239 - Sara Loretta

Sara Loretta is a Certified Notion Consultant, and the founder of SYSTMS™, a digital operations agency based in Austin, TX USA.

Through her work, Sara is on a mission to help 1,000 freelancers become badass CEOs through education & community. Prior to her freelance career, Sara spent many years teaching STEM and co-running Central Texas FIRST LEGO League events. When not building for others, you can find her buying plants or in the kitchen baking bread.

She has almost 200 houseplants, some of which you can see pictured below. Her office includes more of her exotic/harder-to-grow plants, including her favorite, Staghorn Fern (by the Rocky soundtrack, looks like deer antlers), and her Black Velvet Alocasia.

Tools:

• Mac Mini M1
• iPad Pro 12.9"
• BenQ Screenbar
• Satechi Mac Mini Hub
• Lenovo 27" Monitors
• Canon EOS M50 (+ CamLink)
• AKG Lyra Microphone
• Autonomous 74" Stand Desk
• Sengled Smart LED Light Bars
• Sony Noise-Cancelling Bluetooth Headphones
• Sunny Health & Fitness Walking Pad
• Cometeer Coffee (affiliate link for Sara)
  

Software:

• Basically Everything: Notion
• Design: Canva
• Accounting: Freshbooks
• Note-taking: Notability
• Community: Circle.so
• Reading: Libby

What is your favorite item in your workspace?

My favorite item in my workspace is absolutely my Sunny Walking Pad. I average about 8 miles a day while working and it's really boosted my productivity. The walking pad fits perfectly under my desk so it's easy to store and use.

How do you manage work-life balance?

I started working from home before the pandemic, so luckily I was able to build good habits without the chaos. One hard rule I have is my daily siesta. Every day from 1:30-3PM, I go offline to eat lunch, learn (watch/read), etc. I never allow meetings during this time. This time block is a great stopping point from my morning deep focus sprint, then after my siesta, I come back refreshed and dive in again until dinner. Another hard rule I have is work doesn't leave my home office (I don't work from the couch, etc.). When I'm done, I close the door and turn on "at-home mode".