Ideal writing routine vs. reality
Ideal writing routine vs. reality
A day in the life of a part-time author
I’ve gone from full-time office job, to full-time author, to part-time author and part-time WFH in the space of a few years. I like to think I’ve achieved a balanced and sustainable lifestyle, but the truth is more complicated.
When I worked full-time in an office, I got up at 5:15 a.m. every weekday to do my writing. I had no energy to do anything except relax after work, and I always fell asleep the moment my head hit the pillow, no matter how early I went to bed.
As a full-time author, I wrote for about four hours a day, seven days a week, and it was the most productive time of my life. But it wasn’t sustainable because I wasn’t making enough money.
These days, I write for two hours a day, and have three part-time WFH jobs which consume four hours a day Monday to Friday, plus a little more on Sunday.
Balanced, right?
Bwahahaha.
Nope.
I’m still a long way from achieving the perfect daily routine. Sigh.
Just for fun, this is a comparison between my perfect routine and my less-than-perfect reality. Not to be taken 100% seriously.
Ideal routine
7 a.m. - Wake up without an alarm, feeling refreshed and ready to start the day.
7:30 a.m. - Eat breakfast. Something delicious but reasonably healthy. For example, butter on homemade bread plus fruit, an oatmeal muffin and a fruit smoothie, or homemade muesli with milk.
8 a.m. - Get dressed then go for a walk in the park.
9 a.m. - At my writing desk with a cup of tea. Two solid hours of writing. No procrastinating, no distractions.
11 a.m - This is when I start work on my part-time jobs. In my ideal world, I’d do more writing, or I’d work for my own business rather than for someone else’s.
4 p.m. - Exercise.
5 p.m. - Relaxation time - movie, TV, games, whatever I feel like.
6:30 p.m. - Dinner - a healthy vegan meal that tastes amazing!
7:30 p.m. - Extra writing or admin work.
8:30 p.m. - Calm and creative time - drawing, journalling, listening to music, drinking herbal tea. No screens allowed. Plan for the next day.
10 p.m. - Read in bed.
11 p.m. - Sleep.
Reality
7 a.m. - My alarm goes off, but I turn it off and spend the next thirty minutes to one hour battling to keep my eyes open and my mind from drifting back to sleep.
7:30 a.m. - I usually eat porridge or store-bought muesli for breakfast, muck around on the internet, write in my journal, do the Wordle. Somehow, I waste an entire hour.
8:30 a.m. - I make a cup of tea and try to start writing. I'm still in pyjamas. I try to write for two hours, but sometimes I can't concentrate, I procrastinate, I end up watching YouTube or browsing Reddit, or similar. I always do at least some writing, though.
11 a.m. - I work on my part-time jobs. Sometimes I’m still not dressed by this point!
4 p.m. - Play video games or muck around doing something else.
6:30 p.m. - Dinner. I don’t always eat healthily, especially when it’s my partner’s turn to cook!
7:30 p.m. - On productive days, I'll do some admin work for my author biz. On non-productive days, I play more video games or watch K-dramas.
9:30 p.m. - Yes, I go to bed super early. I do read in bed, but if I'm not fully engaged I normally give up after one chapter and fall asleep. I sleep a lot! Too much.
So, there you have it. Compared to the average person, I have a lot of spare time, but somehow I manage to squander a lot of it! One day I hope to consistently achieve my ideal daily routine, but today is not that day.