101: The importance of strategic content planning around your energy levels (how to show up in marketing when your “battery levels” are low) | The Systems & Workflow Magic Podcast

What happens when your systematized schedule still has your battery running low? How do you market your business when you’re a team of one and you just can’t do the socials? My guest, Caitlin Wilcox, shares with us how she waits to market her small businesses when she knows her battery is full.

The Systems and Workflow Magic Podcast is brought to you by Dolly DeLong Education. This podcast is for creative business owners who want to learn tangible steps to automate their business through workflows, systems, tools, and strategies to go from scattered to streamlined with purpose because even muggles can become automated wizards!

 

Meet Caitlin Wilcox

When Caitlin picked up a camera in her high school’s journalism classroom, she had no idea her love of documenting and creating beautiful images for others would lead to a full-time career for both herself and her now-husband, Devon. In fact, when she started her business straight out of high school, she never intended for her “little hobby” to be more than a side gig during college, but if there’s one thing that’s true about Caitlin, once she puts her mind to something, she will work tirelessly to achieve success. After building a six-figure business, she decided to launch Caitlin Wilcox Photography, a photography brand designed to elevate our current wedding experience without giving up the small, hometown-style weddings we love with CSC and to share the knowledge she’s built over the last six years as a photographer with other small business owners. Caitlin is a firm believer that with hard work, determination, and a mindset to never stop learning, you can achieve anything you dream up, and she is here to help guide you towards your success and cheer you on the whole time!

🧩Interested in getting started with Systems & Workflows For Your Own Business?

A free workshop on how to get started with refining my top 5 recommended systems, workflows, and sops to impact the backend of your own creative business today! Sign up for this free 90-minute workshop and walk away with a game plan of action!

CONNECT WITH CAITLIN 

• Caitlin’s Website
• Caitlin’s IG:@caitlinwilcoxphotography
• Freebie: www.caitlinwilcoxphotography.com/personal-content-freebie

CONNECT WITH DOLLY 

instagram.com/dollydelongeducation

facebook.com/DollyDeLongEducation

pinterest.com/dollydelong

want to listen to similar episodes to this one? Check out:

https://systemsandworkflowmagic.com/2022/08/08/37-get-off-the-content-creation-hamster-wheel-with-this-content-creation-system-with-amanda-warfield/

DID YOU LIKE THIS EPISODE? PLEASE SHARE IT ON PINTEREST!

Read The Shownotes + Transcript Here

Dolly DeLong: hello, and welcome back to another episode of the Systems and Workflow Magic podcast. I am your systems and workflow BFF and guide Dolly DeLong. And I have a question to ask you, the listener, if you are running the show on your own, meaning if you are running your business on your own, which I know many of you are so I bet that your battery at one point or another has run low or is running low, but yet, you have to show up and be your marketing team by not only showing up consistently on social media, but showing up to serve your clients and your audience. Believe me, like I have hit these walls myself, countless numbers of times. And so on today’s podcast, I have a really special guest. but I just wanted to share with you, that even though I am trying to systematize as much as possible for my own business, I am still human. I get drained during my batching weeks. I have two little ones.

I am also balancing life as a photographer too, not just a systems and workflow educator, but as a photographer. And so I know I logically know I have very limited time to work. I don’t have a marketing team working for me. It’s just Dolly now. And I don’t want to ever come across as hypocritical and be like, Oh, it’s all great because I only work 15 minutes a week, because of all of my systems and workflows and I’m never tired.

And I’m bringing in like 1 million a day and I, because the systems and I’m the energizer money. And so if you follow this path, you’ll do the same. I never want to come across as that, because that’s false, but. The fact and reality is, I do, On one hand, I love systems, not only because they help me get organized, but they help me stay sane, with my insane schedule.

I guess I’m leading up to this question. I want to ask you all, Okay. What happens when you’re insane schedule, even though it may be systematized is running low on battery life. All right. What do you do then as a small business owner?

