Hey everyone! If you haven’t yet, please read my two latest posts about self-employment on Diversified Finances – Finding A Job That Suits The Lifestyle You Want and Four Months Of Being Self-Employed (there’s an awesome gif in that one that makes me laugh).
Back in January, Cat published her article A Day In The Life: Self Employment Version, and it really made me want to do something similar.
Now that I’m self-employed, I almost always get the question “What do you do all day?” whenever I tell someone that I’m a freelancer and I work at home.
I will say that I definitely do not do the same thing each day.
Some days I work a lot (over 12 hours), whereas others I hardly work (no hours at all or less than 2 or 3). Usually my weekends are fairly work-free, and Mondays are my busiest.
Working from home is really amazing, and I’m so happy I can do it.
I really don’t know what I can say to explain to all of you how awesome it really is. I love my schedule, and I love that I can change it up each day if I decide to sleep in later (and that definitely DOES happen), or if I need absolutely need to do something else that day (such as with an appointment).
I’m on social media (Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, Gchat) throughout the day, and I don’t really consider that “working” for me.
I also work on and off almost all day long. I also do a lot of blog management, and with that it means that I am checking on someone’s blog and/or e-mail multiple times throughout the day as well.
I don’t think I have ever really sat down and worked a continuous 8-10 hours on my freelancing. Is that normal or no?
Here is my typical day as a freelancer:
6:30 A.M.
Since I enjoy the work I do now, I actually like to wake up early. That is something I never thought I would EVER say.
When I had my day job, nothing could ever wake me up (I had to use 3 to 4 alarms each day to wake me up), but now I actually enjoy waking up to work.
Anyway, usually everyone else is still asleep when I wake up at this time to work.
I start working from my bed, and my dogs usually don’t wake up at this point so I don’t have to let them out yet (they are so nice about this thankfully!).
Usually, I hear the stupid squirrels above our bed chewing on whatever they are chewing on. Sometimes I get up and bang on our ceiling but lately I just try to ignore it (but that is REALLY hard because they are extremely loud). I try not to think about the damage they are doing to our home and I try to work instead.
One of my dogs sleeping…
I will answer e-mails (many, many e-mails usually trickle in throughout the night while I am sleeping) and I reply to anything urgent that needs a reply right away.
I then go check on my blog to make sure that my newest post has gone live. Then, I approve and reply to any new comments.
If I’m feeling awake enough, I will go through my Bloglovin feed and read blog posts. This is probably my favorite part of the day. I love reading blog posts and being nosy.
8:30 A.M.
I usually go back to sleep at this time and take a one to two-hour nap. Yeah, I don’t know why I go back to bed but it’s usually a glorious nap so I’m fine with that.
10 A.M.
I wake back up from my nap. At this point I brush my teeth again, throw on some makeup (BB cream, eyeliner, mascara, and some blush), and do my hair. If I’m feeling super energetic I will curl my hair, but most days I just throw it up in a ponytail.
The dogs usually want to go outside at this point. One dog only goes outside for one minute because he hates being outside, and the other stays out there for as long as she can withstand the cold. The dogs go outside probably 10-15 times a day. Our bigger dog is usually either asleep or outside haha.
I make breakfast (lately breakfast has been mainly oatmeal with fruit or some sort of meal involving eggs), feed the dogs, open all the window blinds and curtains, and so on.
11 A.M.
After all of the household stuff above is completed, I start working again. Usually quite a few more e-mails have trickled in – questions from possible new clients, replies to my morning e-mails, and more.
I also make sure to reply to any new comments at this point again. If you have a blog, I definitely think you should reply to comments. I usually go back to the blogs that I comment on to see if there was a reply to my comment. Bonus points if there is a reply!
Throughout the day I work on blog posts. I don’t usually write early in the mornings because I just cannot do it. I don’t know why but I can only write in the afternoon, evening or late at night.
1 P.M.
Lunch time. Lately lunch has been a lot of sandwiches. We’ve been raiding the deli at our grocery store a lot lately. Oh yeah and if any of you remember – yes, I did break my bread ban. I just can’t say no to it. Loaves of bread for Michelle!
We have a constant stash of roast beef, buffalo chicken, honey ham, and roasted turkey in our fridge so that we can make awesome sandwiches all day long. I also have been making tuna sandwiches and chicken salad sandwiches lately, which everyone raves about so I must be a master sandwich maker!
After I’m done eating, I do a little bit more freelancing and blog work.
I also try to fit in a workout around this time. My workouts are usually around one hour long. I like to do T25, lift a little bit, and then run a few miles afterwards.
3 P.M.
Depending on the day, I will usually hang out with Wes or my friends. If I’m leaving the house, I will put on normal people clothes (no pajamas!) and I will do my normal makeup routine and give my hair my easy-to-do beach waves.
If I don’t put on makeup then people tend to think I’m 12 so this is a critical part of my day 😛
Wes and I might go to the store and buy something that we’ve been needing, or we’ll do something outdoorsy such as taking our bigger dog to the park (remember, the smaller one hates being outside no matter how nice it is).
If I’m with my friends (such as this past Tuesday), we usually go out to eat or run a few errands together.
Lately, meeting up with friends means that I’m finally going to knock something wedding related off my to-do list. This past Tuesday was my first wedding dress alterations appointment. I was so nervous that the dress wouldn’t zip but thankfully it did.
If I don’t leave the house, usually I just work during this time period by writing a few of the numerous articles that I write each week. I also reply to any e-mails, approve and reply to comments, do some freelancing work, talk to other bloggers (I love, love, LOVE the blogging community) contact affiliate managers if I need to, and more. I will also make a small meal again during this time.
7 P.M.
Wes is a horrible cook and is usually asking me to make something delicious at this point. I make food and we eat it (of course!). We watch movies a few times a week and usually relax for a few hours.
I work on any posts that need to be completed, reply to e-mails, reply to comments, and so on.
12 A.M.
At this point I am usually getting ready for bed. I will check my e-mails again and see if any comments need to be approved on my blog or on any of the other blogs that I manage or help manage. I also look at stuff on Pinterest and usually get caught up in the wedding section.
And now it’s bed time…
Did anything in my day surprise you? How many hours do you spend working each day?
What does your typical day look like? Tell me!
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