A week in the life of a freelance writer: episode one.

 Brought to you by the Keto book.

Voila—my latest attempt to figure out where my hours go. Apologies in advance; I’m a rambler. 

MONDAY

Morning

• Woke up late - 7:15 instead of 5 - and decided to read a book while I drank my coffee instead of jumping right into bonus hours work. Gary Taubes, The Case for Keto—fascinating. I have no plans, as of right now, to jump into full-blown ketosis for my PCOS…but I’m obsessed with food science, and I like having all the information. 

• Said good morning to Ted at 8, made us breakfast—cukes and feta and an egg for me, carrots and pickled radishes and apples and eggs for him.

• Jumped into pomodoro #1 of the day: writing 1/3 home decor pieces. 25 minutes, let’s go. I got the work done within 20 minutes, so I spent five minutes working towards Inbox Zero for my main work account.

• Spent about a half hour doing dishes, doing morning skincare while listening to a Zelda podcast, drinking another cup of coffee, and reading more of my keto book. 

• Jumped into P2 of the day: Writing 2/3 home decor piece. Got done in about 20 minutes, so I deleted another 50 emails and sent out a client invoice. 

• P3: Writing 3/3 home decor piece. The end is in sight! For this project, anyway. Fleshed out the 25 minutes by proofing all three pieces and exporting them to Word (I work on a Mac/in Pages). Marveled at the fact that this didn’t take all day, and, in fact, if I’m doing the math right, actually took just over an hour of targeted typing. Today, anyway. Cool! 

• Took a moment to write out my tasks and goals for the week. 

• Went on a 2.5 mile walk with my husband to the library! We’ve both been really stressed recently (and we’re type-A kids who always seem to teeter on the edge of burnout to begin with) so we’re trying to be really mindful about taking breaks during our days that feel healthy and fun and good. I returned and picked up several books, including:
  • The Woman They Could Not Silence by Kate Moore
  • The Power Couple by Alex Berenson
  • The Sleep Revolution by Ariana Huffington
  • The Magician’s Death by P.C. Doherty
  • Busy Monsters by William Giraldi
  • The Ash Family by Molly Dektar

Afternoon

• Lunch for both of us: Pulled chicken, turmeric broth, potatoes, rice, lemon juice, olive oil, greens. I also had a protein smoothie just before our walk….so I wouldn’t feel all low-blood-sugar-y on said walk. 

• P4: Blog strategy time! I’ve been keeping random ideas for pitches and blog posts ferreted away in, like, a zillion unhelpful places…the digital equivalent of scribbling on napkins and stuffing them in pockets. No more! Yay! 

• Looked at my new books and read some cover copy and opening sentences to decide which to start first. Landed on The Magician’s Death…and then read another chapter of my keto book. (SHRUGS) And got Ted another snack. 

• Emailed a new industry contact about info for maybe a new writing opportunity. 

• P5: Turned on Arrested Development and did research for a gigantic project that’s due at the end of the month (probably about half the amount of total research I’ll need to do, I think?), and also evaluated a few more applications for potential gigs before narrowing it down to two and applying to one—I’ll do the other one this evening; Ted’s having a game night tonight, so I know I’ll have a bit more time to get some organization or writing done. 

• We watched the mid-afternoon address from our president re: Afghanistan :( 

• I reviewed notes for a client meeting I have tomorrow. 

• The end of the afternoon was approaching, so I started slowly working through content for the big project. Tomorrow I plan to do a several thousand word content sprint for this project, so I’m not too worried about getting a lot done today—but even a little bit will help me feel like I’m ahead tomorrow! 

• Ate a few almonds.

Evening

• Took a shower, did some skincare. I’m entering my luteal phase, and I always feel a little sleepier and slower around this time of the cycle, so, anything I can do to feel clean and new always helps! 

• Ted asked me to come up with my next pick for a Switch game, so I spent the evening evaluating our best options (here they are! content!) and sending him summaries/trailer links. Then I played BOTW. The end. There was some house maintenance and stuff in there, but that was that. 

