Every Wednesday I get my assignments for one of my freelance writing jobs. All of the work is due in one week. Now that might sound like a lot of time but I have learned that I need to build into that week a schedule which makes completing the work doable.
A schedule is pretty much a must have for anyone who does work at home. If you try to tackle things at whim you are going to find some things in your life being neglected. It is really hard to stay balanced and keep yourself on task without a schedule.
So here is how I created my schedule. While everyone has different needs and accommodations, perhaps these tips can help you figure out the best schedule for your work and other areas of your life.
When creating a schedule I had to consider the most important parts of my day that must be scheduled in. For instance, I need to spend 30 minutes a day exercising, I have children to drive to and from school and then of course there is my work to be done, in between chores, cooking dinner and the like.
I start off everyday with a cup of coffee and my Bible. For me that is what fuels my day. It’s like putting gas in my car. So I get up at 5:30 every morning and spend half an hour just sitting quiet, drinking my coffee and reading my Bible.
Then I spend the next half hour doing chores. That leaves me half an hour before it is time to take the kids to school. I usually manage to squeeze in some exercise. I don’t always get my 30 minutes but that’s okay. I get in what I can and after I drop my children off at school, I come back home and finish my exercise routine.
Then it is time to shower, get dressed and start working. What I like about this schedule is that by 8:30 I am ready to work yet my house is clean, my children are off to school and I am dressed and ready for the day.
That leaves me from about 8:30 to 2:30 to get all of my work done. I mentioned at the start of this blog that I receive my assignments for the week on Wednesday. Every Wednesday I map out which assignments I am going to do on which days. This keeps me on task and I don’t risk putting things off so that suddenly next Tuesday rolls around and I realize that I have a huge number of assignments to finish before Wednesday morning.
When 2:30 hits it is time to pick up my children and carpool other children. I am usually home by 3:30 and that typically requires another hour or so of work. When I finish it up, I am able to make dinner and spend the rest of my evening with my family.
Now there are days where interruptions happen, things don’t go as planned and I find myself still working at 7 or 8:00 pm. That’s just reality. Yet most days my schedule flows well and it all comes together.
If your days have been harried and it seems you can’t get a grip on what’s what, then perhaps it is time you either create a schedule or refine the one you have. A schedule can make all the difference.
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