You certainly don’t have a marketing team that can step in and do everything for you. And you certainly don’t want to disappear off the face of the planet and be inconsistent. Yeah. That’s why, again, I have invited my friend Caitlin Wilcox to the show today. She is going to talk about this very topic and give us a new way, a new strategy, and a system we can use and utilize when we are facing very low batteries amid busy seasons.

Amid maybe seasons where we can’t be at our desks as often as we want to be. And then, so the midst of chaos. So I know that was a very long introduction, but I am just so excited to have Caitlin on the show today. Caitlin, welcome to the show. Do you mind introducing us to who you are, who you serve, and what you do?

Caitlin Wilcox: Yes. Hi. Thank you so much for having me on the show. I am, I am just as excited to be here. I’m Caitlin Wilcox and my husband and I, Devin, own Caitlin Wilcox Photography and CSE Photography. So we’re wedding photographers based in Virginia, and I also, I’m an educator for small business owners, I love to help small business owners and creatives see their opportunity for growth and success, and I’m so excited to, chat with all of your listeners today, because it’s true what you say, even if you’re not an introvert, if you were just running the show on your own, like you said, your cup is so full.

And a lot of times that’s so draining on your social battery or just your battery in general. We can’t all be the Energizer Bunny. There’s only one.

Dolly DeLong: There’s only one. Well, Caitlin, I am so excited to have you on the show. I know before we hit record, just to all the listeners, like just as this is the power of social media and the power of like referrals and people like, I don’t connect people.

We were connected by a mutual friend. Hey, Jamie. Jamie Fisher. She connected me and Caitlin or Caitlin and I together. And, so it’s been fun following Caitlin on Instagram, and getting to know her, but now we get to meet via Zoom, not face to face, but via Zoom. That’s the next best thing right now. And, I’m just so excited to finally connect with you and learn a new system or a new way to think about how to market myself when my battery is running low. And I know what you have to offer is it’s going to bless a lot of listeners, Whenever they find this episode, it’s going to help them out a lot. I just know it.

Caitlin Wilcox: I’m so excited.

Next time I’m in Nashville, we’ll have to do this face-to-face.

Dolly DeLong: I know it’d be so much fun. I would genuinely love that so much. Okay. Caitlin, let’s get to the heart of this episode. And I say this almost in every single episode, but as a reminder to all my listeners, I like to treat each episode as a mini mastermind.

Meaning I want you to walk away with tangible tips and either systems, workflows, or SOPs to start integrating into your business now or this week, or you can start assessing what, systems you need to integrate based on the episode. So I am so excited to jump straight into the heart of this message.

Caitlin Wilcox: Yes. Okay. So my first tip for you all It’s going to sound crazy, but I only create content when I feel like creating content. Now, this sounds insane because like you said, we want to stay consistent in our social media, but if I’m only creating content when I’m up to these social interactions when my battery is at its fullest, then this way I’m presenting my best self, my best mindset to my audience at all times. Now, for me, this looks like as an introvert, I do not like to be like constantly on social media with all of these interactions. But as a business owner, my cup is so full of tasks, right? There are so many things that we need to get done.

In our business, I don’t have time to spend five hours a day, just interacting and showing up on my stories and, posting, constantly. So I’m only creating content when I’m up to these social interactions. For me, I’m the kind of person. I don’t like to live on my phone. Do you feel like that Dolly?

Dolly DeLong: I am, I feel like I am walking always a fine line of, I, I say to my husband, this is like gonna be like a little therapy session. I realize I said to my husband,, if I did not have my businesses, I would not be on social media. But yet he’s I don’t believe you, because he sees like, there’s a little bit of my personality that loves interacting and connecting with people. And I genuinely love people and just love connecting with other people. But there is a part of me now, the older, it’s not like I’m like 80 years old, but the older I’m getting, I’m just like, Oh, this is a lot. This is very draining.