TUESDAY

• I definitely did stuff from 5-9a; I certainly didn’t write about it! BUT in brief I got up, tried to see if I could tell that I’d spiked our coffee with decaf (another of my never-ending food experiments; I could tell), turned on Arrested Development and outlined some of the stuff I wanted to get to for the day.

• I’m trying to start a thing where I go and work in one of my client’s offices for some community and a change of pace every Tuesday—so, I actually pulled on real clothes and some makeup (weird) and got out the door. Settled at my desk by 9:17.

• P1: Course sprint. DONE - got to 1500 words. (The entire project is ~13K, and I want to get to maybe 9 or 10K this week so my future self doesn’t hate me next week!) 

• P2: Prepped for a client meeting; checked another new outline from another client to see if I could get my brain working on that in the background. 

• P3: Course sprint: Made it to 2400. Slowing down a bit, but that makes sense: The first bit of a project always has the fastest content (outline, basic definitions, super easy CTAs, etc). Took seven minutes to eat some strawberries and yogurt. Checked my email and got two great notifications: One of my apps from yesterday wants me to do a paid trial piece, and my order of experimental vinegars is arriving later! I can’t decide which I’m more excited about! I email the guy back and set a deadline for the piece—tomorrow. It’s only 300-400 words, and I have availability tomorrow. Might as well impress and be quick, right? 

• P4: Started selecting images for a client launch post, due Thursday. I get maybe two pictures in (I need like 60-80) before I stop and talk with a team member. That’s why I’m here, and it’s a great conversation, so no worries! Plus, it dawns on me that selecting pictures is something I can probably do later while watching a movie or something—better to reserve in-office time for hustling through content and/or building community.

• Noon: Client meeting.

Afternoon

• First up: Lunch. Chicken and potatoes. We fancy.

• P5: Course sprint. I can feel myself slowing down, but it’s okay. Time to listen to some ‘80s jams. LATER EDIT: Chicago’s “You’re The Inspiration” came on and I cried at my desk. I am doing great! Made it to 3500, not bad. Time for a break; I’ve got another two hours or so until I head out for the day, and I’d love to be, like, man, I’m a writing genius when I do. 

• I sent Ted a gif of a baby falling on its face and instantly falling asleep. No reason. 

• P6: Submitted the home decor pieces that I wrote yesterday, then returned to the piece with the client-subbed outline. This one’s due tonight, so, gotta get a move on.

• Break: I’m getting pretty close to the end of the Keto book, funnily enough. 

• P7: Course sprint. Goal: Get from 3500 to a solid foray into the 4K’s. Shouldn’t be too hard. Got to 4.1K (YES) and decided to call it a day for now. Time for a quick break while we hear from our sponsor, the Keto book. 

• P8: Got a client piece to the right length—I’ll finish it when I’m at home. 

• Checked Facebook; found out that I was approved to join a private PR/journalist group I’d been referred to by an industry contact. Fun! And validating. I’m a good writer, but I feel like I’m playing at this some days, you know? 

• A team member stopped by my desk to ask about a writing thing, which I helped with—yay! This is the other reason I’m here—I wanna be able to help with those spontaneous things that only come up on-site, you know? 

• That said….time to head home. I’m a writing genius? 

Evening

In theory, Tuesdays are date night. In practice, we tend to throw on a movie and tippity-tap on our laptops from the couch. But! There are always some ways that I can work to make the night feel relaxing and fun. For starters, when I get home, I change into something ~a little more comfortable~ (athletic shorts and a baggy tee), and make sure that Ted has a snack. Then: 

• Finished up one client article and sent it in. Since this is the first time I’m doing this format of piece for this client, I’m expecting feedback and edits…but I’m reasonably confident that this is a good start. 

• Played Zelda for a while. (It’s therapeutic.) And ate a banana, and had a [CHECKS CAN] coconut pineapple sparkling water.

• Social media and email checkin.

• Shlepped into the kitchen, threw on a YouTube video, and figured out what dinner was gonna be. (Fish, pineapple, cuke and feta; chicken and potatoes and carrots for Ted, too; and watermelon+tomatoes+balsamic vinegar for dessert.) And did dishes. 

