Key Takeaways
- 1Motivation often arrives after you start working, not before you begin.
- 2A full time influencer schedule is built on quiet tasks like emails, planning, and editing that viewers rarely see.
- 3Launch days feel exciting, yet they still rely on the same steady habits that keep a creator consistent between drops.
- 4Building your own platform gives your community a home that does not depend on a single app or algorithm.
- 5On low energy days, small structured actions turn “I do not feel like it” into real progress you can feel proud of.
If you have ever typed “what does a full time influencer actually do all day” into a search bar, you are in the right place. Online, you mostly see the cute clips from coffee shops and the big launch posts. You do not always see the slow start, the messy to do list, or the part where I sit on my bed thinking, “I do not feel like doing any of this,” then get up anyway. This video came from one of those days.
I have spent years growing a YouTube channel with more than 300,000 people watching, and now I run my own home base at alyssaahoward.com with a membership community, weekly emails, and creator merch that I design and launch myself. So when I say this is my job, I mean it.
What does a full time influencer actually do all day?
On this kind of workday, the vibe is very simple: low energy, high responsibility.
I woke up, rolled straight into an at home workout in my bonnet, and got that done before my brain could talk me out of it. Movement first keeps me from feeling sluggish once I sit down to work. That one decision sets the tone for the rest of the day.
Then it turns into layers of work that never really fit into a single “influencer” stereotype:
- Planning and writing my weekly email for my site
- Editing blog posts my team drafted for alyssaahoward.com
- Answering brand emails with my management
- Checking in with new Insiders and VIPs on my platform
- Editing a vlog that only my paid members will see
- Finishing a podcast episode and getting it ready to upload
- Promoting an exclusive merch drop with real deadlines
The camera captures the highlights, though most of the job looks like me behind a laptop, headphones in, trying to clear a list before my brain taps out.
How do you work when you do not feel motivated?
Short answer: you do not wait for motivation, you build structure so you can move without it.
That day, I did not wake up in “girlboss” mode. I felt lazy, tired, and tempted to scroll for hours. So I leaned on a few rules I use when my energy feels low:
- Move first, think later. I started with a workout at home before I had time to negotiate with myself.
- Leave the house. I know a change of environment wakes me up, so I packed my bag and went to a coffee shop instead of forcing myself to work in my room.
- Start with the quickest win. My newsletter outline takes less time than a full edit, so I tackled that first to grab an early win.
- Chunk the day. Coffee shop time was for emails, blogs, and planning. Home time later would be for filming, lives, and creative work.
Once I get rolling, motivation catches up. It usually shows up ten or twenty minutes after I start, not before.
The reality behind brand deals and emails
People joke that influencers “just post and get paid.” The inbox tells a different story.
Answering emails looks simple on the outside, though each message can mean:
- Reading through contracts and brand briefs
- Checking talking points and seeing if they match my values
- Negotiating rates, usage rights, and timelines with my manager
- Looking at my calendar to see if a campaign fits around launches
- Saying “no” to brands that do not align, even when the money looks tempting
When I fall behind on emails, stress builds up fast. On this day, I sat in that quiet coffee shop and forced myself to clear the pile. Thirty focused minutes gave me a full picture of upcoming campaigns, due dates, and content that needed to be filmed.
It is not complicated work, it just takes focus and a lot of tiny decisions that add up.
Inside an influencer merch launch day
This day was not just “get work done.” It was launch day for my new GREST merch drop.
Here is what that looked like in real time:
- Checking my site to make sure the product pages are live and working
- Posting the launch reel on Instagram right at 5:00 pm
- Updating stories with swipe links and reminders
- Watching VIP and Insider orders roll in first because they get early access
- Taking my laptop to the park so I can enjoy the sunset while still answering messages and going live in my hoodie
Launch days feel like a mix between nerves and pure joy. I sat in my car in the park, refreshing my site, hearing that little Shopify “cha ching” sound, and smiling like a kid. At the same time, I reminded myself that my job is to show up, promote what I believe in, and let the numbers be the numbers.
The best part is knowing that every order does not just support me. It supports the whole platform I am building for my community.
What does “building my own platform” really mean?
You hear creators say, “Do not rely on social media alone.” This is what that looks like in practice for me.
Beyond YouTube and TikTok, my site has:
- Free accounts where you can log in and keep up with everything in one place
- Insiders and VIP tiers with early access to videos, blog posts, podcast episodes, and drops
- Member only vlogs that never touch YouTube
- A weekly Friday email where I share life updates, mindset shifts, and what is coming next
That setup turns my workday into more than “film and edit.” I think about the whole experience: how a subscriber feels when they open my email, how a VIP feels when they watch something before everyone else, how a girl in my hoodie feels walking into class.
It is a lot, and I asked for all of it.
Try this for your next low energy day
You might not run a YouTube channel or your own site, though you probably have days where your to do list feels heavier than your energy. Here are a few things from this day that you can borrow:
- Pick one anchor habit for the morning, like a short workout or a walk, and protect it.
- Change your environment when your room starts to feel stale. Library, café, or even a different corner of your house can help.
- Start with one small task that gives you a quick win, then ride that momentum.
- Treat certain projects like “appointments” with your future self. My newsletter, for example, goes out every Friday no matter what.
- Celebrate progress out loud, even if it is just you in your car saying, “We did that.”
My life as a full time influencer is not perfect or aesthetic every second. It is real work, real joy, real stress, and a lot of tiny choices that add up to growth. On the days where motivation feels missing, discipline and structure step in so the dream does not sit in a notebook.
You deserve a life that feels like yours, even on the slower days. Start with one small move today, then let that version of you lead the rest of the week.