And now my focus and attention is more on my boys and my priorities with my boys. But I do There are some days where I’m like, Oh, I have to get on social media. Like I have to connect. And so I don’t like having those feelings of, I have to do this. It’s that’s where I’m like, I feel like I’m like walking that fine line some days.

Caitlin Wilcox: Exactly. I feel the same way. even as a high schooler, I had social media, but I was the kind of person that I liked to look at everybody else’s stuff and not post my own. and I don’t have kids. My husband and I, don’t have kids yet. but my first instinct whenever I’m out in public isn’t to let me take a story of this.

It’s let me soak it in. Let me enjoy it. And then once I get home, I’m like, man, that could have been a good story. So this goes back to that tip one, where if I’m feeling up to creating the content, then that’s whenever I’m pulling my phone out. That’s whenever I’m taking a story of my Chick-fil-A nuggets and everything.

So I don’t have to do it every single time. It’s just whenever I think about it and whenever I am intentionally creating, like that’s whenever I am like showing up.

Dolly DeLong: Gotcha. Then my question for you is I’m sure you’re going to get into this and like the next points, but I’m just curious, what happens when you are not to say this has happened to you, what in the scenario would you suggest to a creative minded business owner who is running the show on their own and they know that one of their main marketing channels is a social media platform, but what if like 90 percent of that month, they’re like, I don’t want to show up, but yet they need to like, what then are you going to answer that question? Yes. Okay.

Caitlin Wilcox: So that kind of brings me, to my second point. So that was a great segue.

Dolly DeLong: Oh, that was unintentional. Everyone listening. And that was totally, I was just like, curiously asking.

Caitlin Wilcox: No, that’s great. Because, whenever I am intentionally showing up, I am creating multiple forms of that content. Okay. So if I am at Chick-fil-A, I’m a big Chick-fil-A person. So I’m going to reference that a lot in this episode. Um, whenever I go to Chick-fil-A and I’m like, Oh yeah, I need to take a story of this.

I’m taking at least two pictures and two videos, um, multiple forms of content where one could be like a picture of the speaker. One could be a picture of the Chick-fil-A building. One could be like a selfie with my chicken nuggets. anything like that. And I am posting one now, and then I am putting the other two in a folder on my phone.

That way I can access it whenever my social battery is low. I don’t have to physically create that content. Or if I forget to, the next time I’m at Chick-fil-A, I can reference it. Pull it up, post it on my social media, and I can cross it off of my to-do list, so to speak.

Dolly DeLong: Yeah, no, I love that so much. And, I know, I don’t think we’re gonna get into this, but this just makes me think of, there are many female business centers, okay, females, who base their content creation off of their cycle.

And this sounds to me like something that female business owners do when they’re like, Oh, I tried to create the majority of my content based on when I have the most energy so that during my time of the month, Where I’m like at my lowest, I like to hate everyone or all the raging hormones are like, they feel like they are the realist feelings ever.

You don’t have to create content in those moments. Cause you’re already so drained. So for me, again, I have been trying to track my cycle in my energy levels throughout the month. And so I know when my peak extroverted personality, just like energy is so that I can do this exact thing you’re doing right now.

And I know we didn’t bring up cycles or anything and everybody’s different. Everybody’s hormone levels are different. so I don’t want to get a hateful DM on my Instagram, I’m just saying, that this is what works for me. And I’m just trying to relate to this, too.

Caitlin Wilcox: So interesting. I’ve never heard of that. It makes so much sense though.

Dolly DeLong: Yeah. I’m a big, podcast consumer myself. and the first time I ever heard about, working around your cycle as a female business owner was maybe two or three years ago. And it was very interesting to me.

And I am, this is lame, but sometimes I’m a late adopter of things just because I like to push things off and push things off. And I finally, so this year is like the year I’ve decided I’m going to start adopting that and see how that fits into the way I create content. With my cycle.

Caitlin Wilcox: That makes so much sense to me though. even just not from an energy perspective, but as an introvert, I am so prone to nitpick everything. So like closer to my cycle, I break out a lot. Yes. And I will sit in front of my phone for an hour saying Oh, like I hate this video because this giant pimple is on my chin or whatever.

