacting is generally hourly. As many of you know I also am a dance teacher so this work that I do is usually part time as well. I like getting most of my bigger things done in this time period so I have enough time to get everything done in the day.

11-12:30pm

This is probably Sky’s favorite part of the day. We go for a walk and I workout, two things she absolutely loves. My workouts are usually a Melissa Wood Health video and maybe an arm circuit with dum bells. Sky is notorious for trying to workout with me, whether she’s doing her yoga stretches or trying to catch my feet, she loves MWH workouts as much as I do.

I also take the time to have lunch during this time. If you noticed, I don’t usually have breakfast so lunch is always my first meal of the day. Generally I have a salad, sandwich, or whatever leftovers we have from the night before. I can’t stand having to make a whole meal at lunch time when I just want to eat quick and get back into the day.

12:30- 3pm

This is usually the last chunk of time in my productive work day. I usually would leave for the dance studio shortly after this so that’s why 3 is usually the end of my day. I like to do my lighter tasks after lunch. I’m usually starting to hit the mid day slump so I make sure my work is lighter.

My favorite after lunch thing to do is work on content. Whether it’s the IG stories I post or my Pinterest pin images, I love this time of day. I use Canva to create my content like that and for my clients as well. Canva is my go to for my own content and other’s. It literally is amazing at doing so many things. Paying for the premium subscription is must for a social media manager. You can try Canva here!

Like I said, my day either ends with heading to the dance studio or taking Sky on another walk. Since I’m only doing this part time, I have a lot of flexibility with how and when I work. This is like my favorite thing because when I was interning, I know for a fact I hated being in an office 9-5.

My final productive work day tip is time blocking. As you noticed, I do everything in chunks of time. Each day is usually the same but with different tasks during that block of time. I find it makes me work harder knowing that I am only doing something for 2-3 hours at a time. It helps to keep my days less boring and me more engaged throughout the day.

I hope this productive work day gave you some tips and tricks on productivity and even social media consulting. If you’re interested on a post diving deeper into social media management let me know in the comments below!!

Getting Back into a Routine after Summer

I can’t believe I’m writing this as we head back into September. Summer is one of my favorite times in the year but I struggle with getting back into a routine come September. It’s nice to not have as much pressure as the normal year has and to allow yourself to actually enjoy your time. With so much rest and relaxation, it makes it hard to get back in the swing of things. I also think this year with all of the stay at homes, getting back to school and work will be that much harder. Here are some ways that help me in getting back into a routine.

Try and Plan Out Meals & Outfits

I think this one is easier said then done. Once you truly get into the routine of things, this makes life easier. Having meals and outfits already planned just takes stress out of your week. I can’t tell you how much time I spend in the morning finding an outfit if I don’t plan it before hand. I also think the same came be said with dinners because by the time you figure out what to make, it’s just easier to order out.

Utilize your Phone’s Calendar

We all are glued to our phone’s but we don’t take advantage of the calendar’s we can have on it. I personally have Apple products so everything is streamlined together but you can also use Google calendar the same way. As soon as you add something to your phone calendar, it gets on your computer calendar and vice versa. This makes planning easy. Everything is in one place and you don’t have to worry about ruining your planner by crossing things out.

Don’t Pressure Yourself to Do It All

This is one I still struggle with. I feel like as soon as fall comes, I need to be insanely productive and just get stuff done. While this is a good mindset, sometimes I’m not nice to myself about it and make myself feel guilty. Do what you need to do but remember to take time for yourself to relax and hang out. It’s good for your mental health to take a break every once in awhile.

These tips seriously help me getting back into a routine really all year round. I love the times that I get to rest and recharge but getting back to work is so so exciting. Having the time off hopefully gets you inspired to get back to work with a clearer mindset.

Follow me on Instagram @cassiedenisco & check out my other posts here!

Tips on Starting a Blog from a Social Media Manager

Everyone absolutely love my post about things I wish I knew before starting a blog which you can read here, so I thought I would share more tips on on starting a blog. These are tips that I have helped me to stay successful and these tips on starting a blog also help you maintain your blog for the long haul.

