I recently took the plunge to make my freelancing career my only job. So far, I have zero regrets. I get to spend my days however I want and I've never been happier. Here's what my days look like and what yours could too.
As a full-time freelance writer, no day ever looks the same for me. That’s part of the appeal and the reason I embarked on this journey of working for myself in the first place. I wanted complete freedom over my time and how I spent it. I know that being on someone else’s schedule just doesn’t work for me.
I meet my deadlines, I get the work done, but I want to be in control of when I do it. Freelance writing works incredibly well for my lifestyle and my work style and that’s why I chose it. That, and I really do have a passion for writing.
The best part of freelance writing is that it doesn’t really feel like work. Sure, there are emails and planning and some tedious tasks, but for the most part, it’s just a series of fun and creative projects I get to work on and be a part of on a regular basis now.
Sometimes I flip my days around and work heavily in the morning and do everything else during the afternoon. You can find me in the early AM, spending my time cozied up on the couch in a bathrobe or a fuzzy pajama set cranking through client work like… Well, like it’s my job.
Other times, I don’t start my workday till 3 pm and I may or may not still be on the couch. It’s really just nice to have control to do what I want, when I want. Of course, within the reasonable reality of deadlines and basic hygiene. Despite my commonplace practice of working on the couch, I feel like it's worth noting that I do also have a desk that I work at an equal amount of time.
Being a freelance writer means I can work pretty much anywhere, anytime. I’m not limited to the confines of my desk and couch. Sometimes I pack up for the day, hit the road, and work at a park or alongside the river. I can be at the beach in less than an hour and as long as I have cell phone service to turn on the hotspot on my phone, I can work wherever I want.
As long as the majority of these tasks get done on any given day, I feel like I’ve covered all my bases as far as mental, physical, and spiritual well-being goes, on top of tackling the workday to-do list.
Daily Schedule
6:30 am - 9 am
I’m waking up, slowly. I aim to be up and about by 6:30 am most days, but the reality of it is that it’s usually closer to 7:30 am. The snooze button on my phone and I are very close. Almost immediately after waking up, the coffee pot is on and brewin’. I spend some time in the kitchen scrolling on my phone, drinking coffee, and taking all my vitamins and supplements before I putter aimlessly around the house for a while.
I take a wide variety of vitamins and supplements. Vitamin d, collagen, ashwagandha, and vitamin c being among them. I open all the blinds in the house and some windows if the weather is nice and let some fresh air and sunshine in. I open my laptop and check my emails and I take a look at my to-do list for the day so I can start strategizing when to do things in my brain.
I spend some time journaling and reading while I drink more of my coffee. Sometimes this all takes place on the couch but I’ve been known to frequent the front porch and the back patio with the cat in the summer.
9 am - 11 am
This is my time to move. Something I didn’t take into account when deciding to leave my day job and freelance full time is that I wouldn’t be nearly as active. I had spent the last ten years working various jobs, all of which were of a high activity level and kept me on my feet for long periods of time.
Now, I’m primarily sitting the majority of the day. I try to incorporate movement throughout my day with longer bouts of activity in the morning and evening, paired with breaks of movement throughout my workday. I like to go for a walk or workout in the morning to get my blood moving and loosen up any stiff muscles from sleeping followed up with some yoga and stretching in the evening.
11 am - 1 pm
I take a shower and put myself together for the day. Better late than never! I’m a firm believer that it’s not when you start your day but how you start your day. The fact that my ‘day’ doesn’t typically start till the afternoon is irrelevant.
I make myself lunch and sometimes read or watch too many TikToks before diving into anything that requires too much focus. Again, it’s how you start your day.
1 pm - 8 pm
This is the bulk of my workday. 6-8 hours with an hour on/hour off schedule. This means that I spend one hour working on projects and posts for my own website and social media platforms, or I’m working on client projects and if I’m caught up on everything else then I’ll work on my book.
After spending an hour on business-related projects, I spend an hour doing something else! I don’t typically plan out what to do with my ‘hour off’, it’s set aside for whatever I need at that moment, on that day. Am I tired? I’ll take an hour nap. Need to clean the house and prep dinner? I have an hour to do that.
I don't work typically more than five hours on any given day.
8 pm - 10 pm
I take off my makeup, read or meditate at the end of the day. This is my pre-bedtime ritual; a time to relax and destress from whatever the day held. Sometimes I’ll watch tv or a movie and wind down for bed or if I’m feeling a little more energetic, I’ll work on my book instead of zoning out with a show.
The beauty of this is that I hold the key to mix and match my entire day however I want, whenever I want. Freelancing in any capacity is a wonderful way of life that gives you control over your own life again. No more spending your days at the mercy of higher-ups’ scheduling preferences. Besides an occasional meeting here and there with a client, that is typically scheduled at your convenience, you get to live your life again.
This is how I get to live my life again.