“I’ve always loved digital media and creating spaces for Black women’s experiences to be centered,” says Nickecia “Nick” Alder, Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Black Girl Fly Magazine and co-founder of Party Noire, “I’ve spent time creating spaces for storytelling on- and off-line. Black women’s experiences have always been intriguing and important to me. I’ve done this work in many different ways in the past, so my current career path feels like a natural progression of evolution."

Nick is a digital media creator, media researcher and serial creative entrepreneur who uses her platform to tell stories and amplify the voices and experiences of black millennial women. And in addition to those roles, she’s also one of the masterminds behind a day party series and creative event production. Needless to say, she does it all.

Off-the-clock

But when she’s not at work, Nick prioritizes time to read, travel and listen to live music.

“I’m always aggregating resources, links and things I’m reading for my BGF Mag team. I’m always seeking to improve my businesses and projects so I read a lot of business development and self-improvement books."

But when she’s looking to unwind, she also loves non-fiction memoirs and works by black women authors.

“These really help shape how we frame our storytelling on the BGF platform,” she says.

Most of her family is spread across the United States, so she’ll FaceTime her mom weekly and uses a family group text to keep up with her siblings.

“I try to visit my family a few times a year and I’m intentional about making dates with my friends,” she says, “Sometimes we are getting together to catch up on work or check in on goals. Other times, we are catching a show or event together or grabbing dinner or drinks. My friends and family are a part of the support that helps me balance all of the things I do.”

And in between work and spending time with family and friends, self-care is a weekly necessity for Nick.

“Because most of my work happens online, I have to be intentional to unplug and get off my phone regularly,” she says.

To do so, she’ll take a relaxing bath with a good playlist or spend the night at the spa with her partner one or two times a month.

“I love flowers and plants, so filling my space with new flowers weekly and taking time each week to care from my plants is a time I use for self-reflection and to be quiet with my thoughts,” she says, “I also really love the water; when it’s nice out I walk or sit by Lake Michigan. I like to create space for solitude and working through my thoughts and creative ideas."

On how she fits everything in a day

“I start my morning between 5-6:30a.m.,” she says, “I usually start with reading the day’s Shine text and doing some writing using an exercise called morning pages. Then, I scan BGF’s Twitter and sometimes curate our 30a.m.,” she says, “I usually start with reading the day’s Shine text and doing some writing using an exercise called morning pages. Then, I scan BGF’s Twitter and sometimes curate our #FlyAffirmations morning content.”

For breakfast, she’ll fix a breakfast smoothie or some yogurt and granola or eggs and avocado and some coffee.

“I turn some music on or pull up my favorite podcasts and check my productivity planner, asana and calendar and make a game plan for my most important tasks of the day,” she says, “On a good day, I do all of this by 8:30 a.m. and set an intention and focus of the day using Momentum.”

When it comes to getting ready, Nick has some favorite products she swears by — Dr. Bonner’s Peppermint soap, Glossier’s milky jelly cleanser for cleaning her body and face and Eclectic Shea butter and Glossier’s Moisturizer Rich for moisturizing her skin.

Once she gets to work, her productivity is aided by a few simple tips. One of her favorites is to reduce every day’s to-do list to one “most important” task (the one thing that would leave you most satisfied if it’s all you did that day) and two to three secondary tasks that would make the day even better. This system helps her prioritize daily and tackle the most important work first. It also keeps her to-do list to a manageable length of items.

“For daily motivation, I pop into the BGF Mag Slack HQ,” she says, “From our very lit and real conversations about our experiences or critical commentary on the current happenings, there is always great energy and conversation that helps inspire me and motivate me.”

And for a physical refresher, Nick finds solace in getting up and moving around.

“I try to make sure to get up from my desk during my lunch and actually eat,” she says, “I may go for a walk or maybe catch an episode of my favorite shows.”

She goes to bed between 10 and 10:30 p.m., so her nighttime routine usually involves winding down whatever she’s doing by 9:30 p.m.

At night she uses Lush’s Tea Tree Water, their Skin Drink moisturizer and Scratch Good’s Night and Lash + Brow Oils. Then, she’s ready for bed.

“I might read or write a bit,” she says, “I turn my notifications off and try to be off my phone. I may meditate or listen to music until I fall asleep.”

For more from Nickecia, be sure to check out the relaunch of Black Girl Fly Mag’s online platform on June 30! And follow her on social media at @word2nick!

Nickecia alder