So planning the That is so interesting. I’m going to have to like, you’re going to have to DM me, which podcast this was.

Dolly DeLong: I will listen to it. it was so interesting and so eye-opening for me. I know I have some male, listeners. I’m sorry. We will speak to you soon, very soon, but mostly this is for the female listeners, like who needs that.

Maybe, this could be encouraging to you to, just, track your cycle and, see when your, yeah, when your energy levels are, and also sometimes my energy levels come out, and that impacts if I’m going to show up as introverted or if I’m going to show up as extroverted.

Caitlin Wilcox: That was such a productive tangent.

Dolly DeLong: I know! I was like, I thought for some reason, I thought you were gonna go into that, and I was like, oh, she’s gonna bring that up, and so no, that, but yeah, I will send over the information I do have, but I am currently learning how to track everything, and it’s very interesting.

Caitlin Wilcox: That sounds interesting. I’m excited.

Dolly DeLong: Yeah. But I think what you do like when you know, it sounds to me like you know your personality very well and you know your own like Cycles of personality, and so you, or cycles of energy. And so it’s good that you can read yourself enough to say, okay, I have this amount of energy, I’m going to do this because I know I need to market myself.

And so that way you’re not pressuring yourself to show up every single day.

Caitlin Wilcox: Right. Cause if you only have 20 percent battery, there are so many important things that you and your business need, um, to spend that time and energy on. So if you can spend 1 percent instead of 5 percent or more on creating that social media content, because it’s already done for you and you just have to pick it out of a folder, slap a caption on it, and then, Post it, or you can make it more engaging.

I love it, I’m going to go back to Chick-fil-A again, Dolly.

Dolly DeLong: I love it. just to let you know the DeLong family, we love some Chick-fil-A and it’s I don’t know why, but Blaise is my oldest and he’s obsessed with Chick-fil-A and we had to break it to him. He finally understood a couple of years ago.

He’s almost five now, but a couple of years ago. When he was like one or two, he did not understand why it was closed on a Sunday. We had to constantly remind him every single day that it is closed on Sunday. Don’t be upset when we drive by after church and it’s closed. And he, now he lets us know, he lets us know, Hey, just a reminder, mommy and daddy, it’s closed on Sunday.

Caitlin Wilcox: I need him to remind me of that too, because I get, unnecessarily upset on Sundays when I can’t. Like rage, just

rage fills you. You’re like, what? Why is this closed? Oh yeah. Especially,

so we shoot, like 50 to 60 weddings a year in the season. and especially since we have two brands.

And so a lot of times, like we’ll have a Saturday wedding and then we’ll have a Sunday wedding. And it is Like a tradition for me to get Chick-fil-A after a wedding. And if we have a Sunday wedding, I can’t get it. And I’m so angry that

Dolly DeLong: you’re full of rage. They should have a special Chick-fil-A-like drive-through.

wedding photographers or creatives who work on Sundays and that is their end goal, like at the end of the event Chick-fil-A. I’m just giving you all an idea. Nobody’s I don’t know if anybody’s going to listen to it,

Caitlin Wilcox: but it’s a good thought.

Dolly DeLong: Well, that’s good. Okay, so you’re going back to the Chick-fil-A analogy.

Caitlin Wilcox: if I have that Chick-fil-A, like speaker photo in my photos app, and I didn’t post it before, even if I did post it before, your audience isn’t going to remember, cause they’re not as closely connected to your content as you are.

so I can post that, speaker’s picture on my stories. if it’s a Sunday, I can be like man, Chick-fil-A is closed. I wish I could have it. And I could put a question box. that’s tell me, what you order, like what’s your go-to Chick-fil-A order. And that instantly makes that, content that you already produced probably like even like months ago, more engaging and it spent like 1 percent of your energy.

