What My Work Week Looks Like
How I Balance Baking - Recipe Development - Content Creation - This Newsletter
Last weekend was the first time I’ve done back to back popups [including my first popup in the Orange County area]. It was a very demanding work week + weekend but at the same time, incredibly rewarding. I definitely appreciate being able to work from home and for myself— but one of the most fulfilling parts of this job is actually meeting and connecting with you guys. I don’t take it for granted so thank you so much for the ongoing love and support.
I have another back to back popup weekend coming up with lots more work to do so I wanted to share what a typical work week looks like and how I balance all my work. I’ve created a general system that’s been reliable for me and I’ll usually tweak as needed depending on what the week entails. Whether you’re a fellow small business owner or a curious supporter— I hope this helps you in some capacity and gives you more insight on the work I do behind the scenes.
Here’s also my most recent visual vlog that takes you through a work week:
What My Work Week Looks Like
As a gentle reminder: this is what works for me so please take what resonates with you and leave what doesn’t.
MONDAYS
ADMIN WORK
Mondays are the days I’m usually out of the kitchen. Especially coming off of a busy baking weekend that tends to be physically and socially demanding, I savor my Mondays. This day entails mostly admin work with a bit of content work and recipe development. It generally looks like:
Organizing my finances
Checking orders + creating a detailed prep list for the week
Replying to emails + DMs
Creating + posting promo: announcements + menus for upcoming events
Writing this week’s and/ or next week’s newsletter
Brainstorming newsletter topics
Organizing for next month:
Updating my calendar
Scheduling popups or events
Updating my website with dates and information
Braindumping short-term and long-term goals
Organizing footage + editing reels / YouTube videos
Brainstorming content ideas, designs and goals
R+D [Recipe + Development]
Jotting down ideas that inspire me + checking my idea master list
Building recipes to start testing
TUESDAYS
CREATIVE WORK
Now that my week is organized, I like to focus my Tuesdays on creative work. If I’m being honest, there’s so much I want to do with never enough time in the day— but I do what I can with the time I have and make sure my priorities are straight for that week.
EDITING + PHOTOGRAPHY
I love creating videos— both short form and long form but editing is very time-consuming. Since the bakery studio and this newsletter are currently my main priorities, I only have the capacity to create 1-2 YouTube videos a month. On a more consistent basis, I’m focusing on my photography and creating short-form videos. It’s a lot of work but it’s genuinely so fulfilling to be able to create content in any capacity so it’s been worth the effort. I hope you’ve been enjoying it too.
WEEKLY NEWSLETTER
The newsletter’s been amazing because it’s allowed me to connect with this community on a more personal level and go more in depth with the topics I’m writing about. Publishing a newsletter every week is a personal challenge I’ve set for myself and I’m hoping to become a better writer with each one. I keep a running list of topics that interest me but tend to play it by ear depending on what’s on the forefront of my mind that week.
R&D
Recipe development is one area I’m always working on making room for. It’s been a bit difficult at times to find the motivation to get in the kitchen especially since I’m there most of the week for long hours. But one thing I never want to do is create from a place that’s not genuine or intentional. So, I’ve been allowing myself to take space at times in order to allow inspiration to come naturally. When it does, I’ll run with it and hopefully create the next thing I share with you.
I’ve also promised paid subscribers a monthly recipe on this newsletter which is my way of staying accountable while also working on lessening the pressure I tend to place around creative work. I want to enjoy the process of experimenting and creating in the kitchen so I’m looking forward to continue sharing recipes with you here. The next recipe will be coming in next week’s newsletter so make sure to subscribe for full access!
WEDNESDAYS • THURSDAYS
SUPPLY RUN - PREP DAYS
Wednesdays mark the start of my kitchen work for the week. Using the prep list— I’ll take a look at orders and/or popup quantities, check my inventory and create a supply list. I’ve found it crucial to stay on top of inventory in order to have a smooth workflow for the rest of the week. Here are the list of places I buy the bulk of my supplies:
Costco Business Center + Costco Wholesale
Galleria Wholesale
LAX-C Wholesale
Surfas Culinary District
Amazon
Webstaurant
After my supply run, I’ll come back home to start prepping for the week. Prep ranges from small tasks like building boxes and refilling ingredients to larger tasks like making cookie doughs, tart shells, milk buns, creams, etc. I make sure that all my orders are detailed out on my prep list and that the work is accounted for. I don’t like to jam pack my days and overwork myself so I make sure all the work is properly divided up over the week. It can be a lot to keep track of so I fully rely on my prep list to keep me organized and on top of my work each week.
FRIDAYS • SATURDAYS
BAKE - PICKUP DAYS - POPUPS
On a typical week: my pickups are on Fridays & Saturdays and popups are on Saturdays and the occasional Sunday. These days are focused on baking, garnishing pastries and packing orders. I’ve found a system where I don’t need to work throughout the night but I tend to wake up around 5am to fulfill orders or prepare for popups.
SUNDAYS
If I don’t have a popup, Sundays are my days off. There’s this saying that when you choose self-employment— you go from a 9-5 to a 24/7. That couldn’t be more true. But honestly, on a week to week basis, I don’t mind not having consistent days off. I fully enjoy the work I do and especially love the freedom that comes with self-employment to control my own schedule and workload. It’s a privilege to be able to work my ass off for myself while also being able to take small breaks throughout the day or a whole week off if I need to.
I’m incredibly lucky to be able to do this work and to share the process with you. I hope to continue creating in a genuine and exciting way. Thank you for the love and support in all my endeavors. I appreciate it more than you know.
JIYOON
I appreciate the dedicated time for admin! Such an important but easy to overlook aspect of business.
Hi! Would love to learn how do you keep your scheduled orders organized. Do you use a specific program/app/excel(?) to log in orders and dates?