Hi, my name is Jenna and I’m the Hotel Marketing Manager at Tripleseat Software. I wanted to share a little about life the day in the life of what I do, hopefully you’ll find some of this information useful!
As a marketing manager, especially in the hospitality industry, you already know that no two days are the same. There’s a lot of moving parts to the job, and a lot of things you do on a daily, weekly, monthly, or quarterly basis. So being organized and having a good plan is extremely important so that you don’t overlook something or fall behind.
I think it’s important to share a little about my personal tasks in addition to my professional tasks, as the way I prepare and set myself up for the day has a big impact on how productive I am, and on my general mood overall. And we all know how important it is to be in a good mood at work!
5 am - 8:30 am:
Most days my morning starts between 5-5:30am. My alarm goes off and I'm on my way to the gym. I’ve read a lot of professional growth books over the years and one of my favorites is certainly Atomic Habits by James Clear. One of his main messages is the importance of having a positive routine that sets you up for success. Getting up early and allowing myself to have some time for me before the workday starts gives me the ability to clear my mind and be ready for what the day has ahead of me!
After the gym, I take my time getting ready for the day. I typically like to read a book outside (if weather permits) while I have my coffee. Then I shower and get ready for the day! I used to be in the habit of waking up and going straight to work, and I found that rushing in the morning or not having a bit of time for myself caused me to get stressed easily.
9 am - 9:30 am: Let's Add That To The To-Do List
The workday begins! Whether it’s a work from home day or a day in the office, I’m usually ready to go early, it's never a good idea to start the day late. First things first, checking my messages and emails that I’ve received since the night before. Once I get through those emails, I check my calendar and my ongoing to-do list and create a list of things that are my goals for the day.
Usually, during my morning prep, I jot down any creative ideas that I have for projects or campaigns. I’ve found that my most creative hours are first thing in the morning and towards the end of the day.
9:30 am - 12 pm: Off To My Next Meeting
I typically like to schedule my meetings in the mornings to allow myself time blocks in the afternoon for my projects and tasks. But, we know of course that meetings come up throughout the day, so I just make sure I’m planning around what I have booked for the day.
With all the project management software out there in the world, like Monday and Basecamp, I’ve found that a good ole excel spreadsheet is the best way to organize everything for myself. I tab things out by numbers, goals, weekly updates, action items, projects, and meeting notes. Everything I need is consolidated into one place and easily viewable! This might not be the best system for everyone, but I’ve found it works best for me.
12 pm - 1 pm: Lunch & Power Walk
Once I get through my morning meetings and updates, it’s usually around lunchtime. The mornings usually fly by! It’s easy to work through lunch, and if I’m being honest, I usually do on most days. But, I’ve found that the mornings where I have lunch away from my computer, sitting outside, or talking with co-workers or friends, give me just enough of a break to help the second half of my day be more productive.
Sometimes, if I have the time, I’ll try and get a quick 20-30 minute walk in to avoid that sluggish feeling after lunch. Pair that with a refresher from Starbucks and its game over for my afternoon, bring it on!
1 pm - 4 pm: Project Time
After lunch, it's project time. Typically on Mondays I take a look at my calendar for the week and will identify time blocks for the projects and campaigns that I’m working on to ensure I have the time to get them done. I’ve found that if I don't block off time in my calendar, there’s a chance I’ll get booked for a meeting or will get distracted by something else and those projects and tasks will fall off my radar, and then I’m playing from behind instead of being prepared.
The projects and campaigns that I work on vary week by week, and also by season and quarter. But for the most part, they consist of blog writing, content creation, customer newsletters and communication, new product launches, press releases, prospecting email creation and management, membership monitoring and the list goes on. That’s the fun part of being a hotel marketing manager for a software company, no day is the same, and you have the ability to be as creative as possible with the campaigns you’re creating.
4 pm - 5 pm: Let's Get Creative
Once I get through the projects and meetings I have for the day, I try to schedule some creative time again. During this time, I try to shut down my email and messaging so there are no distractions. This is where I’ll do some research and see what’s going on in the marketing world, what’s going on in the software world for hotels and start to write down anything notable I find.
I typically keep my Google Alerts up to date with anything worth knowing about, so during this time is when I go through my Google Alerts, Industry Newsletters and just educate myself. It’s important to take a step back and always keep that “beginners mindset”, allow yourself to absorb what’s going on in the world, and then brainstorm how you can use that to your advantage to make your business the best out there!
5 pm - 5:30 pm:
And that’s it. The day’s over. Time flies when you’re busy and having fun. As you can probably tell, having a healthy mind and a work-life balance is extremely important to me. I’ve found that if I don’t give myself enough time to clear my mind, then I'm not productive or successful in my job. Winding down at the end of the night and setting yourself up for the next day will make your day-to-day that much easier.
At the end of the day, I’ll take a look at my calendar for the next day and update my list of priorities. I go through my daily “to-do” list and check off everything I’ve done and re-write the list for the next day with anything outstanding. I’ve also forced myself to shut down my computer at the end of the day. This forces you to leave no tasks undone or any emails unanswered. Allowing you to start fresh the next day!
I hope you found my daily routine to be a useful one! If there’s one thing you take away from my routine, I hope it’s the importance of having positive habits that set you up for success. Without having a healthy and positive routine, there’s a chance you’ll set yourself up for stress and mistakes, and no one likes that!
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