As almost anyone can tell you, some jobs are better than others. All jobs have good days and bad days, but all jobs have a normal order of things. Some time ago, I had a request to share what my day-to-day working life looks like. This was before AI when beginning freelancers were coming to me and asking for tips on how to get freelance clients and what tools to use. While the world of freelance writing definitely looks different now, I’ve decided to honour that original request and share what my day looks like when I have a writing day.

A typical writing day

Here’s how I would structure my day to get the most out of my natural productivity and still enjoy my day as much as possible.

• My pre-work routine: I hate feeling rushed in the morning, so if I wanted to be at my computer by 8:00, I would get up at 6:00. I’d do all of the routine tasks, like getting dressed and making my bed first. The coffee would be poured by 6:30, and I’d sit down to enjoy it in the early morning quiet for an hour.

• My “writer in office” routine: By 7:50, I would be settled into my computer chair with snacks, water, and more coffee. The last 10 minutes would be making a to-do list (which I’ve referred to as a panic list in the past),  answering emails, and checking to see if I have anything emergent that popped up overnight. From there, I’d dive in and start with the most pressing or hardest tasks. I would snack as I worked, taking short stretch breaks as I needed them. Since I’m a morning person, I wanted to get as much done before 1:00 as possible. After 1:00, I’d keep it to preparation tasks for the next day and other non-crucial tasks that my now-fried writing brain didn’t have to think too hard about.

• My post-work routine: Physically, creatively, and emotionally, freelance writing can be stressful. The first thing on my post-work list would be to do a short, fun workout. This would help process work stress and separate “work me” from “non-work me,” too. After that, it was whatever I needed to do. Since I’d work non-stop for the morning, I typically would finish work by 2:30 at the latest and still have lots of time for non-work related life.

A dream life for a writer

I’ll admit that, in writing this, I got nostalgic for those years when freelance writing gigs were plentiful and every day held a full queue. While being a full-time freelance writer has its challenges, particularly in work-life balance, it is also a dream job for a professional writer.

I’m still really hopeful that things will turn around for the better for freelance creators such as myself. Maybe more of my days will start to look like this again!

Now, I’m curious to know what you all think. Do my writing days look like yours? How do you structure your writing days?