Have you ever wondered what it’s like to be a freelancer day to day?
What is a day in the life of a freelance writer like? As a freelance writer, I don’t necessarily have a standard day. Sometimes I wake up at 6 am and work until dinner time. Other times I’ll just write for a couple of hours per day. Sometimes I don’t write for several days in a row and just do my own thing.
In this article, I’ll explain what my “average” day is like as a freelance writer.
What Is The Average Day Like For A Freelance Writer?
I would love to give you a single answer for what the average day is like for a freelance writer.
But the truth is, there isn’t really a standard or average day! Things can vary a lot from one day to the next.
It really depends on how much work I have, what I’m working on, and a bunch of other factors.
If I had to break it down, I would say there are three main types of days that I have. Busy days, more relaxed days, and days that I don’t have work for any clients.
What A Busy Day Is Like For A Freelance Writer
If I’ve got tons of work to do, that’s when my daily schedule will be most packed with productive tasks. This is my typical day when I get a big batch of blogs or articles to write for a client, like 10 – 20+, that I want to get done as soon as possible for them.
I’ll wake up at 5 or 6 am if I know I really have a lot to do on a particular day.
So I’ll wake up, feed the dogs, and let them outside. Then I’ll get to work.
From there I’ll pretty much work straight until noon or so, with only one or two short breaks in between.
Normally I’ll try to take one quick break between articles. There isn’t a set amount of time. Some days I’m writing a 1200 word article and other days I’ll write a 2,500 word article. I don’t really stop until I get it done.
The exception is if I’ve got a 3,500 word article, which is too much to do in one sitting. So I’ll break it up.
Somewhere around noon, hopefully I’ll have at least one or two pieces done if I woke up early. Then I’ll take a break for an hour or so.
I’ll eat some lunch, and watch some Youtube videos at 2x speed.
Then I get back to work again until late afternoon, or until it’s time for me to make dinner. That really depends on when my wife finishes work. Which can vary from getting home at 5 or sometimes more like 7 during busy times for her.
Then we’ll have dinner while watching a few episodes of something on Netflix.
After that, I’ll just relax and play some video games or board games with her, or go back up to my office to browse the internet or play online games until it’s time for bed.
Generally I’ll try to be in bed by 11 pm. But if I’m waking up at 5 or 6 am, I’m more likely to start getting tired and wanting to sleep at 10 pm instead.
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What A More Relaxed Day Is Like For A Freelancer
Sometimes I just get assigned one or two articles at a time. Or I may have a batch of articles that a client wants done, but they’re super chill and don’t really give me a deadline.
In that case, I might sleep in until 9 am or so. Instead of waking up at 5 or 6 am.
Usually on my more relaxed days, I can still finish up to two 2,500-word articles per day. But one 2,500-word article or three 1,000-word articles is better.
Like most people, I can be weak and succumb to procrastination sometimes. So some days I’ll try and get my work done right away so I can just relax for the rest of the afternoon. And other times I put it off or end up drawing it out so that I don’t finish until it’s time for dinner.
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What I Do As A Freelancer If I Have No Work
If I finish a big project for a client, normally I won’t start looking for more work again right away.
Another client may come to me and ask me to write something else. In that case, of course I’ll accept it. Things tend to line up well that way, so that when I finish one thing, I get something else assigned soon afterward.
But if not, I take it as a bit of downtime to recover after a particularly busy time.
I might not do any work for an entire week. Especially if my hands and wrists are sore from typing so much previously, or I just feel unmotivated.
I’ve never been diagnosed with depression or chronic fatigue syndrome or anything. I think it’s pretty normal for most people to go through periods of ups and downs. Sometimes you might feel super motivated and energetic. Other times you don’t feel like doing anything.
There could be a lot of different reasons for this. Maybe you ate a whole pizza the night before and just feel like garbage. Or perhaps you didn’t get a great night’s sleep.
Whatever the reason is, I try to lean into how I’m feeling instead of trying to overcome it.
If I don’t feel like writing, I will just allow myself to not write. At least if I don’t have any pending assignments that I need to be working on. (I still always meet deadlines, even if I’m not particularly feeling it!)
Other times I’ll feel motivated and full of energy. During those times, I’ll work on my own blogs or other online business opportunities. Especially during extended breaks where I don’t have much paid work from clients to do.
For example, as I write this right now, the world is still in the midst of a global pandemic. So I don’t really have any paid work coming in. Most people are cutting back and not paying writers. So I’ve taken the opportunity to record about 45 videos and write 35 or so blog posts about freelance writing in the past month. And I’m planning to repeat that again for the next month or so if things are still slow.
Conclusion
If you’re looking for a description of what the average day is like for a freelance writer, I’m not sure that I can help you!
At least for me personally, my days can vary a lot.
Some days I get up at 6 am and I’ve written 5,000 words before noon. Other times I don’t do any work at all for days in a row.
As a freelance writer, I think it’s really important to find the schedule that works best for you. Don’t be afraid to experiment at first. Even if that means an unconventional schedule. As long as it works for you!