Okay, fine, I can’t speak for anyone else. Also, my days are not all alike, of course! But this has morphed into something fairly typical. I do best with a schedule. Not everyone does!
7:00 — wake up! I don’t set an alarm, so this varies, but not usually by much.
7:01 — flip on the coffee pot I prepped last night. Ahhhhh…
7:02 — the dog squints one eye at me and snuggles deeper into his bed.
Trapper, our 12yo Jack Russell cross.
Yes, his bed is under the dining table! It’s cozy and out of the way.
7:05 — curl up with my cat, my coffee, and my phone. No, not for social media or email! It’s time for my current YouVersion reading plans. One is always a variation of the-Bible-in-one-year with several members of my reader group, and I often have one or two additional reading plans on the go as well.
7:45 — shower time! And, oh, the dog may or may not be ready to head outside by now to do his business…
8:15 — breakfast
8:45 — check my planner, check email, check messenger, but no checking Facebook! That’s a rabbit hole I don’t need to go down. Also, has the dog been outside yet???
9:00-12:00 — three writing stints of 45-50 minutes with 10-15 minute breaks. This is usually a chapter of my current work-in-progress. It is also my cat’s happy time. I often write in bed, and she is curled up on top of my feet or tight against my hip. Or eyeing me suspiciously…
Coonie, our 13yo cat.
She’s my best buddy.
12:00 — lunch! I’m trying to get into the habit of matching scripture memory to lunchtime. It’s a hard connection for me to maintain, so maybe I need a different time?
1:00 — another writing stint if needed, or if I just want to get ahead. Or I might have errands to run in town or groceries to pick up.
2:00 — if this is Monday – Friday, I’m now leaving to pick up my son’s 10yo daughter from school. They live next door, so it works out great, and I get some grandgirl time. Also some prayer time when I’m outbound.
3:00 — home again. Must be snack time!
3:30-5:30 — this might be the first time I log into Facebook, but now that it’s spring/summer, I might grab this time to mow the lawn or do other yard work. Or, you know, the house might need a bit of cleaning! Or I might have editing to do from a story that’s back from beta readers or my editor, or marketing tasks to do. Maybe a newsletter or Inspy Romance blog post to write.
Woodoku
7:00-9:00 — If I’ve got book-business related work to do, it might overflow into the evening. Or I might zone out with Facebook for much too long, but I usually also take a walk and play a few rounds of Woodoku. The dog demands to be fed. The kitchen needs a quick cleaning. And I rarely forget to set up the coffeepot for morning!
9:00 — snack… and check my day planner to make sure I didn’t miss anything vital. Send the dog outside one last time.
9:30 — obey the cat’s insistence to head back upstairs so she can lie across my feet. She is obsessive about this. Yes, she is crazy making! I read fiction for about an hour then review some memory work.
10:30 — Lights out!
Because my hubby works four-on-four-off, my schedule flexes with his. Weeks when he works across a Sunday, I almost always take Sunday off and only have three writing days. I count my writing days with that in mind when planning a project.
When he’s home, I rarely write. We’ve been renovating our house for the past thirteen months with probably another year to go, so on his days off, we’re either working on a house project or purposefully away, doing our best to relax. We also make an effort to go for a walk, a bike ride, or a paddle in our kayaks together once on his days off.
Ask twenty different authors what their typical day looks like, and you’ll get twenty wildly different answers! Many authors have day jobs out of their homes. Some homeschool their kids. Even those who, like me, get to do this gig full-time will likely have very different schedules.
Some authors flip their time and take care of business items first thing and write later in the day. Some are night owls and prefer to write in the evenings and on into the wee hours. That doesn’t work for me. I’m so thankful to have found what does suit me, and that I can set up my time optimally for how my brain and personality work.
Friends, what is your best time to work on think-heavy tasks? Are you at your best in the morning (like me), in the afternoons, or in the evenings? Are you able to structure your days to take advantage of that?
Valerie Comer is a USA Today bestselling author and a two-time Word Award winner who writes where food meets faith and fiction. She injects experience laced with humor into her green clean romances. Her life on a small farm in western Canada provides the seed for stories of contemporary inspirational romance. Like many of her characters, Valerie and her family grow much of their own food and are active in the local foods movement as well as their church. She only hopes her creations enjoy their happily-ever-afters as much as she does hers, shared with her husband, adult kids, and adorable granddaughters.
