Jessica Ivers is a freelance social media content producer, who has worked in sports for the past decade, across clients such as the Australian Open, Roland-Garros, Wimbledon and more.

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1) To kick things off, could you tell us a little about your career background and current role?

My background is in sports media and marketing and I’m currently a Freelance Social Media Content Producer.

I’ve worked in sports for the past 10 years (time flies when you’re having fun!) and have covered Rugby League and Tennis mostly and been lucky enough to travel around the world.

I am usually managing social media accounts on behalf of a company or event, managing Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube. As a freelancer, I get to work on a variety of projects which keeps things interesting.

2) What does a day in the life look like for you? Can you take us through a recent workday?

While sport has taken a bit of a hiatus recently, my most recent role was working on a tennis tournament in Adelaide. The days can be long working in sport but also very exciting!

For me, a usual day on site at a tennis tournament involves arriving an hour or so before play begins to get prepared before matches start and plan out my day.

That might mean choosing which matches to focus on in particular, how I will be covering them and chatting to the PR and editorial team about what’s on and any news that might be breaking.

I then speak with the governing bodies of the Men’s and Women’s tour (the ATP and WTA) about any player requests that I might have, then focus on spacing out the content that will go on the social media channels that day.

Sometimes if we’re lucky, there’s a team of people that can help running around to gather content for the channels, and then I craft the posts and when they will go out.

3) Does your current role allow for flexible or remote working? If so, how does that fit into your life and routine?

Freelancing means things are very flexible and while I’ve been able to travel to tournaments overseas, I also get to work remotely from home which is nice.

I truly love the travel side of things and getting to experience a new place and work with different teams, but it’s also good to work from the comfort of your own place. Sometimes that means I work odd hours but again, I love the variety and it certainly makes things interesting.

4) What does work-life balance mean to you and how do you work to achieve that goal?

Because a lot of what I do is quite intense for either days or weeks on end, I see that as a challenge to get through, and then the reward is some time off after it.

When I’m working on a project like a sporting event, it generally means I have to be committed to that for the full duration – whether that’s 3 days, 10 days or 3 weeks! I fully dedicate myself to that task, and then reward myself with a few days off at the end to let myself rest.

I am also a yoga teacher and make sure that that is a big part of my day whether that’s with a physical practice or practicing mindfulness throughout the day to keep my body and brain connected.

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5) In the past 12 months, have you started or stopped any routines or habits to change your life?

Not necessarily any routines but I’ve started setting more boundaries around my work. If I’m working on something for a client (outside of event times), I try and keep that work within the hours of 9am – 6pm and take time off at night to rest my eyes and to set my own boundaries.

I’m a big believer that the world won’t end if that email isn’t sent within the next hour – life will go on and things will get completed by the due date by managing my time.

6) Do you have any favourite books, podcasts or newsletters that you’d like to recommend?

I have a great book called The Yoga Mind which I love. It taps into how to practice yoga ‘off the mat’ and appreciate all the little things in every day.

I also enjoy listening to the Sports Geek podcast to keep up to date with the latest sports digital trends.

7) Are there any products, gadgets or apps that you can’t live without?

I can’t live without my phone! It has everything I need on it! I love getting creative with my iPhoneography and use different photography apps like Hipstamatic, Huji and FIMO to mix up photos that I might share on social media channels with work, or personally.

8) If you could read an interview about work-life balance by anyone, who would that be?

I love tennis and one of my favourite players is Serena Williams – I would love to see how a 23-time Grand Slam champion manages their work and life!

9) Do you have any last thoughts on work, life or balance that you’d like to share with our readers?

There’s a saying that if you “do what you love, you’ll never work a day in your life”. I disagree with that.

Working on projects that you love make you step out of your comfort zone and try that little harder to make your work shine. The hardest days at work have been challenging and rewarding, but also help me to step into a place of creativity, and I love being challenged.

And remember to rest. Things will get done and the work will get completed, but look out for yourself first.

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