Remote Work: Choosing My Daily Schedule

Three posts in one month! And we're almost through my series on remote work.

One particular thing about my remote work is that I don't have set hours. I can choose the best times of day for writing, editing, networking, and any other tasks I have to do throughout the day. Much like flex time, scheduling my own work day can feel at once freeing and overwhelming.

Without any structure, I can end up spending far too much time on one task or getting sucked into a particularly difficult question that, while interesting, can be managed. One strategy that I've found helpful for avoiding such issues is setting time limits for myself. My days can look something like this:

(An hourly schedule for one of my work days. It reads "7:30 News, 8:30 Graphics/Articles, 10:00 Grants, 11:00 Head downtown, 12:00 Mass, 1:00 Lunch, 2:00 [Left free], 3:00 LinkedIn")

I usually keep writing and editing work for the morning, including things like reading news and researching grants. This time of day is when my mind is fresh, most ready to focus on details, notice consistency issues, and think about how to make wordings accessible for readers.

I then have a long break - a bike ride downtown, celebrating the Mass, and having lunch.

The second round of work for me is more interpersonal. There's usually an hour set aside for any task that may have come up in the morning. Then I finish off my day by talking with other editors and authors. This is usually over LinkedIn, but sometimes I get the treat of meeting people for coffee or a video chat.

This daily shift from in-depth editing work to more social activities keeps my schedule grounded but still organized around my own best work practices.