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A Day In The Life: Self Employment Version

  January 29

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Sometimes I’m nosy and like to know what other people do during an average day. Come on nowwww. I can’t be the only one. 😉 So hey, why not check out average day in mine?

This is actually the 4th time I’ve written a post like this! If you are a blogger, I totally encourage you to do it because it’s amazing to look back at the changes. The reason I wanted to write one now is because I just became self employed, and I haven’t had the twins yet. So, I know pretty soon, this schedule will just be a snapshot like all the rest.

Speaking of all the rest, in 2011, I wrote my first Day in the Life post. I was working as a park ranger and finishing my last semester of grad school! Then, I moved to Grenada in 2012 and wrote a post about an average day there. Wow, that daily schedule pretty much looks like a vacation because I was unemployed and just had one writing client. Then, later that same year, things got nuts because I got a full time job and the blog really started to pick up. Just reading that post makes me tired remembering all the work.

So now, I bring you a current day in the life, self-employment style baby. Basically I worked about 8-8.5 hours yesterday but I did it when I wanted to do it and when I was feeling the most motivated. I also get a lot more sleep than the last time I posted one of these things!

Here we go!

8:15 AM

I wake up to the hubs putting my wedge pillow under my bump (since the wedge pillow often falls to the wayside during the night!)

Hubs hands me my phone and turns on my little heating pad and the light for me, and I spend time in bed going through e-mails that have come through since the night before. One of my writing clients is overseas so he’s already been awake for a while. I notice he sent me a PayPal payment for a 1,200 word post that I recently wrote for him. There’s nothing like waking up to a payment, so I already feel good for the day.

I also notice from my e-mail that my post on John’s blog has already gotten 17 comments, so I go ahead and reply to the ones that have come in. Wow you people wake up early! 😉 I go back to my e-mail and confirm a Skype appointment that I have with another blogger in the afternoon and mark the e-mails that I have to reply to once I am a bit more alive. I turn over to see if our pup Julep is still in bed with me, and sure enough, she’s sound asleep and spoiled as ever.

Julep day in the life

9:15 AM

I’ve torn myself away from my phone after replying to my friend’s message on Facebook who is about to have her baby. My morning routine is super quick. I don’t even get out of my pajamas. Some tinted moisturizer, lip gloss, and mascara sets me up to not look like a troll for the day. I also take a super awkward selfie to show you the fabulousness and wonder why so many people enjoy taking selfies.

Selfie in the am

9:40 AM

Breakfast time. The hubs loves healthy breakfasts, and I like to eat whatever! I make him scrambled eggs with avacado and tomato, and I make myself cherry turnovers because you know, I do what I want. By 10:00, hubs emerges from his study cave to eat breakfast and take the dog out, and we eat together and talk about our very favorite subject – the twins of course.

10:15 AM

I’m finally sitting down at my desk, also known as the kitchen table, but I have to call and order dessert from a local bakery for my baby shower on Saturday. After that phone call, I call my mom to let her know I took care of that order for her, and I end up talking to her for 30 minutes because you know, time always flies when you call your mama and talk about babies!

11:00 AM

I open up my drafts folder in Budget Blonde to finish a post I started writing yesterday. It’s always fun for me to write, and I really, really enjoy it. I alternate between writing the post and trying to catch important e-mails that are coming in. Last week, I left too many e-mails to Friday and had to spend the whole day replying and sorting them, so I’ve promised myself that I won’t do that this week. By 2:00, my post is finished, I’ve caught up on e-mails, and replied to another 8 comments on John’s blog.

2:00 PM

It’s lunch time. Hubs and his study buddies made tacos, and I get to be the benefit of that. I work on my editorial calendar while I eat. I have a list of about 100 blog topics that I need to sort through and get approved by the 10+ different blogs I write for, so I start working on that but then get a call from a dear friend’s mom who wanted to congratulate me on the twins and catch up.

taco lunch

3:00 PM

It seems I always hit a wall at this time, and I’m feeling a little unproductive and distracted, so I decide to go next door to my in laws house and sort through our belongings for a little while. We have had our stuff stored up there for 3 years, and since we have to move 5-6 weeks after the babies are born, it needs to be organized and/or donated and prepared for the move. We’re not going to have time to pack once the kids are born, so I’m trying to do it now. It’s a big job, so I’ve been trying to go over there and take things one section at a time.

