My Actual Work Schedule for the Week of April 13

Many, many people don’t believe me when I say I only work part-time, yet earn six figures in revenue each year. But it’s true.

As I said, I believe life is all about time and how we spend it. Being somewhat hedonistic, I prefer to spend my time pursuing things I love to do, not slaving away at work all the time.

The next question, then, is how do I do it? Well, I thought I would share a snapshot of my work and personal life for the week of April 13-17, 2020, to let you see for yourself.

Note: I begin work every day around 8:00 a.m. and break for lunch from approximately 11:00 to 11:30.

Monday 4/13

• Wrote two stories for Healthgrades

• Edited a blog post for LiquidCompass

• Went through the new RN2writer website page-by-page and made a list of all the pages I still need to write

• Fiddled around with Canva trying to create thumbnails for an ebook I’ll be selling at the new site

• Knocked off work at 1:00 p.m. and lay in the sun on a chaise longue for half an hour like an old, fat cat

• Popped a big bowl of popcorn and spent the rest of the afternoon binge-watching old Poirot episodes with Mom

• Roasted a pork tenderloin and served it with baked sweet potatoes and Caesar salad

Tuesday 4/14

• Wrote two stories for Healthgrades

• Wrote one RN2writer newsletter

• Spent two hours writing Lesson 3 of the workshop “Health Journalism Basics for Nurses” (did not finish it)

• Followed up on a late payment

• Stopped work at 2pm and took my dog for a walk

• Prepared pan-fried chicken breasts (pounded thin) with mashed potatoes and gravy

• Watched two episodes of Midsomer Murders with Mom, before and during dinner

Wednesday 4/15

Did not work; I usually take Wednesdays off, except to answer email first thing in the morning

• Took Mom to lunch at Sonic (her request)

• Went on a two-hour drive west of Albuquerque to get out of the house and enjoy the weather

Thursday 4/16

• Accepted a new client through Skyword and reviewed their channel guidelines

• Wrote one article for Healthgrades

• Edited one article for Healthgrades

• Revised an article for Verywell Health

• Fielded two requests for proposals from prospective clients who found me on LinkedIn

• Promoted the RN2writer newsletter on LinkedIn and the Facebook page

• Had a phone call with a prospective client

• Spent one hour continuing to work on Lesson 3

• Sent W9 and billing information to a client

• Quit work at 2:00 p.m.

• Worked out on my patio using resistance bands and stability ball

• Pulled some weeds

• Did a little housework

• Baked a devil’s food cake with coconut-pecan frosting for Mom

Friday 4/17

• Accepted four article assignments from Verywell Health

• Declined an assignment from another client because their invoice remains past due

• Accepted two article assignments from Healthgrades

• Revised an article for Verywell Health

• Followed up on a contract I’d sent out a week ago to see if they’re going to sign it

• Had a phone call with a prospect

• Wrote two issues of the RN2writer newsletter

• Reviewed by bookkeeping, assigned transactions in Quickbooks, looked over late invoices

• Worked until 3pm, and then made myself a cocktail attended a Zoom-based “open mic” event with performers who belong to a freelance writing group I’m a member of

Saturday 4/18

It’s very rare for me to work on the weekend (or in the evenings, for that matter), but in the interest of transparency I’m noting I did so this week. I worked from 7:30 to 9:30 a.m. to finish Lesson 3!! I was so happy to get that done!

As you can see, I’m not exactly a slave to my job. I view my career as a way to facilitate plenty of downtime to enjoy doing things I love: hiking, gardening, watching TV with Mom, cooking. Do you think you could see yourself enjoying this type of lifestyle, too?