A Day In The Life Of a 6-Figure, Full-Time Writer

Who’s also a mom.

Have you ever wanted to know what the life of a 6-figure full-time writer looks like?

How about the life of a married-with-kids, 6-figure full-time writer?

Do I take cold showers and meditate? How do I set my priorities for the day? How much writing do I manage to do every day? How do I make money, exactly?

Here it goes.

My secret morning routine for building success.

One of the kids wakes me up around 7 am. I’ve tried to get up before them — not my thing.

I put out clothes for the kiddos, which sometimes proves a difficult task. If I’m behind on laundry, I have to look for socks and T-shirts in the dryer.

I don’t know if you remember these math problems, “Anna has 37 pairs of socks. How many times at most should Anna take a sock out of her sock drawer until she finds a pair?”

Well, let me tell you, I solve this math problem almost every morning in the laundry room, and the answer is 1000 times. I usually find a new sock (!) before I find a matching pair.

Anyway. When they’re all set, I make them a quick breakfast and get ready while they eat.

Then, my boys brush their teeth and usually beg me to allow them to play for a few minutes before preschool. Most days, I’ll allow it, and I use this time to pack my laptop & notes (if I’ll work away from home) or clean up (if I’ll work from home).

Around 8.30-ish, we’re finally out the door. We live in a suburban area, and there’s a 15-minute drive to their preschool.

No cold showers, no meditation. That’s my morning routine.

Conclusion: Don’t waste your time on silly rituals.

Let’s get to work.

I sit down to work between 9 and 9.30.

I do have a bit of a ritual here: coffee plus a to-do list for the day. I try not to put more than 4 to-dos on my list, or I feel overwhelmed.

Here’s how I write a to-do list:

1. I write my urgent tasks first. These are tasks that absolutely must be done that day, like client work or sending out this newsletter.
2. I write my important tasks second. Things that move me forward, like writing & editing Medium stories, researching & signing up for new platforms, working on my novel, posting on LinkedIn, etc.

On days when I have client work and have to send a newsletter, I usually only write/edit 2 Medium stories.

On days I don’t have client work (or it’s just a little project), and I don’t have a newsletter, I’ll do more of the other types of tasks.

At least once a week, I’ll put “Big picture thinking” on my list.

This is important. When you’re bogged down with tasks, it’s easy to forget what you’re aiming at; what’s the point of each of these tasks? You need to know how things work together.

If you want to be a successful solopreneur, there’s no time for vanity projects. Everything needs to have a purpose.

Then, it’s time to do the work.

Here’s how I actually prioritize those tasks:

While I start my to-do list with what’s urgent, I never start my days with what’s urgent unless it’s really super urgent.

I always start my days with what’s most important.

The reason I do it is because I’m most creative and energetic in the morning. I want to use this creative energy towards my own work: my Medium stories, for example.

In the morning, everything I do flows. It happens faster and easier, which means I get it done and I do it well.

I usually start with my urgent tasks a bit before lunch or in the afternoon.

The thing is, an urgent task will get done either way. If a client is waiting for their copy, I won’t disappoint them. I must do it, and I will.

This is not the case with the work I do to grow my brand. If I don’t start with my Medium stories first thing in the morning, and I’m feeling tired and out of ideas in the afternoon, it simply won’t get done.

That’s why you always start your days with what’s important.

Never allow urgent tasks to steal your energy.

Conclusion: how you prioritize matters.

What I manage to do in the morning.

In the morning (which means about 3 hours, between 9–9.30 and 12–12.30), I work on Medium stories, Substack, writing my book or creating digital products. That’s what I consider super important.

During this time, I usually manage to:

• Write one or two Medium stories — first drafts.
• Edit & publish/submit one story.
• Write a first draft for my next newsletter.
• Edit a chapter of my novel (I’m working on the second draft).

Right before lunch, I take a moment to respond to Fiverr messages or e-mails from clients.

Then it’s time for lunch.

Conclusion: Break down the process. The reason I’m able to write as much is that I break writing down to messy first drafts & editing.

I have a little confession to make.

Over the last 10 days or so, I’ve been taking long afternoon naps whenever I can.

Around 1 pm, right after lunch, I’d go to bed and sleep till around 2–3 pm. I usually do it when I have small projects from clients that I know I can finish within an hour or so in the afternoon.

Honestly, getting some sleep has been absolutely life-changing for an under-slept mama of two. I started having more ideas, my positive outlook on life came back, and I just felt like myself again, you know?

Conclusion: prioritize rest. It’s more important than you think. If you think you might be under-slept, too, I recommend you look into getting some extra sleep whenever you can.

Clients’ projects.

Anyhow. If I don’t take a nap, I’d make myself an after-lunch coffee and work on clients’ projects.

Because I’ve been on Fiverr for ages and I get a good amount of leads, I’m at the point where I can choose to work on projects I like (mostly; sometimes I just want the money).

This includes projects within the personal development, health & fitness, real estate, and finance industries.

When you work on projects you like within industries you understand, your job goes much faster and easier.

After this gets done, I might edit my newsletter one last time and send it out, and then I spend another 15 minutes answering messages if there are any.

Note: did you notice I have two time blocks for answering messages? For a writer, it’s super distracting to answer messages while writing. It’s a big no for me.

I’m usually done with my work for the day by 4–4.30 pm.

Conclusion: Work on projects you like and understand (as much as possible). This will make your days much easier and better.

Back to mama/housewife work.

My husband goes to pick up the kids from school. If we have plans to do something together, I go with him. If not, I stay home and do a bit more work, like researching new platforms, posting on LinkedIn, and doing some reading till about 5 p.m.

Then it’s time to cook dinner (usually something fast like barbecue + salad or a soup that I make in the pressure cooker).

Evenings are for relaxation and family time.

Conclusion: Don’t let the hustle eat you alive. Make time for your family.

Following this schedule, I’m able to earn…

Right now, about $5K per month.

I was at about $10K at the beginning of the year, but I’m shifting priorities to less client work and more content creation. It makes sense that I’m taking a bit of a financial hit.

I’m not worried, though. I know I can help a lot of people with my content, so it’s worth it to start from scratch.

Final Words.

My long-term goal is to spend less time working only on what matters to me.

Isn’t that everyone’s goal?

Let’s achieve it together.

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