• Spent the evening reviewing potential/upcoming Switch game purchases with Ted. We’re coming off as gamers this week, maybe? We really got into Zelda, at least, over the pandemic…and we’re both experiencing withdrawals because BOTW2 isn’t coming out until NEXT YEAR. After that I…surprise…spent some time playing BOTW, slash, selecting the pictures I need for my client’s launch post (due Thursday). Headed to bed around 11. 

WEDNESDAY

• Woke up circa 6:30, poured myself some half-caf (much less noticeable today!) and read the Keto book for about an hour and a half. At this point, I think I just need to finish it out so I can get started on a mystery or something…

• Around 8, I got up and made breakfast—lentils and eggs and greens and EVOO and butter for both of us—and started outlining my goals for the day.

• Pulled together an organization system for the 88 pictures I selected for the client launch post; reviewed the brief to see if I needed more (yes), and edited the client-provided outline down to what I need for a draft.

• Turned my attention to the spec piece for the potential client. Yes, it’s only a few hundred words—which I could churn out in twenty minutes—but I want to knock it out of the park! Started by reviewing the videos he sent over as an example of what he wanted the piece to feel like, and did a little bit of research about the (unfamiliar, to me) subject. 

• Did a quick edit of the client piece from yesterday—they did have (polite, helpful!) feedback with pretty limited/easy edits (I was able to take care of them in nine minutes).

• Went back to the launch photo thing and continued my audit of the pictures I still needed, then went and downloaded more photos. 

• When it rains, it pours: I can go for weeks and weeks without receiving any client feedback that requires edits on my part…and then, in one day, I get (seemingly) a zillion emails adding requests for updates to my day. I try to handle these very quickly—both to get the project back off my plate and to make great customer service a priority—but that doesn’t mean that they’re fun! I just got another, and I’m hopping to it to get the update completed.

• Updates completed and sent in! Time for lunch, then I gotta regroup and get back to the projects I actually had scheduled for today. Flexibility! Is! Good? 

Afternoon

• Jumping into more photo management, first. This post is going to look beautiful! 

• Next goal: Get to a first draft for the spec piece.

• Worked on getting us to Sink Zero. We don’t have a dishwasher and we both like washing dishes, but I also cook most of our meals at home….so the sink feels like it’s *always* overflowing. No more! Or at least, not in about a half hour.

• Got to maybe the 60% mark with dishes; I’ll finish up during dinner (right?). But! I finished the spec piece, and I had Ted read it—something I ask help with occasionally when I have a higher-pressure thing (e.g., a spec piece) going out. He liked it. I’m happy with it!

• Emailed the industry contact I’ve been messaging all week again….will probably, barring a slammed door, actually submit an application tomorrow. There are enough things I’d like to get to today—plus, you know, today’s technically my midweek re-set day, so I would like to stretch and shower and get to sleep early, if I can make that a thing, haha. Whoa boy, the contact emailed me back instantly; they’re looking forward to reviewing my materials. This could be a fun month for RRC growth! Or, alternatively, I could just get really good at feedback, applications, and … resilience after disappointment? A win either way, I say.

• Time. To. Upload. Pictures. Let’s GO. 

• I went and got our farmshare. I blasted Bon Jovi on the way home to keep me pumped through the last hour or so of official work hours. (I’ll be working tonight. It’s fine.)

• Emailed my team to discuss a few super fun end-of-day project updates; emailed the spec client the spec; man, I gotta do something else for a bit! It’s been a day! 

Evening

• Watched some Whose Line with Ted as we ate dinner - rice noodles and chicken (I’ll have some strawberries and tea later)

• Finished out the client launch post for the day. Many photos, very formatting. Time for literally anything else! 

• I helped Ted move something heavy inside…and then fell, hard, at like 9. Ted, like the actual prince among men that he is, got us to Sink Zero. He is amazing. 

