Love this. I’m also experimenting with my schedule as a self-employer ghostwriter/writer. I’ve tried taking Wednesday afternoons off for a mid-week reset.
It worked wonders the first week, but the next week I wanted to get back ti work during those hours.
So now I focus on having the first two hours of my day to myself to read, pray and write my book. It’s awesome!
Love this, it's the experimentation and iteration mindset in practice! You test something one week, see how it feels the next few weeks, continue or change it up depending on whether it works or not. I'd say I ran at least 100 schedule 'tests' before landing on what my current ideal looks like. Fun!
I feel so seen! My brain start to melt around 3PM, and picks up again somewhere around 7PM. I can’t believe that the majority of the business/corporate world hasn’t caught up on the fact that there’s no ONE schedule that everyone works best on.
I'm so glad you shared this. I structure a lot of my work like you do Anna. However the idea of taking time off in the afternoon feels radical, even though my energy has dipped by then. But it's got me thinking about I could take late afternoons to spend some time on my allotment or go for a long walk, especially now that the days are becoming shorter. Mmmm.
Awesome, and your new schedule framework kinda echoes mine... I am only just pivoting into it after similar realisations about my burnout... Some of that is impacted by many years of insomnia, but I have starred to "allow myself" flexible "me time". All the best and thanks for sharing, Dominus
"Even though I was my own boss, I’d set my business up such that I was at beck and call of others."
OUCH. I feel personally attacked.
But seriously, a great read. I feel so much of this as a relatively 'new' freelancer who is still scrambling to figure out how I work best now someone isn't designing my day for me.
This article found me on a day when I am literally mid-productivity experiment and now you've sparked some more ideas for me to trial. So, thank you!
It’s soooo easy once you have freedom to structure your own time, to actually just say yes to everyone and everything. I think one can only learn this lesson the hard way - by sucking at boundaries and then mindfully reinstating them. Good luck! ❤️🔥
"Firstly, I hate doing deep work first thing. I thought I enjoyed it but turns out I was lying to myself and trying to conform to society’s version of what a healthy morning routine looks like. Instead, I like to roll out of bed, make a steaming coffee and immediately respond to all Substack comments, DMs, messages and emails that came through overnight. By clearing the backlog I clear my mind meaning I can focus later on. Productivity bros, sue me!"
As someone who identifies as "productivity bro", I will.
(Actually, no - the best productivity hack is to identify what works best for you, and you clearly did that. No harm done.)
Very informative. When you do not work a 9-5 you have to make a schedule for yourself and be responsible for it. It is like college your schedule is not of a primary students schedule and have to be responsible for your own time management.
Loving these tips anna ! I also love working in the evenings but feel guilty about it. Im gonna try the 3pm stop and see if that helps to adjust my mindset!
Do you have kids, is that why you feel the guilt? I used to feel so guilty about clocking off at 3pm but now I’ve made it a rule, knowing that I usually do deep work at nights, it’s made it a lot easier :)
No, no kids! So i really have no excuses! 🤣 Just a productivity guilt which is essentially all in the mind! Im listening to your latest post, and loving it. Im writing out the answers to the prompts that you gave to your lawyer mentee. Super practical, thank you!!
I feel this. Yes, I also work late at times especially on moments when writing starts to knock because they are about to flow on the blank page. I'm nocturnal. A coffee ☕ in the morning is a great go-to to start the day.
I have fixed days when to write but flexible as to time and sometimes days as well. Thank you for this share. I enjoy listening while getting info and inspiration.
The poetry near the end of this piece was awesome. "...sentences spill promiscuously through my fingers onto the page." And "I’ll continue tapping and bopping until the words dry up and the tunes fade to white noise." BOOM.
Before I made it there, the whole piece was worth reading just for this: "Productivity bros, sue me!"
I edit within Tiktok. For me, it's all about reducing friction so I make it as easy as possible. Talking into camera. Same background. Edit immediately in the app.
