If you read this post, you'll know I recently quit my job to build my career as a writer. Working from my bedroom is very different from waking up at 6am, getting on a bus, to work a job where somebody else manages what I do. I'm in now where I have always wanted to be, in the driver's seat of my career. However I'm starting from nothing, with no income coming in, I've got a lot of work to do to make sure my big risk pays off. To put it simply, the pressure is on, and the to-do list is long, well, never-ending.

In just the first week of my new start, I've learnt a lot, here a little bit of the wisdom I've picked up in these 7 days:

1) I need to go to bed at a suitable time. I don't work well tired, and naps are only too tempting as my bed is a few feet from my desk.

2) I work less when I'm hungry. Snack breaks are essential, to ensure my working hours live up to their full potential.

3) Productivity trackers are eye-opening. It got to the end of what felt like a productive day and reflecting back on my tracker, I realise I hadn't used my time as wisely as I'd thought. My productivity tracker makes it clear when I'm less focused, how much you can really achieve in a working day (a hell of a lot more than you think) and how much time gets 'wasted'.

4) To lists should be written the night before. Writing my to-do in the morning cuts into the time doing the tasks. However, writing it the night before allows me to be prepared, and clear about how I'm spending the next day.

 5) When my alarm goes off, I need to make sure feet touch the floor before I do anything else. If I spend a bit of time on Instagram, in the cosy comfort of my bed, the likelihood is, when I put my phone down I'll fall straight back to sleep.

6) When I'm at home and have the flexibility, it's easy to take advantage of it, but once I take my focus off getting work done, it's hard to get back to it. Working 9-5 means I get to keep my evenings and get the work done.

 7) Having someone holding me accountable is motivating. My stepdad is asking me, each evening what I achieved that day, I do the work knowing I'll have something to tell him.

8) Sometimes I just don't feel productive. I probably need a break, a snack, and a bit of a refresh. That break, however, should not include watching an episode of Gossip Girl, spending my time with Chuck and Blair will never bring me an income, or improve my writing.

9) Other people assume my new found time is free time. It's not. They shouldn't use up this time if I don't have anywhere else I can fit the work in.

10) There is 0 point sitting at my desk if I'm just scrolling Instagram. Using the Forrest app to set me half-hour working time makes all the difference.

 11) My morning routine should remain as it were when I had to leave the house for work.  One day I found myself at in my PJs, yet to have eaten or brushed my teeth at 1pm. It was not a pretty sight and then I had a super long 'lunch break' as I had to have lunch and complete my usual morning routine all at once.

12) There's no point putting the work in if I'm not going to shout about it. I need to promote my blog posts, send pitches and let people know, I'm a writer.

13) Money isn't just going to land on my lap. The reality that I don't know when I'll next have some income is beginning to hit, and leaving my stomach in an anxious knot. I have to put myself out there, which is scary, but you don't grow when you're comfortable.

14) Sometimes life gets in the way and to-do lists can wait. They might wait, but they won't disappear.

15) New routines take getting used to and it's normal to have an adjustment period. However, that adjustment period shouldn't double up as an excuse to be lazy.

16) It's important to remind myself why. Sometimes, lying in bed with junk food and Gilmore Girls is more inviting than sitting at my desk, doing something I'm not yet getting paid for. When I find myself searching Netflix it's time to refresh and remind myself why I'm making this sacrifice.

 17) Some days are more productive than others and that's okay.

 18) To-do lists are less scary when you start doing the stuff.

 19) Other people probably won't take me seriously, and just to give me unsolicited advice on what job I should get or the master I should do. As long as I take myself seriously, that doesn't matter, and honestly, there's something motivating in other people not believing in me.

 20) Faking it until I make it is the way forward. I'm so much more productive when I pretend my dream has already come true, that my writing is being read and I'm being paid to do it. Faking it also gives me that extra boost of confidence when I send pitches, because why the fuck, not me?!


If you have any advice for me as I start this journey, I'm all ears, please leave it in the comments!
I hope you found this post interesting and useful in some way!
Love, C x
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