Dolly DeLong: That’s so good. Now I am just curious, Caitlin, as an introverted creative business center, how do you navigate how to market your business? Like you’re even marketing yourself in person at weddings.

So how do you navigate that?

Caitlin Wilcox: So I think that a lot of it is just knowing your social battery limits, right? Knowing so especially like on a wedding day, right? it’s very people-heavy, right? And especially people have you that I’ve never met, which can be extra scary for introverts. So I know that whenever I like to start a wedding day, I am at probably 90 percent battery power.

Cause I didn’t just wake up, maybe there was traffic on the way, maybe there’s like a line at Starbucks. so I’m probably starting the day at 90 percent and I go through the day. I know approximately where my battery level should be. And during the reception, I know that dinner can be a little bit more of quieter time where I can recharge a little bit.

I know that I can step away, especially since my husband is my second shooter. he can take over dance floor photos for a minute while I edit our same-day slideshow, or if I like. Go to the bathroom real quick, or I sit and have a piece of cake and I can recharge myself to a point where I need to be, to finish the wedding day off strong.

And I also, don’t work after the wedding day, so like on the car ride home, I’m not calling because that’s just going to drain my energy and I’m not going to be able to recharge the way I need to show up for Sunday’s wedding or work on Monday morning.

Dolly DeLong: Okay. So the reason why I’m asking you this is I’m trying to get the listeners to hone in on really knowing yourself and your personality and your battery levels.

Caitlin, I don’t know if you know this about me, but I have a master’s in professional counseling. So that was my past self. I used to work in higher education and work in a counseling setting, So I am really big on how you need to know yourself. You need to know not only your strengths and your weaknesses, but what are your tipping points.

because I think it’s. Good and professional to stay kind and consistent to everyone. Like when you’re interacting with them but how do you know when you’re at that baseline and you’re like, I don’t know if I have it in me anymore. Like that, I’m at 5 percent and it’s getting dangerously low.

And so that you don’t like exploding at this poor guest who just, I don’t know, just asked you a weird question, but you don’t want to do that. But, I was. I just want to remind listeners, that it’s really important if you are going to be in any type of business where you are interacting with people, know yourself well, and know your capacity.

It sounds to me like Caitlin and her husband, know their capacities, even as I don’t know if your husband’s introverted, but you say you’re introverted, and you, but yet you. You show up for 50 to 60 weddings a year and you do it well. And so I just want to encourage listeners, like you can do this, like you, you just got to get to know yourself and know your capacity, know your limits.

And then of course, listen to Caitlin about how to show up for your marketing, especially if you’re doing this on your own.

Caitlin Wilcox: I’m glad that you mentioned that because my husband, Devin, is an extrovert. He thrives at weddings.

He loves interacting with all of these people. he likes to describe his job as he gets to go to people’s parties. Yeah. And take pictures of them, whether they like it or not. so it’s nice that we can have that trade-off where I’m more detail-oriented and he’s more people-focused.

Yeah. Yes. that’s, but I know that not everybody has that luxury,

Dolly DeLong: yeah. I’m so glad that you have that good balance, that yin and yang in your business. That’s good. okay. I know we’ve been talking a lot about just how to batch out your content based on your energy levels.

So that leads us to how you batch correctly.

Caitlin Wilcox: Yes. So another tip is that I like to call it soft batching because to me batching an entire month’s worth of Instagram posts seems super tiring and a lot for me. So I like to take soft batching and focus on a week or two, and I do those on.

I call these my social days. so like today, I have a podcast interview. I just had a podcast interview before this for my own, for my show. I have called after this. Like it is a social day for me. So I know, that I’m already on. and I like to be on and then I like to be off.

