My guest today is Sarina Langer, who as well as having a part-time day job is both an author as well as an editor.

I love reading about other people’s routines, don’t you? I admire anyone who can fit their passion around a full-time job, raising three kids, and keeping their marriage happy.
(Pass on the secret to this sorcery, would you?)

My own routine used to be straightforward. I got up in the morning, wrote/edited for a few hours, then went to the day job and called it a day once I got home at 8pm. Over the last year, however, my routine has got a little bit more complicated.

I’m an indie author, editor, and freelance self-pub writer, so my routine needs to be flexible and still fit around my part-time day job (and partner and cat). Most days begin in the same– probably quite boring– way. I work out for fifteen minutes (let’s be honest, that doesn’t happen on most days), make a tea, move my cat off my chair, and go over my weekly goals. That last step keeps my sanity alive. With my three businesses, I have a lot going on and reminding myself every day what I’ve done already and what I still need to do keeps me on track. The tea helps with this, too.

I have to admit, I’m terrible at sticking to my to-do lists. I tend to be over-ambitious and give myself too much to do, but I’m getting better. After all, you’re not helping yourself if all you have by the end of Friday is a bunch of unticked boxes! No one needs that kind of negativity.

My online community on Twitter and Instagram knows I set myself tight goals– and hit them every week. I wasn’t called the ‘goal-setting queen’ on Instagram for nothing and I intend to live up to it!
Every now and again, I get asked how I find the time to do so much, and it’s simple, friends: I don’t. I make the time. And most of my author buddies work the same way– if you want to get somewhere with your passion, you have to protect the time you spend doing it religiously.

Any routine takes time to get used to. My own routine is fairly new because my hours at the day job just changed, so my routine had to adjust. I’ll have more time over the summer which means less pay, but we all do what we must, right?

Sticking to a routine is much harder when you’re self-employed. Your deadlines are self- imposed. You don’t need to get up at 7am; my day job doesn’t start until 12.30pm, but I still get up at 7.30 every morning. A bit of determination and dedication goes a long way!

Even though my routine needs to accommodate so much, it all fits. Mondays and Fridays belong to my own books. Tuesdays and Thursdays belong to my freelance writing business. Wednesdays belong to my editing clients. Afternoons belong to whichever deadline is due first. If, say, a Wednesday is quiet because I’m between editing contracts, I give priority to my own books. That priority can change if I have a deadline coming up. And throughout all that, my cat and Earl Grey keep me sane.

What’s your writing routine? Do you have to fit your passion around a full-time job and raising a family, or are you one of the lucky few who can dedicate all their time to it? I’ll be around to chat, so make a tea and say hi!

Sarina Langer’s writing space