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Website www.cassiedenisco.com

What to Know Before Starting a Blog!

starting a blog

It’s absolutely wild to think that my first blog post ever was posted 1 year ago. I can’t believe that it’s my 1 year blog anniversary! I decided randomly one day to launch a blog and it has been the craziest year since. In honor of my first year as a blogger, I put together my list of 5 things you need to know before starting a blog.

1. Have a Plan

I started out my blog thinking I would just write some posts and upload them but I soon realized so much more goes into that. If I could give one piece of advice to a new blogger, I would absolutely say make yourself a schedule. Write on one day, take photos on another, and then plan for a day to upload and also post on social media to announce it. To gain traffic, you need take your time and a plan will help you stay on track.

2. Use Social Media

In the beginning of my blogging days, I only posted on Instagram to announce blog posts. Now, I have posts on Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, and Pinterest as well. Social media is a great way drive traffic to your blog but utilize all of it. I focused so much on only one site that my numbers weren’t as high as they could be. Now I have over 100,000 monthly views on my Pinterest posts which drives direct traffic to my blog.

3. Invest in Your Blogging Platform

I had initially played around with Wix for hosting my blog. After just a little bit of research, I found out that even though it was somewhat cheaper, it would be hard to monetize. I then decided to pay for WordPress and I could not be happier. Not only does it help you easily monetize, but there are so many themes to choose from. I know when starting out you might want to do it on the cheaper side, but in the long run investing in your site will absolutely pay off.

4. Learn all you can about SEO

When I first started posting, I had no clue what SEO was. As I started to get further into blogging, I learned that “Search Engine Optimization” is the key to getting your blog post seen in places like Google. While you should always be creating authentic content, mixing in SEO rich phrases and terms will help you in the long run. I ended up installing a plugin that does most of the SEO work for me but since I am a Digital Audience major, I know there are plenty of online resources to teach you all about it.

5. Success Won’t Happen Over Night

After about a month or two of blogging, I hit a plateau in my viewers and site traffic. I honestly became really discouraged because I thought I was doing so well. One major thing to realize about blogging is that it does take time. You have to grow your readership and create connections. If you stay the course, you’ll be just like me, one year later with a lot of knowledge and viewers!

I hope these tips on what to know before starting a blog help you. I jumped right into blogging not knowing everything but I seriously wouldn’t have changed a thing. This was definitely a challenging year but it was so rewarding in the long run. I learned so much about building websites and website performance and loved every minute of it.

These tips on what to know before starting a blog are things that I know now would have absolutely helped me earlier on. Thank you so much for 1 year of readings my blogs and connecting with me! It has seriously been amazing writing and growing as a person. Here’s to another awesome year of blogging!

Follow me on Instagram: @cassiedenisco !

5 Ways to Stress Less in 2020

Welcome to 2020, the year where we all will stress less! I am an over thinker which leads me to have some seriously stressful days. I’ve put together some of my ways to stress less to ensure you’ll have a stress free year!

1. Meditate

Meditation started out as a simple 2020 goal but it has seriously helped me as a way to stress less. I swear that just spending those 10 minutes in silence can do wonders for your mind. I like to let those stressful thoughts just pass through my mind but I don’t act on them. Once I’m done meditating, I am so much happier and all around less anxious.

2. Spa Shower

This might sound bizarre, but have you ever showered with the lights off? I swear that it gives off this spa vibe and seriously can help to relax you. Whenever I’m feeling stressed out or worried, I make sure to save myself time for a good long shower. I’ve also heard some people use the Himalayan Salt night light which just adds to the spa atmosphere.

3. Treat Yourself

I can’t tell you how easy it is when you’re stressed out to completely ignore your self-care. I know an easy trick for my stressed out days revolves around spending a little extra time on myself. Whether it’s a face mask or self-tan lotion, just spending a few extra minutes alone and on yourself can help clear your mind.

4. Don’t Deflect the Stress

The only way to really rid yourself of the stress is to let it pass. Don’t try to compartmentalize your feelings or else they could just come back at a later time. As with all things, it’s important to attack them right away and head on. I like to write out what’s stressing me out and then I almost always realize it’s not that big of a deal once on paper.

