Janis Have you worked at home before? Are you considering working at home? Freelancing is definitely an adventure! Every day is different and it can be quite difficult to get into a groove (if you ever do). I thought it might be entertaining to document a basic day in my life. Disclaimer: It is such a SLOOOWWWW week!
Starting Strong
6:30 – Up and at ’em! Wake up my daughter and get ready for the day. This girl doesn’t work in PJs. It just feels so loosey-goosey to do so. I do wear jeans most days with t-shirts though:)
6:45-7:10 – As long as I can, I will spend this time on our screened-in back porch reading my Bible, journaling, and praying. It is a very special time. I don’t know where I will go once it gets too cold to be outside (it doesn’t look like that will be anytime soon in the South though).
7:10-7:45ish – I take my girl to school – trying not to talk too much ’cause she’s a teenager and doesn’t like mornings. If I talk too much she requests her dad to take her. He’s better at minding her “no talking” rule.
Freelancing Life: Mornings
8-3 or 6 – This is normally my work time. I get distracted often by Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram. Since it has been a sloooowwww week, I feel even more uninspired and unaccomplished.
I check email first thing and take care of any that I need to respond to.
I apply for jobs for 1-2 hours some days. Right now, it is near the top end, but if I am busy, it could be as little as 30 minutes. I apply on Upwork, LinkedIn, Indeed, and then go to Facebook and look through the job openings in the VA and Writing groups I am in.
I take some time after applying to look through my calendar or add things to my calendar to ensure I am on the right page as far as what is due, what I need to work on, etc.
You would think that since I work from home, I spend a lot of time cleaning the house. Well, I don’t. I try to clean the kitchen and change the dog pad in the morning before starting, but otherwise, I try to work like I would at a normal job. I will throw in a load of laundry and move it through occasionally, but my husband doesn’t “like” the way I fold, so there’s that:)
As far as work? Before lunchtime (which usually means I just work right through), I probably “work” – not applying, planning, etc. – an hour or two at the most.
Freelancing Life: Afternoon
After lunchtime, I work on assignments. Around 2, I go through the job applying process again and check email for the 2nd time that day. Depending on whether it is a marching band practice day, I work until I need to go pick up my daughter around 6. If it’s not a practice day, I take an hour between 3-4 and go get her and then come back and work for a few hours.
Once my daughter gets home I am usually running her to dance practice or cooking or ordering out, etc. I do normally check email again around 5 and again at 8. I may work after dinner – it depends upon what is due and what I am doing. If I am in front of the TV, I would much rather have my computer in front of me working on something than just sitting here watching.
Freelancing Life: Evenings
I work best in the evenings, but if I take my daughter to school, I am usually wiped by 9, if not earlier. Otherwise, I would prefer to work until late – midnight or even later. It is quiet here in the house and email slows down then. One of the benefits of freelancing life.
Yes, it doesn’t look like I work a lot when I lay it out in writing. However, I normally work at some capacity 7 days a week on my business. I hope to get to the point where I have regular clients that I work with long-term, but so far it has not happened with many of them.
Do I Like Freelancing?
So do I still like freelancing? Oh yeah! I love the flexibility it offers. For example, yesterday my friend’s baby was sick and there were no subs for her at school. I took the day and spent time with him. Now, this is not something I can do all the time, but I can do it every once in a while or I can do it if I tweak my schedule a bit.
I worked in a para-professional position as a Family Engagement Coordinator in an elementary school before. Hours were spent prepping for events. I attended after school events and early before school events. The pay is very little, considering I did not have a direct supervisor and everything I did was on me. I am proud to say that I have exceeded my monthly income for September, so I could pay my bills. That is what I was worried about.
So if you are a freelancer, what does your daily schedule look like and when is your best time to work?
