Most articles around content writers that project a six-figure monthly income, multiple vacations during a year, a lot of free time, unimaginable family time are very enticing. They are not completely true. To be among the top and shine as the most sought after, you need to work your ass off.
From my previous article … Wake up at 5.30 am. Run through a few quick stretches, breathing exercises. Slide into the kitchen, grab ingredients from the refrigerator to cook food for your kids and husband. They need to step out of the house by 8.00 am. Grab your book so that you reach your daily reading target. Somehow find 30 minutes before everyone wakes up. Be ready to wish ‘good morning’ to your toddler or children so that you ensure they have a wonderful day ahead.
After ‘Good Morning’ …
Sing along as you give them a bath and dress them up. Oh! By the way, if it is India, also multi-task with your domestic helper. Supervise their work, ensure all dishes are washed, every corner of the house is cleaned, and other work is extracted out of them; so that you don’t have to do it later.
You have almost forgotten the tea you made for yourself. It’s cold now. So, you just gulp it. Half of your sanity is lost by now. But, you have to begin your work day with a client call, who would like to share some iterations to the draft you thought was perfect.
The call is scheduled for 30 minutes, but extends to another 30 minutes, pushing the rest of your day into a roller-coaster ride. Despite sending 6 reminders, you still have a client who is unwilling to share feedback or inputs. You send out the seventh reminder, drafted in a poised and polite tone. You have another client yet to process your last month’s invoice.
You have to complete research for two case studies which involves reading twenty different sources or more! You also have to complete the second iteration for another three drafts. While that sounds tiring, you are excited to close a new client, today. In the meantime, you realize that you need to complete content for two other web pages.
While you somehow manage to complete all this miraculously, including your lunch. You have to be ready by 3.00 pm to ensure that you are five minutes ahead at the school gate or at the bus stop to receive your kids with a smile. You pep them up, hear out their challenging day. Help them with homework and after-school classes, either cook dinner or be a supervise your cook to accommodate different tastes.
You give your children a bath, serve dinner to your family, and tuck them away in bed. You just realize you need to give those last few touches to your kid’s pending project.
And then, you are ready to close the kitchen and sit at your work desk to pen down your top priorities. Just then, an email pops up from your client. It is about a new announcement to be made to the media. This should be submitted in two days. You priority list reshuffles.
One document is still open with the cursor blinking at you. It reminds you that you still have 400 words to close the draft. You sketch some diagrams and flows so that you don’t forget those brilliant ideas.
With a sigh of relief you sleep in bed. But then, you also remember that you have a personal target to write two pages for the book you dream to publish. You quickly scribble your thoughts and hit the bed. On few days, your eye shuts at 10.30 pm and on few days they gaze at the sky with the dark roof in between and you sleep by 1.30 am of the next day!
Yes, it can get this crazy.
If this has scared you enough, take a look at the exciting content development process here.
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