Sure, it may still be summer, and it’s still in the high 80s, but it feels like a new season when the kids go back to school. The house feels “empty.” Routines are changing… and I’m no longer able to wake up at 8 a.m.
Just like the kids need a few days in the classroom to acclimate and get used to their new schedules, I need some adjustment time, too.
My kids returned to school on Wednesday with little fuss (thank goodness). My daughter hopped on her only semi-late bus. My son walked to school with my husband and me. And then I came home and… promptly napped for 30 minutes.
Not gonna lie. That’s actually usually how I start my work days. I’m a night owl, through and through, even during the school year, and I’m often up until 11:30 p.m., if not later, and my body these days demands a solid eight hours of sleep. But I can’t control the school schedule! So I get up at 6:30 a.m., get the kids and things ready for the school day, and then return to bed.
While I’m calling this week my “adjustment period” and am acting a bit free and loose with my time blocking, I can already feel myself shifting back to my old work-from-home schedule that I had last year. And that’s how I’ve realized I have some “non-negotiables.”
My non-negotiables on work-from-home days
I always start my day by making tea and journaling for a few minutes. I’ve even added in listening to a short audio from Beth Kempton as I walk around my backyard and think about what I want my day to “feel” like.
I always work at my computer at some point, sometimes inside, sometimes outside. (But outside on Wednesday, I apparently had a spider climb into my shirt… and find its way back out during a live call! NOT FUN).
I always carve out time for my creative writing. If possible, I make it the first thing I do on my calendar. I no longer “reward” myself for completing my paid work and my to-do list by gifting myself time to work on my stories and poetry. After all, when I took that I approach, I rarely wrote… since creative writing (and editing) literally influences my mood (i.e., helps me feel better), I now prioritize it. Granted, it helps that I officially have a book contract with Becoming Charlotte Corday coming out April 27, 2027. But I still have a hard time calling my creative writing “work,” even though it technically is now.
What the rest of my workday looks like
Well, every single day is different, and it most definitely doesn’t end at 5 p.m., even if I get a “break” when the kids get home around 4 p.m. and I cart them to different activities.
Nearly every day I work on an immigration law case. I’m under strict NDAs for this work, given the sensitive nature, but I call this my ghostwriting work. I also work on many different legal documents, drafting, editing, revising, you name it. That’s all I can really say about that. But I have a really solid base of five consistent clients, and they make up the bulk of my current workload.
The rest of the day? All sorts of things! Just some of the many things I do:
- Meetings with my young adult writing group, my business accountability partner, and coaching sessions with the incredible Jenni Gritters
- Planning and facilitating workshops, usually related to writing
- Making sure documents are 508 compliant.
- Writing, oh so much writing and editing, like… Tinkering with ebooks and drafting social media, blog posts, and Substack articles
- Creating guided journals and writing prompts that help people find clarity and joy
- Crafting newsletters and sending them out
- Writing grant proposals
- Working on my books. (You don’t want to know how many ideas are on my “To Be Written” list)
- Setting up coffee chats and meetings
- Sending out pitches to publications and working on assignments
- Coaching my clients, working through their self-limiting beliefs, and helping them with their stories
- Generating ideas for new projects
Is that list all inclusive? Probably not.
I do a lot. I like variety. I love helping people with their stories, and finding ways to make the writing process a little less lonely and a lot more joyful.
And writing (including journaling) is a huge part of my day and my life, so much so, that I’m often staying up late writing long after the kids go to bed.
Oof! That was a lot to recap. But I have one last thing to share about my “work life”! (And if you read these ramblings so far, thank you).
For a long time, I’ve dreamed of a space where women can collaborate, create, write, and publish. A year ago, I bought a domain, thinking it would just be a literary magazine. But no, my name is Liz SanFilippo Hall, and I like to dream BIG… which means I delayed on starting it because I wanted everything just right and in place. But as a learned a long time ago, there is never a right time. It will never be perfect. But can it be beautiful?
I sure hope so. And, if you know me, you know I don’t give up. After all, the idea for my Charlotte Corday book started way back in 2005.
And now I’m officially opening my waitlist for Open Window Lit… I’m planning on the official grand opening sometimes this fall, but in the meantime, you can learn more about it by visiting my website www.OpenWindowLit.com and joining the waitlist by filling out this short form.
Am I doing “too much?”
Honestly I used to feel like I was “too much” for some people… but then I realized, hey, those aren’t my people.
So, if you’re a woman and feel called to create, collaborate, write, and publish with me, I sure hope you take a peek at Open Window Lit, because there’s so much more to come!
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