How to Schedule Your Day as a Lash Artist

One of the greatest parts of being a lash artist is the freedom to run your business in any way you wish. But while this can be liberating, it’s also super easy to overwork yourself. 

Time management is a skill often overlooked by new lash artists. And to be completely honest, it wasn’t until years into practicing that it became something I needed to prioritize. 

For my first few years of lashing, I was booking up to 8 clients a day – and working 7 days a week! Hindsight is 20/20, and I realize now that I was working myself into an early burnout. I know it’s easy to get swept up in the love for lashing and wanting to grow your business, but trust me, learning how to schedule your day as a lash artist can save you trouble down the road! 

If I could go back in time and tell my younger self some tips, here is what I’d say: 

1) Set boundaries

I covered a portion of this in my post 3 Things I Wish I Knew Before Becoming A Lash Tech but, I’ll reiterate it here as well. Setting boundaries is a necessary skill for any career, but especially in service-based jobs. As a new lash artist, it can be very tempting to work as much as humanly possible. Naturally, we want to make our clients happy, and extra money doesn’t hurt either. But more clients does not always mean better. Know your limits and trust your intuition when it’s becoming too much. After all, practicing won’t mean anything if your work is sloppy because you are fatigued.

In the same vein, there need to be boundaries set with clients as well. Every service worker has stories of overbearing or pushy clients. Though most are well-meaning, they can take advantage of you if you aren’t firm. For instance, you can’t spend extra time on every client unless they’re paying for it. Your time is valuable, and although we want to go the extra mile for everyone, there needs to be a limit. 

2) Schedule 10-15 minutes between clients

Sh*t happens! Give your clients –and yourself!– some wiggle room by scheduling 10 to 15 minutes between each set. Sometimes you need to answer a text, take a bathroom break, or clean up. In these instances, having that extra time between clients can be a life-saver. And I know what you might be thinking, “That’s a whole hour out of my day!” Yes, it might sound like a lot, but truthfully if it prevents you from burnout or losing that love for lashing, then it’s invaluable. If the thought of being unproductive for a short bit of time is painful (don’t worry, I get it), you can use that extra time to sanitize or prep for your next set.  

3) Don’t forget breaks

Schedule proper time to eat, stretch, and rest. Even if it’s 30 minutes, that is precious time where you don’t have to worry about work. Lashing is a delicate process, and artists are prone to eye strain. The same goes for our backs and hands! If you want to be doing this for a long time, you need to start taking care of them. Treat them as you would your most precious tools – because that’s what they are! 

Set reminders for breaks and truly take that time to decompose.  Burnout is very real, and it can feel impossible to escape once you’re in too deep. Prevent this altogether by taking a dedicated break/lunch each day. 

4) Limit your clients

As I mentioned in the beginning, I was booking up to 8 clients a day and working 7 days a week. It helped me gain a lot of experience quickly, but I couldn’t stand it after a while. I now realize that I should have limited the number of clients I was seeing per day. Personally, I recommend not doing more than 6 a day, especially if you are just starting out. Considering full sets should be scheduled for 3 hours, trying to cram 6 of those a day sounds like a recipe for disaster.

Eventually, once you’ve gained footing as an artist, you can charge for your time rather than per set. This type of scheduling offers more freedom and fair compensation – so it’s definitely worth trying once you’re established.

Have any additional questions? We’re happy to help! Contact us here. We also recommend checking out our must-have products for lash extension care. You can also follow us on Facebook and Instagram to stay up-to-date on the latest Lash Reality news and products.