5. Plan for the Next Time

If you stressed out over a grade or a deadline, make sure next time you study more or do your work earlier. It’s important to realize that a lot of our stress we inflict on ourselves. We overthink or put ourselves in situations that will stress us out so why not just try to avoid it before it gives you anxiety?

I hope that these ways to stress less in 2020 will be helpful for you. I feel like I’m the queen of thinking myself into stress and I know that doing these things seriously helps me to stress less. Do you have any good tips to stress less? Let me know in the comments below!

Follow me on Instagram @cassiedenisco! And check out my latest blog post here!

stress less in 2020

Balancing it All

balancing it all

My life these days just feels like a hamster wheel. I’m just constantly running from one thing to the next and having trouble figuring out balancing it all. Often we feel like we need to be doing something 24/7 in order to prove something to ourselves or others. For me, I know that I have to be doing something or else I just feel lazy. I don’t know why but I literally will beat myself up if I treat myself to an after internship nap. Even writing my last blog post took forever to get through because I was juggling so much.

Having that mindset though isn’t healthy. It’s okay to treat yourself sometimes to a little you time. Balancing it all means you’re balancing everything, including your mental health which is often so neglected. I’ve recently found that on a busy day, I need a few minutes to myself to gather my thoughts and get it back together. Living life in the fast lane is fun but can lead you to burnout which is not something you want to go through.

Burnout for me means I don’t want to do anything at all. I don’t want to be bothered by homework, or work from my internship, or even choreographing dances (which is something I love to do). I become uninspired and unmotivated which is a seriously dangerous path to be on. Once you’re uninspired and unmotivated, nothing will get done and you be in a worse position than you were before just trying to balancing it all.

Overcoming burnout can be difficult, but I give myself whatever necessary time I need to recharge. I get myself back into the headspace that I need to be in to get things done and I just get to it. Being your own pick me up is a serious skill that will take a lifetime to develop. Knowing your limits and what you can handle is also something you need to develop.

I believe that a huge component of balancing it all is learning to say no. It’s absolutely okay to tell someone you can’t do something for them. You have to focus on your own life. You need to do for yourself before you can do for others. Now of course, you can’t say no to work or homework. But you can reach out if it is really getting too tough for you. Unless your boss is totally awful, they probably understand what you’re going through and know that balancing it all in life sometimes gets tricky. The same goes for professors.

If you find yourself struggling when trying to balance it all, reach out to friends and family. Just talking through your problems will already help to combat them. It’s so important to keep yourself together when it might feel like you’re being pulled in a thousand different directions. Let me know in the comments below if you have any times to balance it all!

Follow me on Instagram: @cassiedenisco

How I Let Self-Doubt Hold Me Back

I think for most of us, we’re our own worst enemies when it comes to self-doubt not feeling good enough for the things in our life. For myself, I know that I easily could let my stress and anxiety about change and new experiences control my life but I try my hardest to not let it. Letting things that scare you control your life isn’t a healthy way to live but a lot of us decide to not overcome the things that stress us out.

Self- doubt has been a huge factor in my life and honestly has controlled some of the decisions I have made. I often feel either not worthy enough for the things in my life or I let the fear of the unknown consume me. It often consumes me so much that I sometimes won’t do certain things or will not go all out in situations that I really would have liked to. I know for a fact if I started truly believing in myself whole-heartedly, I wouldn’t be as anxious of a person as I am.

For a little context, I used to think I was just an extremely indecisive person. Once I dove deeper and tried to get to the root of my problems, I realized that I just wait for “signs” on how to handle situations and and make decisions that may or may not come. And if they don’t come, I let fear take over and not do whatever it is I really want to do. It literally took me almost 22 years of my life to realize this but once I got to the root of my indecisiveness, I realized it was my own self-doubt that was holding me back.

This week alone I have had to make some major “big girl” decisions for myself and I almost talked myself out of them, even though they were things that I really wanted. Just take a moment to think about that, I almost let two amazing opportunities pass me by because I was scared. It was comforting to know that I had other people’s support no matter what I did but ultimately it had to be me making the decision as to whether or not I would pursue these things. Although I’m super nervous, I know that I just need to in a sense rip the bandaid off and get to it.