5:00 PM

As I’m deciding whether or not to put a pair of pants in a donate or cosign pile, I look at my watch and realize that I’m supposed to be Skyping with the blog pal that I confirmed the appointment with this morning. So, I quickly walked back to my house from my in laws and have my hour long brainstorm session. I feel really pumped up and motivated as I always do after I talk with other bloggers and make plans to do it again the following week.

6:00-6:25 PM

The hubs notices I’m off of Skype and takes the opportunity to chat with me while he puts a chicken in the oven and chops up some potatoes. I say it all the time, but that dude can cook. It’s the #1 reason I married him. 😉 Oh, and I got him to take another super awkward picture of me – you know, because that’s what this post is all about. If you’re a blogger and you write a similar post, you’re now required to take a picture with just one thumb up. It’s what all the pregnant cool kids are doing.

self employed

6:25 PM

I always work better at night, so now is the time when my juices really get going. My planner tells me I should write three posts tonight if I want to stay on track this week. I’m kind of starving, but dinner isn’t ready yet, so I check my topic for the first client and get going.

8:00-8:45 PM

Woo hoo! It’s time for dinner. I finished my first post and was able to publish, promote, and send an invoice for it. I’m rocking and rolling but have to take a break to eat and clean the kitchen. Of course, just standing and washing dishes wears me out these days (could it be the two humans I’m carrying around with me everywhere?) But, the show must go on so hubs brings me some chai tea so I can keep working. He’s a wiz at making it ever since he went to India, and I’m pretty addicted to it.

10:30 PM

I’ve finished and submitted my second post for the night. I probably should write one more just to make my life tomorrow a little easier, but I take a small break to answer the last of the comments on John’s post that have trickled in during the day. I also decide to write some thank you notes because I promised myself I would do it today, and 10:45 p.m. seems like as good of a time as any amiright?

thank you notes

11:08 PM

Okay I’m getting close to calling it a night. I wrote 4 thank you notes, and it seems like I should have written them a little faster. The other blog post I was going to write tonight is supposed to be 800 words but instead of writing it fully, I just push myself to work a little bit longer and at least do a brief outline so it’s easier to write tomorrow. There are about 10-ish comments on Budget Blonde for me to answer and two e-mails I marked earlier in the day that I need to address so I go through those too.

11:22 PM

Hmm… I should probably go to bed soon, but my day tomorrow will be shot if I don’t have a plan. I’ve been jotting down things I need to do all day. I can tell by looking at the list that there are too many things on there, and there’s no way I can get them all done tomorrow. So, I spend just a few minutes moving some things to Thursday’s list and end up with 13 things that I want to do tomorrow in order of importance.

11:45 PM

I haven’t accomplished everything I wanted to accomplish today but I know when to call it a night. Plus, it’s time for a bath… and changing out of my pajamas into new pajamas that I can wear all day tomorrow… 😀 Of course, just as I’m about to go to bed, the hubs emerges from his study cave to get some ice cream, and I have to stay and chat with him for a little while because, you know, he’s the hubs and all. 🙂 Even though it seems like my day was full, he was awake for an hour before me and only took breaks to eat. Gotta love him.

hubs and ice cream

12:15 AM

I’m bad and decide check my e-mail one more time from my phone in bed, and of course, I find one that I want to respond to. But, it’s not long before I’m dead asleep… zzzz

What does a day in your life look like? Any other bloggers feel like writing a similar post? 🙂

38 responses to “A Day In The Life: Self Employment Version

  1. I loved reading your day in the life! I hope you don’t mind me stealing the idea in the next week or so, proper credit given to you of course! 🙂 It might even force me to make a selfie.. (which is not my most favorite thing to do)! haha.

