A Day in the Life of an Editor
What It REALLY Looks Like to Work for Yourself Full Time as an Editor
I love my job. I work for myself and I wouldn’t trade it for anything in the world. It’s not always easy, but it’s 100% worthwhile. However, that wasn’t always the case. It’s taken me years of jobs I didn’t love, lots of morning tears, and learning a lot about myself. Whether you work for yourself, the government, or a huge corporation, do what you can with what you’re given to create the type of day or schedule that works for you.
That being said, one of the things that I love most about my work is that I have a lot of autonomy. I work for myself and I have a good idea of how much I need to work each week/month to meet my income goals. I know not everyone has this luxury. If you can’t control your work hours, be diligent about creating a schedule you love in your non-work hours.
I am sharing this not because I think you should set up your schedule just like mine, or to brag about my day. I’m sharing this simply because I LOVE reading posts like this myself and always find these to give me new ideas and inspiration, and I hope I can do just that for you too.
Wake Up: 6:55 AM
For most of my life, I hated mornings, but in the past few years, I’ve really come to cherish them. Because my work volume is usually heaviest in the mornings, and I’m most focused then, I jump straight into work when I wake up and save my “morning routine” tasks for other parts of the day.
Coffee: 7:00 AM
Without a doubt, this is one of my favorite moments of the entire day. I drink my coffee black and right now I’m drinking some really yummy whole bean coffee from Norstrom (yes, the clothing store). They actually have amazing coffee, my sister used to work there so she often gets it for me for my birthday and holidays. Right now I’m using a simple drip coffee maker but I often switch between a french press and a drip coffee maker. While I’m waiting for my coffee I’ll often do the morning section of the 5 Minute Journal or read for a few minutes.
Editing 7:05–9:15 AM
Like I said earlier, I jump right into my work in the morning. I find that otherwise I get distracted and end up procrastinating so heading right into work works well for me.
I edit documents and materials for second language English speakers. Most of my clients are Chinese, but I also have others throughout Europe, Central and South America, Africa, and other parts of Asia.
Depending on the client, I might be making simple changes like spelling, punctuation, or larger structural alterations.
I truly love my work! Being able to communicate in writing is an unbelievably valuable skill to have and I love that helping my clients improve their writing can increase their confidence and allow them to work towards really big career goals and ambitions.
Get Dressed: 9:15–9:25 AM
I like to give myself the luxury of working in my pajamas for the first couple of hours of the day. However, getting dressed at some point in the morning is always a non-negotiable for me.
I start with washing my face with Origins Zero Oil cleanser and do a basic skincare routine of: Bliss serum, Sephora brand eye cream, and Origins moisturizer with SPF.
Since I live in Florida, I usually dress fairly casually, either a simple dress or shorts or jeans and a simple top.
Walk: 9:30–10 AM
Walking is a really important part of my day. I’ve worked remotely for almost a decade and walking throughout the day is something that I’ve always done.
After sitting at the computer it always feels great to be outside and start moving.
Write on Medium: 10:00–11:00 AM
If it’s a day where I’m writing on Medium, I try to do this before lunch. In the afternoon my writing just isn’t nearly as good and it takes much longer for me to get my point across.
I keep a list of headline ideas in a Trello board. Sinem Günel does something similar and I borrowed this idea from her. In the past, coming up with the idea was the most difficult part for me. Now, I make sure that I always have at last 15–20 ideas on my Trello board so I never lack inspiration.
Short Headspace Meditation 11:00–11:05 AM
By 11 AM, I’m usually ready for another quick break. I’ve been using the Headspace app on both my computer and phone and really like it. On the desktop version, there is an “Everyday” meditation that changes daily. It’s typically 3–6 minutes and it’s a great boost.
Editing: 11:05–1:00 AM/PM
At this point, it’s time to get back to editing. While I’m editing I like to listen to Pandora. I have a station that is mostly soundtracks from Harry Potter, LOTR, and classical music. When I am trying to focus I prefer music without lyrics so soundtracks work perfectly!
I also make sure to have coffee and lemon water with me at all times to sip while I’m working.
Lunch: 1:00–2:00 PM
I like to keep things simple so I eat the same few meals each week. I have a romaine salad 3–4 days a week, salmon with brown rice 2 days a week, and on the remaining days, I usually eat leftovers. This way I never have to spend mental energy thinking about what to cook or prepare.
While I’m eating, I typically watch a TV show. Right now I’ve been enjoying Australian Survivor. I also make sure to take my vitamins as well.
Editing Course/Make a Decaf Coffee: 2:00–2:30 PM
Although I’ve been editing for almost 5 years, I don’t have formal training in Editing. For 2020, one of my biggest goals was to choose an editing course and get started. I think it’s always important to learn new skills, regardless of your career path.