Having the courage to fight yourself in situations is definitely not easy but is so necessary if you’re like me and are constantly in your head. You can let your internal fears and doubts run your life. Just because something scares you and you’re nervous about it, doesn’t mean you can’t do it and succeed at it. Once you’re in a mindset where you are confident with yourself about your decisions and situations, you’ll realize the life filled with self-doubt that you lived before wasn’t healthy. Whether it has to do with body positivity or fear about how you life is going to turn out, you just have to let it go and start living your life for yourself.

I wish I could tell you an easy way to overcome whatever mental struggles and self-doubt you’re going through, but like I said, it truly took a long time to become at peace with myself. I realized that I can handle situations and I shouldn’t allow the things that make me anxious to live my life. It is truly so liberating when you are able to take your life back and start doing things that make you happy. The light at the end of your tunnel will come and you will make it through whatever scares you. I mean, at the end of the day, if it doesn’t scare you at least a little, is it even worth doing?

Don’t for get to listen to me new podcast Chit Chats with Cass on Apple and SoundCloud.. new episodes every Monday!

Major Announcement: Chit Chats with Cass!

I am so excited to finally share this secret that I have been hiding for months now…. my very first podcast Chit Chats with Cass is now LIVE on SoundCloud and iTunes!!!!

Having a podcast has always been a dream of mine but I was never sure when the right time to start it would be. After having my blog for a few months now and growing steadily, I felt like it was the perfect time to be able to connect with all of you on a different platform. I could not do this without all of your love, support, and kind words so seriously THANK YOU for following me on this journey.

Chit Chats with Cass will have a new episode each week talking about a different topic.In the weeks ahead, I will be covering everything from boys and relationship drama to navigating college and healthy living. My first episode is all about inspiration and getting inspired. I thought it would be the perfect topic to start with because getting inspired was the key to launching this podcast. This podcast will be a way to continue our conversations and make it easier for us to connect on another level.

So, you might be wondering what will happen to my blog and my answer is, nothing will change. Right now, I still plan on posting twice a week on Wednesdays and Sundays. Also, check out my new page dedicated to the podcast here on cassiedenisco.com. The only change is you’ll be able to hear me any day of the week once a new episode of my podcast is live!

Again, thank you all so much for your love and support! We have created such a cute little community and it feels like you all are turning into my best friends. I’m so happy that we now have another platform to connect on and continue to grow our friendships!

Be on the lookout for a brand new Chit Chats with Cass on Monday September 23rd!!

My Favorite Apps to Edit Instagram Photos

Everyone knows that the key to a great Insta feed is having uniformity in all your pictures which is best achieved with a photo editor. This might be easy if you want to keep reusing the same photo but an easier way to make pictures look the same is in how you edit them. I seriously go back and forth with if I liked edited photos or if I prefer them more natural but recently I’ve found a hack that makes all my photos look so great!

My secret to editing photos starts with the apps you use. For the longest time I was just using VSCO but found that it was hard to save the changes I made so that I could reuse them later on another picture. I’d always have to go back in and try to remember the exact numbers I had used in brightness and contrast so that the pics would look the same. I still like VSCO for the presets but now that I really have figured out what I like with my photos my latest obsession is with 2 apps that I doubt I could live without.

I initially decided to purchase the Afterlight app because I loved the presets that they had. When creating my blog, I wanted my photos to be bright, clean and maybe have a hint of pink in them and I found that the Lumen preset makes my photos look exactly how I want them to if I’m taking blog photos for just objects.

My holy grail for every photo I take of myself is actually Lightroom. I use the free version for the iPhone but I do know that the desktop version does have a monthly subscription. Lightroom is awesome because it does have some great presets but it is seriously SO easy for me to save the settings that I love as my own presets. I usually will pick one of my presets and then just adjust as needed and it gives my Instagram feed the same vibe.

Another app that I love but don’t use that often is the Unum app. This app is actually used to plan out your feed so it really helps you pick and choose which photo should go where. I also love this app because there’s a whiten feature that helps brighten up and make my white wall photos really pop.