  2. I love this kind of post! I went back and read your old ones – you’ve had a lot of transitions! I never thought about publishing something like this on my blog but maybe I will.

  3. I love this! I can’t wait to see what your day in the life looks like once the twins are here. 🙂 I am going to do it one day soon. The best thing I love about my job is that no two days are ever the same, but it would be fun to document one day.

  4. That sounds like a great way to spend the day: alternating between work and personal stuff, as the day allows. It’s probably a lot more efficient. I have a pretty similar style now that I work from home. And, yeah, working in the PJs is better than any other work perk.

  5. FUN!!!!! I’ll try this once my blog is up and running – hopefully soon! It’s really great that you’re so happy with self-employment. I’m going to go and check out your other day in the life posts to see how you balanced writing with working full time. It can be tough sometimes!

  6. Sometimes I wish I wasn’t anonymous because I would love to do a post like this! 🙂 Reading through your day made me smile. You just seem so happy! 🙂

  7. Hey Cat, I can’t get over how much your life has changed since you described your first “day in the life of” post of 2011. Park Ranger, to tropical island, to expecting twins. It’s crazy how life’s twists and turns lands us exactly where we need to be. And GMD is right, you sound happy. Good for you. 🙂

  8. Once for a whole school year I kept track of what I did every day. It was extremely valuable to look back on that and see where I put my time. Showed me where I wasted time and how I could improve on that. Loved reading about the flow of your day. And am very impressed you can write 2+ posts a day.

  9. I loved reading this! Sometimes when I read “day in the life” posts, I think bloggers might post what they “want” their life to be like, rather than what it really is. lol But I felt like I was right there with you, and I loved that you were so open about sharing your day. Congratulations on the twins! (And, yes, you are definitely right when you say your days will soon change). lol

  10. I love these type of posts! Thanks for giving us an inside look at what life is like as a self-employed blogger. It sounds like you’re adapting wonderfully!

    I also married my husband for his cooking skills! Gotta love men who can whip up something yummy. 🙂

  11. Thanks for this little peek into your busy life! Your husband sounds so sweet, you guys are so cute. When I Skype my mom we somehow find things to talk about for a half hour when I only plan on a quick chat. I think I read something about 3pm being a wind down time for most people. I tend to be more productive later in the day as well. For some reason I’ve never been a morning person.

  12. Great post Cat, seems like a nice routine! I tend to hit a wall at about 3pm too, try juicing a lemon and pouring it into a bottle of cold water – a great energy boost!

  13. Wow. This post has just made me realize how incredibly lazy I am! Self-employment is far more time-consuming than your typical 9 to 5. You obviously have the routine down pat – kudos!

  14. Your day in the life definitely makes me want to be a freelancer! Wearing my pajamas all day sounds like the best job perk in the world. ;o) Definitely a cool way to write a post too – I may steal it someday, selfies and all.

  15. This is pretty awesome! Unlike yourself, I work in the office, so my hours are really regular. I work early so that I can leave early and be with my baby twins and preschooler in the afternoon. While I enjoy my work, I do wish that I could pick my own hours by the day. For instance, some days I’m just more productive at night. Or sometimes I would rather write in the morning and come in late. It works out for me though because I do need to pick my preschooler up at the same time every day, but personally I would love to set my own hours and that is one big thing I envy of those who are self-employed 🙂

  16. Haha love that you call your husband’s study his “study cave.” I really enjoy posts like this where you get to see how people spend their days. I like that you and your husband both get to work at home and have meals together. Victoria and I only have dinner together and I wish we could be around each other more each day.

  17. Hey Cat! I have been looking for a great editorial calendar or template. Did you make yours or do you use a program? I’d love your suggestion for a good one. Thanks.

  18. Hi!! Have you done one of these since having the twins??! I’m always curious to see how other bloggers/writers with little ones balance their days! I’m going to do a post on my day-to-day life later this week…thanks for the inspiration!!

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