A Writer’s Schedule
Posted on 26 June 2008 by Sharon
When I asked the other day for freelance writing questions on Plurk, AllenaTapia wanted to know about my schedule. It’s been some time since I wrote about my daily routine and a lot has changed in the last two years. My daughter is now in school and that has changed the shape of my work week. Instead of cramming my writing into two whole days and any spare time, I now work mostly Monday to Friday, doing a couple of hours only over the weekend. My day looks a bit like this: 6.30am - quick email check, especially for anything from the UK market 6.45-7.45 - get my daughter ready for school 7.45-8.00 - quick chat with my mum 8.00-8.30 - check out friends on social sites, check job ads 8.30-12.30 - write, write, write with occasional breaks 12.30-1.00 - lunch
1.00-school pickup (which can be anytime between 2 and 3.30) - write some more
school pickup - 7pm - supervise homework, play, get dinner
7.00-8.00pm - do anything urgent; check email
10.30pm - final email check.
During the school holidays, which have justed started, I cut my work day a bit or work out alternating schedules with my DH who also works at home. This year my daughter is going to gymnastics camp for a couple of weeks, which means that the workday will end at 2pm. That means I’ll probably do slightly fewer jobs, but it’s worth it to spend more time with my family. What’s your workday like?
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Tags | freelance writing, work at home, writing career
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June 27th, 2008 at 12:05 am
Your schedule sounds great, Sharon.
At the moment my work day is generally work whenever I ‘can’ from morning until night pretty near every day of the week because my 4 year old is with me all day. I stop of course to run errands, clean the house, cook, read stories, play and watch family movies or our regular tv shows but really my schedule is less than balanced these days. In 2 more months my 4 year old will be in school alternating weekdays from 8-4 so I’m looking to much more balance in my life with evenings and weekends much more for my family.
I am looking forward to it but will miss my working buddy when he’s not here. He’s grown SO fast!
Dana’s last blog post..When Do You Do Your Self-Promotion?
June 27th, 2008 at 8:58 am
My plate is pretty full as a freelance writer. I have a seven year old, a set of 5 year old twins and a 2 year old at home right now. I’ve been homeschooling for the past two years, so when I went full-time and my business grew faster than I expected, I had to become very creative about when to write - early morning around 6am until kids get up, throughout the day around kids, at dentist and doctor appointments while we wait, and from 8pm until 2am once the little people are in bed.
My three older kids are ALL going to school this fall, and I have arelative that will watch the little one for me at least two full days a week so I am hoping to have more writing time during the day and establish more balance in my life as well.
Kimberly’s last blog post..Does Your Business Work When You Don’t?
June 27th, 2008 at 10:15 am
@ Dana. That sounds just like my workday a couple of years ago. WAHMs know how to juggle, that’s for sure.
@ Kelly. Wow! How do you do it all? Hats off to you for managing a freelance career when you’re so busy. I bet it will seem quiet in the fall.
June 27th, 2008 at 3:20 pm
I’m tired of juggling. Honestly. I’m in a pretty craptastic mood as far as scheduling goes today:)
June 27th, 2008 at 3:43 pm
Sorry you’re having a bad day, Allena. Juggling can be tough.
June 27th, 2008 at 8:45 pm
I’m a juggling single mother. I would really love to settle into a routine but I’ve found I need a lot of flexibility. It means I spend a lot less time writing and working my business than I’d really like.
How did you find your Schedule, did it evolve around what was working or did you set it and conform things to work around the hours you set? How did you develop the discipline required to keep to your schedule?
Rebecca Laffar-Smith’s last blog post..Networking, Friendship, and Colleagues
June 28th, 2008 at 1:08 pm
Hi Rebecca
My schedule has evolved out of necessity. In reality, I am doing what others do, which is building my writing career around other essential parts of life. Now that my daughter is at school, it has made it easier to have a fully structured day. There are times when I need to do extra to get the job done, but I try to plan my work so I can fit it in at the right time.
June 29th, 2008 at 5:11 pm
lol/
I have always always said “Don’t multitask” : fmaily time is family time and work time is work time. But with summer here, that’s exactly what I’m doing and it’s NOT going well! lol.
I think I’m going to have to expand my sitter and do days on days off this summer. Like Rebecca said- flexibility!
Allena’s last blog post..Why the Writer’s Network is Necessary
June 30th, 2008 at 8:31 am
Summer time is both a fun time and a tough time for WAHMs, Allena. Good luck with juggling.