After
I quit my day job back in December and started doing my own thing, my schedule has been in a state of flux. In order to track (and be honest about) the way my days are falling into place, I decided to try to do a "Day In The Life" every month or so, and see how those change.
If it looks a little all over the place, I can explain that! I try to schedule my days in advance, but also like to let myself work in spurts as I feel like it. After all, that is the real luxury of working from home and being your own boss, so I didn't want to just force myself to replicate my least favorite parts of having a day job. Here goes:
6:45am.** Wake up, make the bed. Spend a few minutes reading from a devotional they gave us at church this week, but the readings in this one are pretty short. Afterward, I throw my contacts in and put some makeup on because that's something I've learned has helped me be more productive. I don't get much done in glasses and sweat pants.
**I would probably not naturally wake up at this time if I had my choice. I would keep going back to bed and sleeping longer. But, I have a much better and more productive day when I get up the FIRST time I wake up, so I try to force myself to get up.**
7am. Start answering emails that came in after I stopped working yesterday. I have an email from a potential new client, so I re-work my schedule for the day to fit in a call with them. I plan my day out and organize my meetings and objectives to complete.
8:06am. Coffee time. Thank God for Nespresso. I go upstairs with my husband and we spend about 15 minutes having coffee together and talking about what we want to do this weekend. I also prep the chia seeds I am planning to have for lunch and throw it in the fridge so they can soak and expand for a few hours (3 tbsp Chia Seeds, 1 cup Almond Milk, 1/4 cup Water, 1 tbsp PB2).
8:20am. I randomly feel like cleaning my room, so I pick up in there and in the bathroom. Hey, cleaning sucks to do, so if I feel like doing it, I oblige.
8:45am. Back downstairs to work. I answer the rest of my emails and do a little bit of blog work, like starting this post and editing some pictures.
9am. I had been planning to run from 9-10 and then get to work on my book, but I decide that my hair still looks too good from yesterday's blow dry to mess it up with a run, so I decide to put it off for a while longer. We'll see how that goes.
I start working on submitting proposals on Elance. This is one of the ways I generate new business, so I try to spend an hour or two submitting new proposals on at least 3 days per week, and then replying to their questions and such. That said, I am totally multitasking, so I also have my book and blog post up for editing.
10am. Finally eat breakfast. Chobani yogurt (mint chocolate chip - if you haven't tried it, hop to it) and a huge orange.
10:20am. Suddenly decide I feel like running. Planned on a 4 mile run but end up running 7 instead because, hey, I can do that now that I don't have to be anywhere at a specific time.
12:20pm. Eat the nice and congealed (awful word, still using it) chia pudding. It is pretty good but not my best. Make a note of what I did differently so I can correct it for an upcoming blog post recipe.
12:30pm. Spend a few hours working on some
wedding invitation designs for a client and friend (they. are. GORGEOUS!). About 2 hours later, send them off.
2:30pm. Go upstairs and make a big pitcher of green juice with my Breville juicer. Drink one glass and put the rest in the fridge. Clean up. Eat a lot of mixed nuts because I am still hungry and it seems like a good way to supplement the carbs of green juice with some healthy fats and protein... but also, I just wanted some nuts.
3:00pm. Finally take a shower and blow dry my hair because it is way too cold outside.
4:00pm. Set up conference call dial-in information for a strategy call on Monday. Start working on making the meeting deck. Somehow, it is not as boring as it seems. I really like making meeting decks...
5:00pm. Spend a while working on my book. I am sending the first 3 chapters and a query-worthy summary to someone to look at, so naturally I have to spend a little time in the book first before finishing my summary. Eventuallly, I come to a halt and felt like I didn't know what else to do with it, so I have my husband give it a read and he gives it the O.K. Send it off.
Note: At my old job, 5:00 is when I would be entirely done with my day. Instead, I tend to pick up around this time and put in a really solid hour or two of work, in which I am very productive. I definitely make up for it by taking tons of breaks during the day to shower, make juice, and run. But, it seems to be a more natural rhythm for me to work during.
6:15pm. My Father In Law will be here any minute and my Mother In Law is upstairs with an almost-ready pot-roast. My husband realizes we are out of beer and we make the executive decision to fly over to a close "party store" (SERIOUSLY, they call liquor stores party stores here. Imagine my surprise the first time they talked about it, when I thought they were taking me to Party City...) and grab a case to have on hand.
6:25pm. Despite buying beer, I am not feeling it, so I make myself a cocktail before dinner. I will only end up having one, so I make it count and put the good stuff in it. I muddle grapefruit, a few drops of NuNaturals Stevia, and crushed mint in a glass before adding 1.5-2 ounces of gin and finishing it off with some soda water made in the soda stream. Perfection.
6:30pm. Dinner. Super tender pot roast, a huge salad, and a few pieces of small redskin potato.
8:00pm. Movie. We have had a pretty intense and crazy week (especially my husband), so we decide to stay in, veg on the couch, and watch an OnDemand movie.
Some basic caveats:
- Not every day is the same, and it depends entirely on what projects I am working on at the moment. There are a few jobs that stay the same, and a lot of jobs that are one-time things.
- The subjects I tend to work on include: (1) social media management for clients, (2) website design for clients, (3) graphic design for clients, including events and weddings, (4) article writing for clients needing blog content, (5) my own blog content, recipes, pictures, etc, (6) my own book. <<I don't always work on the same 6 things in one day - usually I only hit 3 or 4. On this particular day, I hit numbers 1, 3, 4, 5, and 6.
Well, there you have it!
What is your most productive time of the day? I tend to be pretty productive between 10-12 and 430-630. Those are my 'hot spots,' so I try to put my most important long tasks during those times, and schedule conference calls or other more social items during the in between times.
Are you a naturally early riser? My husband NATURALLY wakes up between 5 and 630 most days, but I truly, honestly have to push myself to do it.
What kind of beverage is your "wake me up" drink? I like Nespresso, but I can only do coffee a few days a week. Other than that, I like drinking Mio Fruit Punch mixed in with some coconut lacroix, or Mate tea.