• I picked a social media posting tool thing: For now, I’m going with Planoly’s free plan. We’ll see. (I was using another AHEM UNNAMED service and, uh, paying for it—and hating it. So. I’m ready to just dabble around in free versions, particularly as my socials are kinda dead anyway? What do I have to lose?)

• We both went to bed circa 10-10:30; about an hour early for us. Exhausted. It’s only Wednesday?!

THURSDAY

• Woke up at 5, got some coffee in my system, and surprised myself by working relatively consistently from 5:30-7. Always nice when some discipline shows up, haha.

• At 7, though, I thought it might be cozy and nice to go back to sleep until Ted woke up at 7:30………and then I rolled over and it was 9. I didn’t know I needed that! 

• Schlepped downstairs like an actual guilty zombie, grunted at Ted, and got us breakfast: Eggs, rice, potatoes. I looked at emails for a bit before heating up another cup of (half-caf) coffee, opening the back door, and sitting down just inside to type for about an hour. It’s raining out; this is what I do when it’s raining. 

• After working for 18 minutes, i completed and exported 1/3 home maintenance articles due today.

• I worked for a few minutes beyond my timer to get 2/3 home maintenance articles done. I have a meeting in an hour—I’d LOVE to be done with this project (or at least ready to turn it in.) 

• As a break between pomodoros, I started this week’s Kroger order—I’ll go and get it, but I use the Kroger app for lists anyway because it automatically reflects this week’s prices and sorts everything based on where it is in the store—and sent a couple texts re: a dinner we’re having with friends tomorrow. 

• Okay. 3/3 home maintenance. LET’S GO. Finished it up, got ready for my 11a meeting, took my 11a meeting (it was a good one, although I belatedly realized that I used the word ‘vibes’ like twenty times) and settled down at my desk. Submitting those 3 home maintenance articles now so they’re off my plate before noon! 

• Submitted. Turning on Bachelor in Paradise while I get back to the client with the launch today—time to write some awesome content to go with the pictures I selected. 

Afternoon

• Ate some carrots, got Ted food for lunch. I’ll have something more substantive in an hour or so. 

• Realized Ted thinks I coined the term ‘retail therapy.’ This guy likes me too much. It’s blinding him to reality.

• Emailed the spec client back to accept a further, longer sample piece. That’ll probably end up being what I work on over the weekend, but it’s fascinating work, so I’m down. 

• Finished the main copy for the launch by two; feels good—particularly as I basically told myself that I could take all day doing it if I wanted! In an hour or so, I’ll go in, add it to the client’s admin, and add any smaller bits of copy that need doing—links, metas, etc. Then I’ll take another hour break or so, and review/edit/send it in around the end of my day. 

• Looks like I’ve got some time, then! I’ll work on the app that I’ve been procrastinating on sending. I think this one is a bit of a stretch for me—in my cover letter, I’ll definitely have to do some explaining about my lack of, say, formal journo training! But I was referred to the app by someone who found my work in the wild, so it seems silly to not apply, right? I’ll look at my resume, start my cover letter, and pull together a few example pieces now. 

• One hour later: Went ahead and sent the dang thing in. It’s already been a great week in terms of new opportunities; I’m happy this is now out of my hands! Now: Earlier, I promised Ted I’d make him some cookies. Time to follow through on that promise. 

• Cookies done. Ted was so surprised—he can’t smell—and he was so happy! Now, to keep working on this launch post…

• 5p: Launch post IN!!!!!! We walked over to our nearby coffee shop, so I’m enjoying a decaf latte. I think I’ll celebrate by playing Zelda for a bit while I finish my drink (SHOCK), then spend some kitchen time finishing up BiP and doing dishes/making dinner. I think we’re headed up to a nearby park for an hour or so of music tonight—should be fun—and then I have just one or two things I’d like to look at tonight in terms of further work. 

Evening

• Ted went to the concert for an hour with one of our dogs; I opted to stay with other dog, here, because I’ve been having a real mosquito thing and I don’t want to spend all night itching my legs off. Instead, I did dishes, cooked a bunch, finalized our grocery list and cleared off our dining table. 