I like to have a whole day where I’m not doing anything. So Thursdays are like editing for me. yeah. Yeah. So on those social days, I’m soft batching my content and I’m especially soft batching my like talking to my camera, Instagram stories. So if I know that I’m going to be posting about, this thing in my business, or I want to share a tip or I need to promote my YouTube video, then I’m taking that, Wednesday or Tuesday, because I have community choir on Tuesday, so that’s another social day for me. Oh, that’s fun. I’m taking one of I guess another kind of tangent, like I have a big performance background, so it’s really easy for me to switch on. And, fake it till I make it. so that’s important.

take everything I say with a grain of salt and your listeners, they may be a little bit different in terms of what is their social battery. So just listen to yourself. Yes. Listen to yourself. Yes. I

Dolly DeLong: love that. that is a very cool fact about you. I didn’t know that.

Caitlin Wilcox: Yeah, I don’t talk about it a lot, but yeah, my, my undergrad degree is in law and politics, but I wanted to go into like music education because like I was a child actress.

I have a huge

Dolly DeLong: world background. You were a child actress.

Caitlin Wilcox: Yeah. like I did like professional, like regional theater shows and got paid for that and like modeling and everything. It wasn’t huge. Like me, I auditioned for the Hunger Games, but I was not cast. So

Dolly DeLong: I still think that’s a cool fact.

That’s so fun.

Caitlin Wilcox: Yeah. I don’t talk a lot about it a lot, but, yeah. that kind of forced me or maybe not forced is the right word, but taught me, as a young child growing up, how to present myself more confidently, even if I didn’t feel like it. So I think that’s important to note as well.

so on these social days, I am taking, all of my like talking to the camera stories that way. I don’t have to think oh man, I have to pull out my phone and talk to my camera again. And I just want to be editing on the couch. I’m so tired. or like any of this, it’s already done for me.

I throw it on Instagram. I put like a little captions on it and it’s done for me.

Dolly DeLong: I love that so much. So you call that soft batching.

Caitlin Wilcox: Yes, I think that, yeah, batching like a whole month is just scary to me. So I soft batch it so it’s a little bit easier to chew.

Dolly DeLong: right before we hit, record everyone.

Caitlin was asking me how my batching week is going. Cause this week, what the day we’re recording, I am currently in the midst of my batching week and it’s. And it’s very intense. And by the end of every day, I’ve been very low on my battery. But then I’m like, I need to be on again because I, toddlers don’t care if you have a 1 percent battery life or if you have a 100 percent battery life, they’re like, we’re going, we need to go mom.

And so I’ve been, which is another reason, I think it’s really important just to know your personality, know your limits. don’t push yourself. especially if like you might blow up or melt. I don’t know. I just know myself. And so I knew that two to three podcast interviews.

per day for a two to three period. the first day of the month or the first day of the quarter is my limit. And then like maybe one podcast interview a week with other people, on other people’s podcasts. that is, I, I do I, maybe I need to read myself more and do more soft batching, but, I do that term a lot, Caitlin.

Caitlin Wilcox: I think that it goes back to like me, like knowing myself. So I know that one day a week, like two days a week, that’s like what I can give and still be able to show up on the weekends for my weddings. I think that it’s so much better to take that day and create all of this content because if you’re trying to push yourself every single day to show up and be present and be happy and professional and just really on, and on with your best self in your business, then you’re going to grow exhausted and just completely go off of the face of the planet for, however long you need to recover. And so if you have it all done, then you don’t have to worry about that.

Dolly DeLong: That’s good. Now, I know we don’t have this in our notes, but how do you organize all of this?

Caitlin Wilcox: I’m a big pen-and-paper kind of person. so I have a monthly calendar and I will write out all of the YouTube videos that I am posting. I have liked my podcast. So we alternate YouTube podcasts and YouTube podcasts.

that way I know that’s one thing that I need to talk about. And, if I have a wedding that’s coming up, then I can talk about, this engagement session and maybe a tip that like went into having it be as good as it was. So I’m like softly plating like what I need to talk about.

And if I am. scheduling, like all of my Instagram posts on those two days, then I know this is something that I’m posting, and this is something that I need to share in my stories as well.

Dolly DeLong: Gotcha. can I ask you another question? Sorry. If I’m overwhelming you, this is your show. Dolly. I know, but I just, don’t wanna ask.

