David Verney recently commented on one of my Medium posts and mentioned that he’d be interested in reading about a day in my life.
Fair warning, kids – I do an insane amount of writing in a day. More than most would say is even remotely sensible.
Anyway, I thought it was a great idea for a post, so here we are. This is what a day in the life of David Andrew Wiebe tends to look like.
8:30 AM: Awake
These days, I start to get tired and even start falling asleep somewhere around 10:30 to 11:30 PM.
Then, I wake up around 8:30 AM, which is good, though I don’t always feel fully rested.
I’ve shared about a morning routine I stumbled on, and this worked well for a while, though more recently I haven’t been following it.
Sometimes I will go for a walk at 8:30, but many times I won’t until later.
So, nothing of especial interest happens until…
9:00 AM – 12:00 PM: Writing & Content Work
This is the first block of the day where productive work happens.
I’m either writing for my own blog, or for my clients. Either way, I’m generally focused on one project at a time, and I’m not jumping around from one to the other.
If it’s an especially productive day, I will finish three or four blog posts during this time.
If I’m not at my best, I might finish one and a half blog posts (but one always gets done!).
Of course, it depends a lot on the word count and depth of research required, too.
Within two to three days, I will have a week’s worth of posts completed.
Sometimes, in the first hour (9 AM to 10 PM), I will go grocery shopping, have breakfast, or simply collect my thoughts for the day.
On a Wednesday, you will find me working on my latest podcast episode (to schedule for Thursday). This work often extends into my second block of the day. Every second Wednesday, I also jump on a video conference from 8 to 9:30 AM with my mastermind.
On a Saturday, you’ll find me handling admin tasks and writing for an hour or two (Weekly Digest).
On a Sunday, you’ll find me planning and writing for an hour or two (#StrategySunday).
Then comes…
12:00 PM – 1:00 PM: Lunch
It’s time to unplug from devices (though I often listen to podcasts) and fuel up.
If I’m especially efficient, I will prepare two meals at this point (lunch and supper). An Instant Pot (affiliate link) comes in handy for this.
Sometimes, I will also take this opportunity to go for a 30-minute walk, but that can be somewhat ambitious in just an hour.
1:00 PM – 5:00 PM: Writing & Content Work
This is where additional productive work happens.
You will often find me handling more intensive staff writing and client work during this timeframe.
To be fair, though, the best writing of the day probably happened already. Some of my writing duties are brainless and don’t require a lot of mental power, so this is the right time to handle those types of projects.
Depending on the day, you’ll also find me:
- Handling coaching and client calls (but generally only on Wednesdays and Thursdays!)
- Making music
- Writing emails
- Scheduling posts in Meet Edgar
- Syndicating and distributing content
- Updating websites
- Making videos
- And so forth
5:00 PM – 6:00 PM: Product Development
Most days, my latest post goes live at 1 PM PST. So, in the first five to 10 minutes or so of the hour, I will carry out my daily Medium routine:
- Import, format, and publish latest story
- Add the story to a relevant publication (a must if you want to do well on Medium)
- Share story to Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter
- Follow 50 people who’ve “clapped” for people in my Dream 100 or those who would be interested in the type of content I publish
I’ve got enough of a strategy and infrastructure in place to keep growing my Medium following, so this all happens relatively quickly.
From there, I will work on the latest product I’m looking to launch.
Sometimes this means more content work. But because I’ve already completed a good chunk of content, lately this has meant:
- Developing my course/membership platform
- Working on landing pages
- Creating sales videos
- Fine tuning sales copy
- Making sure the funnel and payment processor is working correctly (my builder of choice is 10XPro – affiliate link)
- Ordering necessities online
- And so forth
If I’m not doing any of those things, it’s safe to assume I’m writing or making product related content.
6:00 PM – 7:00 PM: Supper
This is a good time to disconnect from devices and maybe get that walk in. It gets dark early where I live, especially during the winter, so it’s nice to get the walk in earlier in the day, but if I’m unable to, then this is the time to do it.
Of course, I will also fuel up once more.
7:00 PM – 8:00 PM: Music
Generally, I like to leave “after supper hours” unscheduled. Rest and recreation are incredibly important to me. Having a social life in 2020, and now 2021, though, has looked quite a bit different than it has in the past, so if I want to work on something else, I can, because there’s always time.
Having said that, music is my passion, and it deserves some space in my life. I can’t always get around to it in block #2, so I prioritize it in my schedule regardless.
And in that sense, working on music isn’t always work. It can be a lot of fun. And I would say that about most of the “work” I do (but we all do things for money we don’t necessarily enjoy).
Because I have so much music and so many ideas, creating focus has always been a bit of a challenge. Right now, one of my focuses is just to document all my ideas, because sadly, I do begin to forget riffs (but I would not say that’s unique to my current place in life).
8:00 PM – 12:00 AM: Unscheduled Time
Social life in 2020 and 2021 has mostly been limited to texting, calling, hopping on a Zoom call, swiping right on a dating app, or going to the occasional dinner at a restaurant with a friend (someone in my pandemic bubble).
I’m planning to explore local Facebook groups as well, to see if I can get a little more connected in my new surroundings (I was living somewhat nomadically until the pandemic came around).
Anyway, this is a good time block for:
- Making more music (if the spirit moves)
- Reading (critical if you want to write more)
- Meditating
- Cleaning and organizing
- Additional exercise (I like to knock out some pushups, sit ups, and squats – it doesn’t take that long)
I would love to say that this is what happens most days. And while I usually do at least one of the above, many days I will simply collapse in bed and watch something on YouTube or Netflix, while playing video games (thus why I try to build disconnecting from devices into my routine).
I think this is a horrible time for admin work and errands, which is why I try to build that into my schedule as well (this week I’ve blocked off time for it on Thursday and Friday, which are a little laxer, because I tend to finish most of my work by Wednesday).
Notes
For the last four months of 2020, I was not pulling eight-hour days, especially since I was feeling burnt out after pulling 12- to 16-hour days for a few months (I quickly found out there was no merit to that). So, I would finish my work in four to six hours per day and spend the rest of the day resting.
I find I can perform at a high level during my scheduled work hours. To be fair, I’ve been honing the skill of working from home since 2011. I’ve been working completely from home since 2016. So, I’ve had some practice.
If you’ve never tried condensing your work hours, it might be worth a go. For instance, try to do an eight-hour day in four hours. It’s possible. You just need to focus more, and when you’re under pressure, you get things done faster. Seriously, it’s worth a try.
Focus is a must if you want to strike a balance between quality and quantity, which I feel is an absolute must for creatives and creators in the age we’re in (don’t let perfectionism hold you back!).
One last note. I find it important to practice flexibility rather than rigidity. For example, as I was working on this post, I found out my grandma passed. I’m going to be going easier on myself today as result. Routines don’t amount to much when they aren’t serving you.
Routines don't amount to much when they aren't serving you. Click To TweetFinal Thoughts
Did you enjoy this behind the scenes look? Probably not as sexy as you thought it might be.
I’m a proponent of showing up to do the work, even if it’s in short spurts, and you can see how my life is organized around that.
But I have a stronger focus on health and relationships now, which I feel outweigh just about any achievements in terms of projects or work. I had that out of balance for a while, and I’m gradually moving towards prioritizing self-care and people again.
What is your daily routine like?
Let me know in the comments.
Shh… Don’t tell anyone. Only the cool kids are talking about it.
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