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Balancing the Grind with Jewel Dayoan, Content Marketing Specialist at Caped Creative

Jewel Dayoan is a Content Marketing Specialist at Caped Creative, a content marketing agency based in Orange County, California.

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

In May 2020, I earned my Bachelor’s degree in Public Relations with a minor in American Sign Language from California State University, Long Beach. I was previously a journalism major, but I realized that my brain did not function well with constantly writing news stories.

During my senior year, I discovered that public relations was the field where I could happily roll my passions of relationship building, graphic design, and writing all into one.

Thankfully, our Journalism and Public Relations department at Cal State Long Beach required students to pick up a semester-long internship in order to graduate, which is SO beneficial to anyone trying to kick start their career right out of college.

Entering my last semester, I took on the role as a PR & Promotions Coordinator Intern for the student-run campus magazine, DIG Magazine. From community outreach to graphic designing event flyers, I knew from only spending 16-weeks in that position (with the last few of it being remote due to COVID), this was exactly the field I wanted to bask in post-grad.

Because I only graduated almost a year ago, I don’t have a whole lot of career experience under my belt (yet). Currently, I am a Marketing Assistant for a mortgage lending company in Huntington Beach called Summit Lending.

However, my most recent and prominent role is being a Content Marketing Specialist for a small Orange County, California-based agency called Caped Creative. My role primarily focuses on increasing brand awareness for the agency through various social media platforms, including Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok.

In my free time, I truly enjoy freelancing by designing websites, whether it’s for close friends, e-commerce businesses, or collaborative digital portfolios. Other times, I’m asked to create personal material for others, such as invites to birthday parties, weddings, etc. Regardless of what it is, it is an extra hat I enjoy wearing on the side.

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

Lately, I’ve been working from home, so my day starts a little bit later than usual since there is no traffic to beat. My day usually starts at 8:30 a.m. where my laptop, espresso machine and I are up and running. I like to do some slow stretches to wake my body up while my espresso is waking my brain for me.

My daily tasks for Summit Lending are usually pretty routine, so they are typically quick & easy to finish up before the day ends. In that case, I try getting ahead and finish up the quicker tasks I have set for the rest of the week so I can focus on bigger things for the remaining days.

Once those are off my to-do list, I tackle my responsibilities for Caped Creative, which is usually continuing to brainstorm, plan and create content for the current month. Whether it is designing graphics or making TikTok and Instagram Reels, there is often something extra for me to do for Caped Creative.

Oh, I forgot to mention, I usually have an afternoon coffee run to either a nearby Starbucks or my trusty espresso machine just to prevent a good ol’ mid-work day drag. Can’t forget my coffee!

Once I have crossed everything off my to-do list, I usually like to get some fresh air that is actually outside of my house. Other times, I have plans to go out with close friends or loved ones, get some food, and just catch up on life. One can occasionally find me at a cafe or running errands. Anything to just be out of the house, to be quite frank.

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

My current role at Summit Lending is quite flexible with remote working, while my role at Caped Creative is currently strictly remote. For now, I have been working both jobs remotely.

There are definitely pros and cons to working from home, but I can safely say that working from home has given me a lot of time to focus on things I have to take care of specifically at home, like running errands with fewer crowds in stores and being able to finish up chores.

I don’t have to worry about waking up 1.5 hours before my shift starts just to beat my 30-minute morning commute amongst busy city streets, or having to pack a lunch when I have a whole fridge 10 steps away from me.

However, I can safely say that it is SO easy to get distracted when working from home. Personally, I work best knowing that someone next to me is working and we are all in a working environment (which is why I work best in cafes or libraries).

Within the few months that I have been remote, I tend to find myself becoming less productive and easily mentally exhausted, especially with the fact that my bed of pure comfort is only so many feet from me.

On the other hand, I have slightly become more of a workaholic with how much time I have on my hands, especially since the work I do is something I actually enjoy doing in my free time.