I seriously understand how scary editing Instagram photos can be but the apps I have shared with you seriously help make life easier. The key to a great Instagram is of course the actually photo but having all these tools and resources to help enhance those photos is so helpful. Let me know in the comments below if you have any photo hacks or editing tips that you can’t live with out!

Don’t forget to follow me on Instagram @cassiedenisco!

Boy, Bye

I’ve definitely had my fair share of relationships in my lifetime and I’ve seen enough to know that a huge problem in relationships is not knowing when to call it quits. For a lot of people, they realize that the relationship isn’t doing what it is supposed to anymore but continue to hold on to it. Other people let relationships run their lives and stop them from pursuing the things important to them.

Whether it’s the fear of being alone or fear of not having that person in your life anymore, you need to realize that relationships should be happy and then need to contribute positively to your life. My post Babe, Stop Apologizing, touched on the idea that you shouldn’t leave toxic people in your life just because you love them and that absolutely can be applied here. When the relationship isn’t what it used to be and you’ve tried everything in your power to make it work, you need to just walk away. You might be thinking, well that’s easier said then done but believe me there is so much more to this world then your crumby relationship.

I watched a lot of my in both high school and college just long for a boyfriend. They seriously would do anything to just have someone to call their own. I mean if you’re starting out a relationship with your history of being desperate for a boyfriend, it can’t end well and yet my friends somehow made it last. Basing your relationship off the idea that you don’t want to be lonely isn’t the healthiest start to one. A huge question that you need to ask yourself before getting a boyfriend or girlfriend is why am I doing this? Is it because I’m lonely or am I secure enough in my own skin that I can add to someone else’s life? You need to have yourself established before you can give anything to anyone else. You need to have your self-love and confidence in your own skin so that you’re the best version of yourself for someone else. You can’t pour into someone else’s cup if your own cup isn’t that full.

In the world we live in today, relationships look so different than they did in the past. If you look at statistics, people are waiting to get into relationships or not getting into them at all. Reasons vary but the general trend is anti relationships, and personally I’m all for it. Girls today have so much more freedom in what they can say and do, and to be honest most relationships hold girls back. In thinking about my own experiences, there were countless times that I didn’t pursue something because of the relationship I was in at the time. I look back now and ask myself “Was it worth it?” and considering I don’t even talk to that person anymore, it wasn’t.

Why do girls have to lose their identities when they’re in relationships. I wonder that a lot and think that the answer lies in the insecurities of the person they’re with. Most guys can’t handle girls that know what they want and where they’re going in life, especially if they have no clue where they’re going themselves. Girls shouldn’t worry about what their significant other is going to think. Relationships definitely should not run your life to the point that you lose all ambition for the dreams you had. This ties into my earlier point that you can’t get into a relationship that’s going to be happy and healthy until you are secure with who you are.

Now, I’m totally not advocating going out and breaking up with your boyfriend or girlfriend if you’re the slightest bit unhappy but if any of these scenarios I’ve mentioned fit you, then maybe it’s time to reevaluate somethings. You need to consider why you got into the relationship and how the relationship makes you continue to feel. Relationships are there to make you happy and to add to your life, they aren’t there to stop you from doing what you want to do in life or make you miserable.

Something else I want to touch on is that it is totally okay for you to communicate how you feel to your partner. I feel like a lot of people are afraid to make the first move in conversations because they’re worried it might come off the wrong way. You have to get comfortable enough with the person you’re with so that these types of conversations are easy and painless. It’s good to step back and reevaluate where you are in relationships from time to time so that you make sure you’re on the same page.

It took me a long time to get as comfortable and confident as I am now to even be talking about knowing when to leave a relationship or what not to do to get into one. I for so long hated being alone but now realize I’m better off alone then miserable with someone else. In my life right now I am so content with where I am in my relationship and I know that we both work to better each other and our relationship. If you’re not in a partnership with your boyfriend or girlfriend, you’re not in a good relationship and that when it’s time to say Boy, Bye.

Follow @cassiedenisco