An excerpt from http://www.sitepoint.com/freelancer-schedules/, by @joshua
The life of a freelancer can be something of a mystery. Where do they go? What do they do? Do they even put on pants?
To demystify the daily affairs of these laptop wielding enigmas, we’ve asked three successful freelancers to share their schedules with us. They have also offered tips on how to structure their days for maximum productivity.
Jessica Greenwalt – Freelance Graphic Designer – San Francisco, CA
Jessica was voted 2012’s top freelance designer by DMZ Interactive and has worked with such high-profile clients as LinkedIn, Yale University and Behr. Her design business is called Pixelkeet.
On Mondays, Tuesday, Thursdays and Fridays, Jessica commutes to the city to work from her office. Wednesday is her work from home day, and Saturday is her day off. On Sunday she organizes something called Side Project Sunday (SPS) where she and her friends get together to work on any projects they weren’t able to get to during the week.
This is her schedule on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays:
7:00 a.m. to 8:00 a.m.
Wake up and perform morning ritual, which includes light yoga and a shower. Then wake up Lord Jello Worthington II, my parakeet, and replace his food and water.
8 a.m. to 9 a.m.
Check emails, texts and voicemails accumulated overnight.
9 a.m. to 10 a.m.
Commute to San Francisco office.
10 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.
Check work specific email account and review status of projects in the task management software Asana.
10:30 a.m. to 11 a.m./11:30 a.m.
Team meeting to discuss what we’ve been working on, what we’ve learned and what we’ll be working on next.
11 a.m. or 11:30 a.m./Noon
Check emails, texts, and voicemails accumulated during meeting.
Noon to 1 p.m.
Lunch. Sometimes lunch is with the team, sometimes it’s with friends, sometimes it’s with business contacts.
1 p.m. to 6 p.m.
Work on projects (mockup, wireframe, code, plan projects, review experiment results, etc). Rid workspace of any distractions during this time, meaning no email, phone, or social media sites unless it’s directly related to work I’m doing at that moment.
6:00 p.m. to 10 p.m.
Spend time with friends or attend an event.
10 p.m. to 11 p.m./Midnight
Review calendar for tomorrow and prepare for tomorrow’s events. Respond to team’s messages about projects.
Midnight
Sleep