That being said, working from home has truly taken a toll on my life and my routine for the good and the bad, so I can’t entirely complain!

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

Work-life balance means a whole lot to me. As contrary as it may seem with my work ethic, I’m quite passionate about saving work time only for work unless, again, I have nothing else to do.

I think this is super important (and if I could put a million asterisks and put it in extra bold I would) to make sure to save time to live your life. It can be so easy to fall into a pit of wanting to or having to constantly work, but that can definitely lead to burnout.

I have been a victim of burning out and having my mental health be negatively affected. I would put my work way over embracing my life to the fullest and enjoying life’s moments. Over time, it has become extra crucial for me to just save some time for myself to wind down for the night with some, a refreshing face mask, and watching late-night talk shows.

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

In the past 12 months, I have been able to pick up more time to really focus on myself and on my physical and mental health.

Although I have always been an advocate for mental health and self-care for others, that was something I lacked giving myself a lot – advocating for my own mental health and pampering myself with love and care.

People have always known me as a person that was always on the grind, whether it was school, work, and/or my internship. But since I graduated college in 2020 after going to school every year since I entered kindergarten at 5 years old, I had to grow into the reality that it is time to really make up for all the time I didn’t give myself while I was focusing on other duties and responsibilities.

I have since picked up exercising more as a way to relieve stress while feeling accomplished and spending more time outdoors (safely, of course).

Also, drinking more water has become more of a habit. I feel like drinking water is very uncommon for a lot of people. It’s not really everyone’s go-to drink, but I think it is absolutely important to stay hydrated with water. It’s one thing to be hydrated with tea or soda, but water? Game changer. It’s also great for skin and releasing toxins haha!

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

At the moment, I have been reading Winning The War In Your Mind by Craig Groeschel, a pastor of Life Church. It is a book that hones in on providing self-help and reframing your mind when it comes to having anxious and intrusive thoughts.

It is Christian-based, but the whole book is not about Jesus or praising the Christian faith. I honestly think the book can benefit anyone who goes through daily struggles dealing with anxiety and intrusive thoughts.

Something less religious-centric? You Are a Badass by Jen Sincero. If you are open to hilarious swear words and are trying to close off your habits of self-sabotage, this is a book I highly recommend. It has been a lifesaver for me when I feel down about myself and just need a good laugh in between the lines.

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

Given that I work in digital marketing and spend 90% of my day on some sort of device, I think it is safe to gladly admit that I cannot live without my phone and my laptop.

A recent happy addition has been my Apple Watch that has been my trusty sidekick in counting my steps and burnt calories throughout the day.

And, although I need all these social media platforms in my hands for work, an app that I personally cannot live without is my Spotify app. That is something I need to have on all of my devices at all times, especially while I’m driving.

It is quite essential to have during the moments I want to listen to the same five songs on my personal playlist or letting my passengers pick the music for us to ride out to. Sometimes, pure FM radio just doesn’t do enough car-riding justice.

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

I would want to read the work-life balances of minority, female-owned business owners and influencers. I think this demographic is so small and deals with so much, not only in the industry, but with so many societal and cultural pressures to be or live their life in a certain way that is more acceptable.

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

Please, please, please focus on your mental health. Spend time with loved ones, eat food, get a new outfit. Take care of yourself because no one else is going to do it, but you.

Work is work and it makes many feel fulfilled, but It is one thing to have a job that is meant to pay the bills, but if it is crushing and negatively affecting your mental health, please dissect if it is worth it in the long run.

I understand that this pandemic has taken a toll on our finances and it is hard for millions to find a stable source of income right now, but down the road, sometimes wealth is more important in your mental health than your bank account.

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About Author

Hey there! I'm Hao, the Editor-in-Chief at Balance the Grind. We’re on a mission to showcase healthy work-life balance through interesting stories from people all over the world, in different careers and lifestyles.