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The perfect day

September 24, 2008 on 8:13 pm | In 2008, Elaine Klonicki, Freelancing, Writing | No Comments

As freelancers, we’re often told that in order to be most productive, we should mimic the office workday. We’re advised to start writing first thing in the morning, work standard hours, and put a sign on our office door saying we’re not to be interrupted. Personal phone calls during the day are a no no, as are household chores, which should be done in the evening or on the weekends.

On the surface, this advice makes perfect sense. Except sometimes ideas that sound good don’t work as well as they sound.

My brother is the founder and CEO of a large manufacturing business, and people are always asking him the secret to his success. The real secret, one he is too humble to admit, is plain old-fashioned hard work, sustained, over a long period of time. But a close second, in my book, is his counterintuitive thinking. If the cost of raw materials goes up, instead of increasing the prices on his products (as do his competitors), he either lowers them or holds them steady, finding alternative ways to cut costs. In other words, he does the unexpected. By doing so, he gains customers who appreciate his concern for their pocketbooks so much that they stick with him for life.

Many of us decided to become freelance writers in order to get away from the 9 to 5, so why should we try to recreate the same old grind at home? Why not, instead, design the perfect day?

I am a night owl, as are many writers, if the volume of late-night email from my freelancing buddies is any indication. So my morning starts later. I’m also an ease-into-the-morning type, instead of a jump-out-of-bed-and-get-going kind of person. After a few cups of tea and a quick glance at the news, I used to try to get to work as quickly as possible after tidying up the kitchen and throwing a load of laundry in the washer.

But it’s never felt quite right to me, so lately I’ve been trying something different. Partly for the exercise, and partly to save money instead of hiring a cleaning lady, I’ve been adding a few extra chores to my morning routine. Hard chores, like scrubbing toilets and washing window sills, that make me sweat. After a shower, I’m not only feeling productive and refreshed, I’m actually ready to sit. I’m more focused after “shaking my sillies out,” and I tend to get less overwhelmed than when I try to work in a messy house. It shifts our whole day later, but my husband works long hours, so it’s not a problem for us.

As for the interruptions, I’m fortunate, because our kids are grown, although I still get plenty of calls from my stressed-out college girl. Family members and friends also forget that I’m working and call here and there during the day to chat. But, having worked in many office environments, I know that there are plenty of interruptions there too. My feeling is that socializing, within reason (whether it’s in person at work or on the phone at home), isn’t a total waste of time. When we’re too isolated, we sometimes just spin our wheels.

While a day at home alone might sound like bliss to our friends who can’t leave the office except for lunch, eight hours working by yourself can prove to be long and uneventful. We all need connections, and feedback. Granted, if you’re on a roll writing the best article ever, you don’t want to answer the phone and lose your focus. But writers often create in what I call chunks—the first pass chunk, the flesh-it-out chunk, and the editing chunk. We all know that stepping back from our work from time to time to let our words percolate helps us to see things we’ve missed (like my misuse of the word “waist” instead of “waste” in my first pass on the previous paragraph).

In between chunks, it makes sense to take a break and respond to a friend’s call. When our first blush of excitement about an article or a blog post wanes, sharing our ideas with others can often re-energize us. After having done so, I often go back to my work with more clarity, and add a few interesting details to the piece I’m working on based on our conversation.

Let’s face it, if you’re freelancing, chances are that you aren’t too crazy about routines anyway. Why be conventional if you don’t have to? Experiment with your day. Try different schedules in order to find the one that’s perfect for you. Do you write better at midnight, after a walk, or after cleaning out the fridge as I did today? Do you prefer the TV on and the windows open? Go for it. Even once you discover the formula that works for you, don’t get stuck in it. Be creative. Mix it up now and then. As long as you get your work done, there is no wrong schedule.

Contrary to what common sense would suggest, conventional wisdom isn’t always the best kind.

- Elaine Luddy Klonicki