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A Day in the Life of a Freelance Writer
Inspired by true events
Today’s edition of Wishful Working is a 4 minute read.
This week, I thought you might enjoy a peek at a day in my life as a freelance writer living in rural Saskatchewan.
The following schedule is not an account of one certain day, but it is an accurate representation of many mundane summer days in my life.
8:32am — Wake up without alarm
8:36am — Roll over onto a fish plushie the cat brought into the bed in the middle of the night
8:37am — Check the pollen forecast to reassure myself that I’m not getting sick
9:05am — Hear husband hollering downstairs that he’s going to make breakfast and I should tell him what I want. Shout “Eggs!”
9:08am — Get out of bed and get dressed
9:19am — Eat eggs and bagel with husband while doing NYT puzzles together on the iPad (Strands, Connections, Wordle, and Spelling Bee)
9:38am — Say goodbye to husband when he leaves to go do farm things
9:45am — Play a round of spider solitaire on the iPad, lose
10:02am — Sit down at desk with cup of Yorkshire tea
10:03am — Check order tracking for that Old Navy order I placed last week
10:05am — Check bank account to see if that client has paid their invoice yet
10:07am — Browse bookoutlet.ca for cheap books
10:31am — Check planner and Moxie kanban board to see what I should be working on today
10:35am — Write two paragraphs for an in-progress article that’s due tomorrow
10:57am — Get distracted by group chat with besties, suggest we all quit our jobs and move to the Wisconsin Northwoods together
11:10am — Okay, focus. Write 5-7 more paragraphs
11:49am — Remember that I wanted to join a marketing webinar at noon, hastily wash face and put on the bare minimum of tinted sunscreen and blush to look alive
12:02pm — Join webinar
12:50pm — Rejoice that hosts have generously “given” ten minutes “back,” use that bounty of spare time to scroll TikTok
1:02pm — Greet husband, who has arrived home for lunch
1:06pm — Make and eat an underwhelming turkey sandwich
1:21pm — Walk down to the post office to check for Old Navy package even though the tracking said it’s not coming for two more days
1:45pm — Sit back down at desk, write some more
3:13pm — Become unbearably sleepy, decide to take a 30 minute nap with cat
3:45pm — Snooze nap alarm
3:54pm — Snooze nap alarm
4:03pm — Turn off nap alarm
4:40pm — Wake up and wonder what day it is
4:41pm — Mentally calculate how early I’ll have to get up tomorrow to finish that article if I don’t work on it anymore today, decide that’s fine
5:04pm — Start thinking about supper
5:26pm — Text husband a supper suggestion: 🍕?
6:21pm — Cook a frozen pizza from Costco when husband gets home, watch an episode of My Lady Jane while eating
7:12pm — Water the hostas
7:22pm — Enjoy some floor time (IYKYK), scroll Libby App to find a new audiobook to listen to
7:45pm — Sit down at desk to write down some newsletter ideas and thoughts about a potential new service offering
9:12pm — Take a shower
9:32pm — Discuss whether it’s too late to start a movie or if we should just watch a show, scroll streaming apps for 20+ minutes
9:55pm — Watch Twister, starring Bill Paxton and Helen Hunt
11:48pm — Write cheeky one-liner review of Twister on Letterboxd
12:11am — Sleep
Although many days have more meetings, errands, and activities, my life currently moves at a pretty slow pace. And I like it that way.
A little work, a little rest, a little play, and most importantly — a LOT of freedom.
What do your days look like? I would love to know.
See you next week,
Kara
Wishful Working is inspired by my desire to see more people enjoy a life not centered around work. For some, the path to freedom and flexibility is through self-employment, but we also need to challenge cultural norms and champion healthier working conditions and work/life balance for all types of workers.
Who am I? I’m a freelance writer and entrepreneur based in small-town Saskatchewan. I write longform content for B2B clients, and I help founders and independents name their brands and projects through a new venture called Naming. Connect with me by replying to this email or finding me on LinkedIn or Twitter.