You can ask me all the questions. Okay. So when you say soft patching, do you, when you have the energy, like when you know, okay, this is It’s coming. My energy is coming. I’m at 95%. I’m going to do some batch work. Do you intentionally batch only Instagram stories or Instagram content? Or do you take that energy and do you do YouTube videos and podcasts?

Or do you do the soft batching for the podcast and the, the YouTube videos? do you do those? weekly or bi-weekly? Like how does that, cause I know that’s long-form content. I’m big on batching out long-form content, but then I know everybody has their own system. So I’m just curious what your system is.

Caitlin Wilcox: Yeah, no, that’s A great question. So I am doing, Wednesdays, right? So I have a mastermind on Wednesday, so I have to show up. I have to be able to give in to that. And so that is whenever I am soft-batching all of my social media content, but I’m also soft-batching my YouTube and my podcast.

So typically it looks like, scheduling in the morning. I’m not a morning person. so I’ve warmed up by, scheduling out my posts and then I’ll have my calls. And then right after my call is whenever I do all of my, like talking to my camera stories. And then a little bit later at night is whenever we batch out like two, maybe three if I’m feeling up to it, weeks of that long-form content.

Dolly DeLong: Gotcha. I was just curious what that system looked like for you. And so listeners, if you are following along, take note, like there is no one perfect roadmap for systematizing the way you batch out your content. I think there is wisdom in planning ahead and making sure that you have, if you do have a YouTube channel or a blog or a podcast or any type of long-form content that is more evergreen, make sure that you’re not doing those. Off the fly of your, fly by the seat of your pants. However, the phrase goes, because then it won’t happen and won’t be consistent, but make sure, I always try to stress this, create a system that works for you in that, you will still show up consistently.

So Caitlin does her soft batching on Wednesdays. And then I do my batching. I try to do batching, like intense batching, once a quarter. Like for the next 60 to 90 days, because I just know that’s based on both of my sons, ‘ schedules now, or if I’m able to just batch out once a month at the top of the month.

So I just like, again, it just depends on one, it depends on our energy levels. It depends on our, and sometimes our spouse’s schedules. It depends on, our cycles. depending on if you go that route. So again, if you hear anything, hear this, like there is no perfect way, but there, you can learn from other people.

And you might apply Caitlin’s system and it may work. Perfectly for you. So that’s why I try to invite people who have like different systems and workloads and that work for their personality. So you’re probably like Dolly. Yes, we know that. Okay. Don’t repeat that anymore.

Caitlin Wilcox: It is so important to repeat though. It is so important to repeat because just because you do things one way or you do things one way doesn’t mean that’s great for your life and your business. Take everything as a, like a little nugget, you don’t have to take

Dolly DeLong: everything. Exactly. And we live, I think about my best friend and I were talking about this the other day, not like about business related stuff, but she, okay, this is going to age me.

We both went to, there’s a story behind this. So we are both best friends and graduated from the same high school! 

Yes, our 20th high school reunion is in August. and we both were like, just like catching up because of best friend time and no kids. She has three boys. I have two boys. And we were like, this is the best. We get to just hang out and not worry about kids. We love our boys, but we can just catch up anyway.

It came up in conversation, like how draining sometimes, culture can be sometimes. In that, if somebody gives an opinion about something, it’s like truth, like it’s truth, and if you don’t do it that way, then you’re a failure. And that’s the case in point with motherhood, with parenting, with being married, if you don’t do it my way, then.

Then you, that’s it. You’re going to fail. And so I always try to make sure people know Hey, these, like these conversations that I’m leading every week, either with a guest or solo episodes, like these are things that have either worked for me, worked for other people’s systems, workflows, but that doesn’t mean it’s set in stone, find what would work for you.

maybe take what Caitlin said, like nuggets here, nuggets there, and then apply it to your life. But if this does not help you, you’re not a failure. And remember, social media is loud because everybody has their opinion about literally everything. And then if you don’t agree with it, their feelings are hurt.

come on people. so again, that’s my counselor coming in. This is a little therapy session with Dolly as well. Like it’s okay. To like, take your time and figure out what works best for you and systems of batching. So anyway, I’ll get off that tangent, but that just made me think of that conversation I had.

