Setting up a daily schedule

I've been thinking a lot about my daily schedule lately.  I posted recently about some concerns I had regarding the barn and how that'll affect my chances of sticking to a work schedule.  I also think it's important to have at least a loose schedule in place, though, if I'm going to be at all productive.

I have considered a few different possibilities for working around my barn chores.  I could, for example, plan on going first thing every morning, getting my chores done, and then heading home to work.  I could also plan on doing my admin stuff in the morning, heading to the barn for a bit, and then returning home to focus on client work.

But then there's also my goal of riding more in 2016.  Riding means taking longer at the barn.  I could plan that into my day and work later into the evening.  I could also plan on devoting more time to the barn one or two days a week, and fully intend to work longer hours the other days to make up for it.

So many factors to consider...

Tools to increase freelance productivity

Since I'm thinking about how to relearn good productivity now that I'll be freelancing full-time -- at least for the time being, as I still haven't decided about the long term -- I've also been thinking about tools to help me increase my freelance productivity.  Freelancing is going to be more of a numbers game for me this time, since I can't depend on my husband's income to fill in the gaps in mine.  I'm going to have to be more productive so that I can be more self-sufficient.

Here are a few ideas I've come up with for tools I can use to help me increase my productivity.

Relearning productivity

Now that I'm no longer nannying, I will need to relearn some of the productivity skills I had back when I freelanced full-time... at least back when I was doing a good business with it.  I had gotten a little burned out, which was part of why I took the part-time nanny job, but before that I actually did a fairly good job of staying on task and getting everything done that needed it.

Some days I wonder how I ever managed that.

Goals for 2016

Way back around New Year's, I wasn't planning on making any New Year's resolutions.  I haven't had much luck keeping my resolutions in previous years, and I decided it was too demoralizing to make resolutions you don't keep.

My non-resolution didn't last long, though.  I caught myself saying I wanted to ride my horses more in 2016, and then I saw the Goodreads reading challenge for 2016... and those who know me know I can't turn down a reading challenge!

And now with the changes in my nanny job and my living situation, I've been thinking about the coming year in a totally different way.  I'm thinking it's time to make some resolutions after all.

New beginnings: Change #2

I recently blogged about some significant changes in my life and freelancing career, and then I announced one of the bigger changes, that I'll soon be leaving my part-time nanny job.

The other change isn't entirely a change for me, but will come as a surprise to many of my readers.  Although I never announced it (aside from some vague mentions of changes), I've been separated for nearly two years now, and have been going through a divorce since summer.  We're in the home stretch now, though, and the divorce should soon be final.  Although living on my own won't be a change, the divorced status will be, and there are some other, related changes, too.

New beginnings: Change #1

I announced in my last post, when I returned to blogging a week ago, that I am undergoing some major changes.  Both will have a significant impact on my freelance career, although in vastly different ways.

Change the First: In another week, I will be ending the chapter of my life that I began over four years ago, when I started working part-time as a nanny for V. and A.

Hello, can you hear me?

After months of silence on my end, I'm back to announce some significant changes in my life, both current and upcoming, and what they mean for me and my freelance career.

But first: My first November as a NaNoWriMo ML was relatively successful, although in retrospect I wish I'd had more time to spend on ML-type things.  I did, however, set up and attend lots of write-ins.  I also set up the TGIO party, although it wasn't as well attended (and usually isn't anyway).