I’ve been working through 2 lessons in the course each day. I want to make progress but I don’t want to do too much and then not remember what I’m learning. It’s self-paced which is nice because I can go at my own speed.
Consulting Work: 2:30–3:00 PM
Each year, I like to take on a few projects outside of my editing work, whether it’s a freelance writing client, or consulting. I love the variety of it and it’s great to have an additional income stream as well.
When you work for yourself, it’s common to have spikes and dips in income. For me, June-August are my slowest months of the year. Fortunately, since I know this, I can take on more work and earn more the other months of the year to make up for this.
Walk With Audiobook: 3:00–3:30 PM
In the afternoon I try to do some sort of “personal growth.” This could be listening to a podcast, reading, watching a YouTube video, going through a course, etc. On this particular day, I listened to an audiobook which allowed me to get some fresh air, exercise, and also learn something new.
Editing: 3:30–4:30 PM
I try to limit my afternoon editing since I’m never as focused as I am in the morning or in the evening. If I’m feeling extra sluggish, I’ll often take a break for a couple of hours in the afternoon and will do some editing work after dinner from 6–8 or 7–9. I seem to get an extra boost of energy during those times.
Email + Planning: 4:30–5:00 PM
One thing that you may have noticed is that I don’t spend much time on email. Fortunately, I rarely get emails that are urgent so checking email once a day is entirely sufficient for my work. In previous jobs, I spent hours on email each day so this is a refreshing change.
I also like to use the end of the workday for any planning or organization tasks that might need to get done.
Learn Chinese Vocab: 5:00–5:30 PM
Unfortunately, this doesn’t happen every single day, but I try to learn some new vocab at least a couple of days each week. I tend to go through seasons where I do really well with language learning and others where I hit a slump. Right now I’m in a slump, so I’m doing my best to just keep going and get back on track. In case you’re curious, I’ve been using a HSK 2 PDF workbook and Menrise for learning new vocab.
Make Dinner/Eat/Spend Time with Husband: 5:30–7:00 PM
I always prepare a menu for the week so that we know exactly what to make each night. My husband and I usually share the responsibilities of cooking and doing dishes, this is something that we always do together.
Lately, we’ve been watching the show, “Foyles War” while we eat dinner. The episodes are really long so we just watch half an episode each day. If you haven’t seen it, I highly recommend it.
Walk: 7:00–8:00 PM
I don’t walk every evening after dinner, it just depends if I’ve hit my step count for the day or not.
Watch YouTube videos/Browse the Internet: 8:00–9:00 PM
YouTube is definitely my guilty pleasure. However, rather than indulging throughout the day, I try to set aside a specific time for it in the evenings. I also like knowing that I have something to look forward to.
Get Ready For Bed: 9:00–9:10 PM
When 9 hits, I try to start preparing myself for bed. I’ll wash my face, brush my teeth, and get a glass of water. Sometimes I’ll also light a candle too.
Read a Novel: 9:10–9:40 PM
This is another favorite time for me. I love paperback books and reading right before bed is one of the most relaxing things I could possibly do. If you have trouble sleeping, I’d recommend reading for a few minutes. I prefer novels in the evening because I don’t have to think as much.
Journal: 9:40–10:00 PM
My husband usually comes upstairs around 9:45 to brush his teeth and get ready for bed. While he’s doing this I usually take a few minutes to journal. I like writing about the highlights of my day and anything that I learned or don’t want to forget. It’s easy to remember the bad things, and I find that journaling is the best way that I know to chronicle the good things! Some days I’ll also do the evening portion of the 5 Minute Journal as well.
Time for Bed: 10:00 PM
I try to go to bed around 10 every single day. It doesn’t always happen, but that’s the goal. I love getting lots of sleep, and even if it means saying no to other things, I’m ok with that.
A Few Additional Notes:
1. No 2 Days Are Exactly Alike
In case you’re wondering, no my days are not always just like this. On some days I have more editing work, sometimes less. Sometimes I have more freelance or consulting work, or volunteer work, or teaching work. I might try making these posts more often, so you can see what other days look like as well.
2. I Have Very Few Meetings
You may have noticed that I had 0 meetings on this day. In fact, this is very common for me. I rarely have meetings and this gives me so much extra time that most people don’t have. If you’re able to, see if there are any meetings that you could either eliminate or shorten. Or, could a quick email or a 5-minute phone call be an alternative? I know that meetings can’t always be eliminated, but I think it’s worth considering.
3. Monitor Your Energy Levels
I try to complete my most important work in the morning because that’s when I have the most focus and energy. I’d suggest monitoring your own energy levels and see if you can make any changes to your schedule to make the most of your time.
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