Yeah that’s smart! The times when I get too ambitious with my YouTube channel are when I end up falling off the wagon because the friction becomes too much. Definitely need to take some inspiration from you there!
I might run some experiments of my own… but even since first reading this post a few days ago, it has already inspired me to listen to myself more.
I definitely also prefer writing in the evening over the morning and I declared my afternoons time to do whatever I want from the moment I lost my job.
When I still had a job, I was always battling with almost falling asleep at work in the afternoon. So stupid, how we can’t make our own schedules at a job.
Hey Anna, love this article and congrats on taking control of your schedule. I also cannot do deeply creative work first thing in the morning. Creatively, I like to ease into the day, let ideas form and percolate throughout the day, then I can flesh them out in the afternoon or evening. That schedule typically works best for me. But we all need to find a schedule that works best for us. Good luck with yours!
You're similar to me. I need a clear mind to be creative (ie. not being stressed about my inbox and the bits and pieces I need to do). We're all different!
I really enjoy reading your Substack, Anna. It's quickly become one of my favorite publications, perfect for me as I work on growing my freelance business. I always finish reading your posts with a tweak to implement in my systems and a lot of inspiration.
I love this. I have been figuring out lately that I do my best work & study in the late morning, and sometimes afternoons. I've been asked to write about how I structure my days and weeks as someone who is neurodivergent, and this post has given me inspiration!
You should definitely write about it! It might inspire someone from your community to think differently and let go of any shame they hold about not having a schedule that looks like the traditional version of a successful one ☺️
Love this. I’m also experimenting with my schedule as a self-employer ghostwriter/writer. I’ve tried taking Wednesday afternoons off for a mid-week reset.
It worked wonders the first week, but the next week I wanted to get back ti work during those hours.
So now I focus on having the first two hours of my day to myself to read, pray and write my book. It’s awesome!
Love this, it's the experimentation and iteration mindset in practice! You test something one week, see how it feels the next few weeks, continue or change it up depending on whether it works or not. I'd say I ran at least 100 schedule 'tests' before landing on what my current ideal looks like. Fun!
That's awesome & what I call dedication!
I feel so seen! My brain start to melt around 3PM, and picks up again somewhere around 7PM. I can’t believe that the majority of the business/corporate world hasn’t caught up on the fact that there’s no ONE schedule that everyone works best on.
I know, it's so wild isn't it!
I'm so glad you shared this. I structure a lot of my work like you do Anna. However the idea of taking time off in the afternoon feels radical, even though my energy has dipped by then. But it's got me thinking about I could take late afternoons to spend some time on my allotment or go for a long walk, especially now that the days are becoming shorter. Mmmm.
Why not give a late afternoon break a try over the coming weeks to see how it feels?
Thanks, I’m going to try an experiment!
Awesome, and your new schedule framework kinda echoes mine... I am only just pivoting into it after similar realisations about my burnout... Some of that is impacted by many years of insomnia, but I have starred to "allow myself" flexible "me time". All the best and thanks for sharing, Dominus
Thanks Dominus!
"Even though I was my own boss, I’d set my business up such that I was at beck and call of others."
OUCH. I feel personally attacked.
But seriously, a great read. I feel so much of this as a relatively 'new' freelancer who is still scrambling to figure out how I work best now someone isn't designing my day for me.
This article found me on a day when I am literally mid-productivity experiment and now you've sparked some more ideas for me to trial. So, thank you!
It’s soooo easy once you have freedom to structure your own time, to actually just say yes to everyone and everything. I think one can only learn this lesson the hard way - by sucking at boundaries and then mindfully reinstating them. Good luck! ❤️🔥
"Firstly, I hate doing deep work first thing. I thought I enjoyed it but turns out I was lying to myself and trying to conform to society’s version of what a healthy morning routine looks like. Instead, I like to roll out of bed, make a steaming coffee and immediately respond to all Substack comments, DMs, messages and emails that came through overnight. By clearing the backlog I clear my mind meaning I can focus later on. Productivity bros, sue me!"