Yeah.

Caitlin Wilcox: No, I love that because I think that it’s important to remember that we’re all human, And it’s important to allow ourselves grace through this. there are weeks where my soft batching looks, a lot less than some weeks and I do not show up exactly the way that I need to. And my businesses, they’re still up and running and they haven’t fallen apart just because I took a little bit of a week off.

So it’s important to like, remember yes, consistency is important, but so is your mental health, and just your human, your humanness is important. So allow yourself grace. You don’t have to be perfect with this because nobody is.

Dolly DeLong: Yes. And if people are presenting themselves as perfect online, I just remember they’re not, and they probably have a team of 10 people working with them to help them. So just remember that there’s always a story behind the story. all right, Caitlin, I feel like we went on so many tangents and I learned so much about you in this episode.

Caitlin Wilcox: It’s the same. thank

Dolly DeLong: you so much. So many things. I know I am so excited. For, my listeners to engage with you now and to follow you.

where can people find you, follow you, and work with you? Tell us more about your YouTube channel and your podcast.

Caitlin Wilcox: Yes. they can follow me on Instagram at Caitlin Wilcox Photography and that’s C A I T L I N. I feel like I always have to spell my name because Caitlin has 20 billion spells.

Oh,

Dolly DeLong: yeah. There’s like K and then there’s C. Yeah, there are variations of it. Like I’s and E’s and

Caitlin Wilcox: Y’s. Yeah. I’m sorry if that’s annoying, but. yeah. Caitlin Wilcox Photography. My website is caitlinwilcoxphotography.com. com. you can also, I have a free guide that can help walk you through your own, little, like batching setup for creating personal content in your business.

It’s called, five personal content ideas for when your social battery is low. So that’s on my website. caitlinwilcoxphotography.com/personal-content-freebie. Yeah. I got it. Probably. You’ll link that in the show notes. I’m sure.

Dolly DeLong: I will link that in the show notes.

For sure.

Caitlin Wilcox: Yes. And then my podcast is called Operation Carpe Diem, with Caitlin Wilcox. And then my YouTube channel is just Caitlin Wilcox.

Dolly DeLong: Awesome. What do you talk about on your YouTube channel? Yeah.

Caitlin Wilcox: So we talk a lot about, business life as an introvert and just how to grow your opportunity for success.

Dolly DeLong: It’s a lot of fun. Okay. I’ll link everything you mentioned in the show notes so that people can subscribe to, your YouTube channel, your podcast, and follow you on Instagram. you all Kaylin is. Like a very talented photographer. So you’re going to want to follow her. And, especially if you are planning a wedding and you’re looking for a photographer, just reach out to Caitlin.

and then a shameless plug. Shay, I will plug everyone that I like, they are talented. I will, I’m going to plug them. so Caitlin, I just want to thank you again for being on the Systems and Workflow Magic podcast, and for those of you who are joining us, thank you again for following along with this episode.

I know we took a lot of twists and turns, but we just wanted to share with you different systems of being intentional with your content, because that will affect your marketing. but overall, like we really, just want you to take care of yourself and know yourself well. as you navigate.

Owning a business on your own. So anyway, as always, everything that we spoke about will be in the show notes. And if you enjoyed this podcast episode, be sure to like, reach out to me, reach out to Caitlin, and let her know. And I’m sure that will be super encouraging to her. it’s always fun and encouraging to get like comments on Instagram and social media about how specific episodes have been helpful.

So you guys like words of affirmation that helps a lot. all right. Until next time, have a streamlined and magical week. You amazing muggle you, I will see you all next week for another systems, SOP, and workflow-related podcast.

Bye.