• When Ted got home, we had second dinner—I’d fed him before he walked over, but he was hungry again, duh—Zucchini, sausage, oranges, and strawberries. I grabbed a sparkling tea, and we computer-ed and gamed on the couch until about eleven when we headed to bed. 

FRIDAY

• Woke up at five; did nothing for an hour; went back to sleep from 6-9. This isn’t a stellar week of that habit—I swear it’s been more successful in the past! It’s probably some combo of down regulating caffeine and the fact that i’m in the (slow+sleepy) luteal phase. It’s totally fine; the extra sleep felt great! 

• Coffee (always spiked with half and half and collagen for me), eggs and sausage and zucchini, pineapple, a vinegar shrub, and more coffee; I’m hungry, so I eat a lot this morning. 

• Check email. The home decor people got back to me with another order (yay!); the spec client—I may have to change his name soon—wants me to do a full-size piece. Yay! I’ll respond to both before noon-ish.

• Time to start some sort of tiny task. (I don’t have any deadlines today, which feels lovely—but is a dangerous concept for me, because I don’t feel like I have to do much. Plus, tired.) 

• Got one (1) tiny task done. 

• Started researching at-home carbonators. We spend SO MUCH MONEY on sparkling water, sparkling teas, the occasional soda…especially since I gave up alcohol a few months ago. I justified the increased price because, like, I’d given up alcohol, right? But it’s time to … stop bleeding money, save some aluminum, and figure out a somewhat DIY solution. (There’s always the Soda Stream, but we’re leaning towards the Sparkel system, which sounds cute and doesn’t require storage/shipping/swapping of CO2 tanks.) 

• Email management completed; also logged into my website’s back end—something I haven’t done in probably two months, haha. Surprisingly, I’ve had a pretty steady trickle of website visitors, despite posting—ahem—extremely sporadically over the past few months. I think I want to do a post-every-day-September challenge, or something odd like that—even if it’s just a few lines, something every day. To get me in the groove, y’know. 

• Okay, time to refresh my coffee and do a K for the course. I want to head to Kroger in a little less than two hours, and it’d be a shame if I didn’t do anything this morning. 

• Instead of writing, I linked my Pinterest and Insta to the new Planoly account. I also need to clean up my Twitter page—it’s similarly dead, but somehow an industry contact found me there last week?!!?!!?! So clearly it’s an opportunity that I’m currently not really taking advantage of. However, I’m not as worried about pre-scheduling Twitter posts; I can easily pre-write a bunch of tweets and copy them in whenever, it’s Pinterest and Insta that I’d rather have a bit more automated. 

• I ended up going to the store at like 11:30, because I’m having a hard time getting my brain in gear for writing today. Got home and was again ridiculously hungry, so I had the rest of the pineapple I cut up earlier this week and a couple of big scoops of yogurt. 

Afternoon

• Still having a hard time concentrating on work…so I decide to give my brain a few hours to rest. I take an extravagant shower, do a bunch of self-care stuff, and (when I return to my desk) I put together a big brain-dump of all the things I have to do and would like to do through the end of August…in an attempt to give my brain a little bit of space to think. 

• As it turns out, I don’t need to get a ton of work done today—especially since it’s a given that I will be working this weekend. We’re also going over to a friend’s for dinner this evening, and that will take a *ton* of brain energy for me—so I can’t exactly drain myself right beforehand, haha. We’re leaving for that in three hours, so I set my expectations a little lower for productivity this afternoon. Or, rather, try to convince myself that resting, doing some scheduling busywork, organizing the kitchen while listening to a funny podcast, taking a nice shower and very slowly typing out just a few words is productive. 

• Later edit: This ended up being a brain health day—ah well! Did I end up working all weekend? Obvi, but I was gonna do that anyway. 

Hm, this was more helpful than I thought—I think whatever that phenomenon is where when you’re observed, you perform better was working on me? Oh yeah and I finished the Keto book over the weekend, thank GOD—next week’s post, if it exists, will be sponsored by something else entirely. About time. The end.