Schedule Board
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I started writing this post a few weeks ago on a Sunday. I was just getting to a weekly rhythm and something broke, so that Sunday was different as most Sundays are. A schedule is always the best case scenario.

Before I started freelancing, I did have a rhythm but I forgot it and found it again and that’s what this post is about. For over a year now I only go into the day job 4 days a week at my day job and when I thought I was going to make a killing freelancing, I was only going in three days a week.

So back when I started the 4 day schedule, I was blogging and social networking in the morning before work and then on the weekend I spent the time writing and finishing drafts and building new projects. It was a nice schedule because it allowed me to get things done.

My projects tend to mess with my writing and blogging. If I think I can finish something in one day, nothing with stop me from believing that until the clock strikes midnight. Nothing else I have in my plan or schedule matters. I like having something done. I know myself well. I know that if I don’t keep myself on task, who knows what project I will start working on when the time comes to work again. So, basically, I don’t trust myself to pick the project up again after beating my head against the wall for a day.

After a weekend of crashing on projects, randomly writing and editing and doing much-needed reading, on Sunday I look over things and make sure I have the week ahead covered. I have been writing three posts a week here. I could write more than that but I would rather work on quality and patience. I have been very impatient in the past and couldn’t wait to hit the publish button.

So on Sunday, I look over my drafts, now which number about 100 in various states of finished and I pick two to publish because Friday’s post is just a list of links I have found during the week. I have tried to publish one Reason Not to Blog until that series is over. It was that series of random thoughts that turned into posts that got me blogging again and I figured it could help some others out.

Another thing that prevents me from running off chasing random ideas is carrying around a notebook. The notebook I use has changed a lot. I used to use a Moleskin. The thing about using one is that a Moleskin is nice and you can’t rip the pages out. I would find myself weighing my ideas before writing in the Moleskin and having a hard time separating those things that were done from those that were not, because I couldn’t rip pages out. Now I use a standard top spring 3×5 notebook that costs about a buck and sometimes I go through one in a week. A moleskin would last me a year, because it was an idea high rent district.

What this notebook does for me is free up my mind. Once an idea is in there, whether for a post, a site or a marketing technique, I don’t have to think of it any more. That is big freedom because I will try to keep every idea in my mind, number them to make sure one is not lost and then rotate through them during the day. Also, the ideas get time to sit. Until Sunday that is, when I start ripping pages out and putting ideas where they belong on project lists or in my drafts folder.

Since I write throughout the week and only post a few days out of the week, I will consistently have more drafts that posts and that means, if I really buckled down I could schedule posts out for a month if I had to, without actually being around. And in some ways, I am hoping this schedule works and as time goes on, there will be less projects and more writing and then I can post more.

So, do you do anything special to prepare for your week of online activities whether it be blogging or some other online work? Leave a comment and let me know how you do it.

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