As someone who identifies as "productivity bro", I will.
(Actually, no - the best productivity hack is to identify what works best for you, and you clearly did that. No harm done.)
Haha no shade to you, productivity bro!!
Very informative. When you do not work a 9-5 you have to make a schedule for yourself and be responsible for it. It is like college your schedule is not of a primary students schedule and have to be responsible for your own time management.
Loving these tips anna ! I also love working in the evenings but feel guilty about it. Im gonna try the 3pm stop and see if that helps to adjust my mindset!
Do you have kids, is that why you feel the guilt? I used to feel so guilty about clocking off at 3pm but now I’ve made it a rule, knowing that I usually do deep work at nights, it’s made it a lot easier :)
No, no kids! So i really have no excuses! 🤣 Just a productivity guilt which is essentially all in the mind! Im listening to your latest post, and loving it. Im writing out the answers to the prompts that you gave to your lawyer mentee. Super practical, thank you!!
You’re so welcome, hopefully they help
I feel this. Yes, I also work late at times especially on moments when writing starts to knock because they are about to flow on the blank page. I'm nocturnal. A coffee ☕ in the morning is a great go-to to start the day.
I have fixed days when to write but flexible as to time and sometimes days as well. Thank you for this share. I enjoy listening while getting info and inspiration.
Thanks Revine!
The poetry near the end of this piece was awesome. "...sentences spill promiscuously through my fingers onto the page." And "I’ll continue tapping and bopping until the words dry up and the tunes fade to white noise." BOOM.
Before I made it there, the whole piece was worth reading just for this: "Productivity bros, sue me!"
😂 I love the appreciation from a fellow writer!
Thank you for sharing Anna. Following our energy, finding mental clarity is the first step to making things better for us as an individual.
Everyone is different and what works for you might not work for me, I have to find my own way.
Thank you for this profound reminder.
You’re very welcome 😊
I’m very impressed by how efficiently you’re creating, both for Substack and Tiktok! I need way more time for those things 😅
But you’re inspiring me to get on Tiktok myself! Are you using the tiktok app to edit or a different app?
I edit within Tiktok. For me, it's all about reducing friction so I make it as easy as possible. Talking into camera. Same background. Edit immediately in the app.
Yeah that’s smart! The times when I get too ambitious with my YouTube channel are when I end up falling off the wagon because the friction becomes too much. Definitely need to take some inspiration from you there!
I’m so glad you shared this, Anna!
I might run some experiments of my own… but even since first reading this post a few days ago, it has already inspired me to listen to myself more.
I definitely also prefer writing in the evening over the morning and I declared my afternoons time to do whatever I want from the moment I lost my job.
When I still had a job, I was always battling with almost falling asleep at work in the afternoon. So stupid, how we can’t make our own schedules at a job.
❤️
Hey Anna, love this article and congrats on taking control of your schedule. I also cannot do deeply creative work first thing in the morning. Creatively, I like to ease into the day, let ideas form and percolate throughout the day, then I can flesh them out in the afternoon or evening. That schedule typically works best for me. But we all need to find a schedule that works best for us. Good luck with yours!
You're similar to me. I need a clear mind to be creative (ie. not being stressed about my inbox and the bits and pieces I need to do). We're all different!
I really enjoy reading your Substack, Anna. It's quickly become one of my favorite publications, perfect for me as I work on growing my freelance business. I always finish reading your posts with a tweak to implement in my systems and a lot of inspiration.
Thanks Catalina 🥹, it’s lovely having you here! Let me know if there’s anything specific you’d like me to write about in future editions.
I love this. I have been figuring out lately that I do my best work & study in the late morning, and sometimes afternoons. I've been asked to write about how I structure my days and weeks as someone who is neurodivergent, and this post has given me inspiration!
You should definitely write about it! It might inspire someone from your community to think differently and let go of any shame they hold about not having a schedule that looks like the traditional version of a successful one ☺️
That’s the plan! :)