Hi Valerie! I am a morning person. I have been retired for a decade and I am writing this at 5:40 am. My mom was a nurse and her shift started at 7 am. As a teen I worked in a bakery and I started at 5:30 am. As a high school teacher, my school day started at 7:20 am. I always had my best teaching ideas during my morning shower. Now as a retiree 4 days a week I am at my son’s house by 7:20 am, so my daughter in law can leave for work. I take my 9 year old granddaughter to school Monday thru Thursday. While I set an alarm, I usually wake up before it goes off. Best part of retirement is that I take a 20 minute afternoon nap. Some days I am in bed by 8:30 pm. For most of my married life as a teacher, pastor’s wife, and mom my days were 6 am to 11 pm. At 70+ I deserve to take life easy. Enjoy your day and week.
It’s really interesting to hear how you work, you are very organised!
I’m another morning person, which at the moment is lucky as I have little children who are usually up and ready for the day around 5am!
As a university student during the week I have to have a morning schedule that is a bad thing because I am an owl! my best time to study or write in summer is at night and early morning is also when I have prayed or had interesting spiritual talks with friends.
I’m definitely an afternoon person. My brain feels sluggish in the morning and exhausted at night. So I use morning for admin stuff and Bible study and afternoon for bulk of my writing.
I’m definitely a morning person. I normally get up between 4-4:30 every morning without an alarm. No reason, just wake up. I read my Bible, drink my coffee, eat breakfast while I’m reading my next ARC, then exercise and walk before my shower. By the afternoon, I’m just ready to clear my email and read some more.
I’m usually better mornings and early afternoons, but it also depends on what tasks I’m doing!! Florida is already settling in to our afternoon thunderstorms, so to be off the computer for those (lightening is no joke!), I need to get things done earlier.
Good for you! I am not THAT kind of morning person. I had a job for a while where I started at 6am and it was brutal to get enough sleep. Our teens made it difficult for Mom to get to sleep by 9:30! LOL
Wow, 5am is a bit (a lot) early for me! But I work best when I stay organized. If not, I’m sure to forget something that needs to be done.
When my hubby went back to college as an adult, he did most of his studying between 9pm and 2am when the kids (and I) were asleep! He’s definitely not a morning person.
I can’t think in the evening either LOL. I’m glad you can structure your day for what works for you. It makes a huge difference. I feel for authors and other creatives who cannot use their prime time for creativity due to life/ work/ kids etc.
I work Monday through Friday and get up at 4:30 to be sure to get my devotions in before my day starts. I am a morning person, so on the weekends, I do get most stuff done in the morning before my body gets tired and sore. I deal with psoriatic arthritis. I am most thankful for each day that God gives me!
Another ultra-morning-person! I’m in awe. If I have to choose between early morning or late evening, I’ll choose morning, but I’m not at my best until 9!
I am not a morning person. Once I wake up, I usually spend an hour on the computer reading news and email to wake up enough to fix breakfast :-) Mid-morning I usually get a lot done, but after lunch, I usually drowse off while trying to read. Late afternoon I have another spurt, and then get a lot done after supper. I often stay up late to read.
When I was in college, I’d wake up just before my first class. After supper I’d take a nap until 9, and then start studying :-)
My husband starts falling asleep around 9 pm, and can wake up easily at 6 (well, one of our cats starts letting him know it’s breakfast time around 5:30. I can just sleep through that).
Since I’m retired, my schedule mostly gets fit around doctor’s appointments, Bible studies, etc.
As you can see, I don’t become instantly alert when I wake up, either! My hubby was like you in college. Classes start at 9, and it’s a 10-minute commute? Then 8:45 is early enough to roll out of bed!
Hi, I am at my best in the mornings after a cup of coffee, breakfast and a nice walk with my husband and our pup, I enjoy doing things in the mornings, the evenings are for relaxing. Have a great day and a great weekend.
A morning walk sounds lovely! I used to do that…
anytime
It’s nice to be versatile.
Afternoons are best for me. Thank you so much for sharing. God bless you.
I hope you can arrange your life that way! :)
Im late again. I probably do better in the morning. I find I often need a nap, sometimes try not to but it just gets me more and more exhausted. I didn’t get as much done this morniing as I had 2 cats on my lap. First my big handsome dude Henry then madam (Libby) had to get on too. thankfully I have a recliner. but with Henry 6 kilos and libby over 5 kilos it means I am anchored. I am secretary for our local hospital auxiliary and really wish the meetings were in the morning not the afternoon.
Not everything in our lives can fit our personal parameters, unfortunately! I sometimes have to attend evening meetings… shudder! I can’t nap unless I am sick, and then I’m nowhere near my regular schedule anyway.
I never use to nap but since dealing with the constant pain and I think the meds affects it too I find I need to nap. I don’t sleep like I use to at night often its disturbed (and not always Libby’s fault) But I tend to reach that point where if I don’t nap i fall asleep in the chair and then wake up and not sleep anyway.
Aw (hug) sometimes you have to do what you have to do for functionality!