What is your daily routine? - Virtual Assistant Forums

Dawn At Your Service · #1 (**permalink**) 10-27-2008

Hi all,
I have read through this organization thread many times. Most of us struggle with time management and have discussed how we arrange our schedules through the week, the organizational resources we use, share tips, and recommended books (which I still need to read the 4 hour work week. I hear how great that book is often).

I was hoping maybe if we got a little more specific we could benefit from each others' experiences and ideas. Jennya87 mentioned splitting her day up in 15 mins increments. I try splitting my days up like a teacher would create a daily lesson for class. Obviously no two days are the same, but I'm trying to create structure. Here's how my daily routine has been scheduled the past couple of weeks prior to fulfilling 2 big contracts:

Mon-Fri-wake up at 7 am and have my coffee

7:20-9am-Read and respond to e-mails and forum participation til 9am
9am-get my daughter up, changed and we have breakfast.
9:30-12:30-work on client 1 project
12:30 have lunch and put baby down for nap
Throw in a load of laundry
1:15pm-3:00ish Work on Client 2 project
3:00ish baby gets up, change her and play for a little bit
3:30-5pm-Work on client 3 project (which are directory submissions so I submit my websites as well since this is not an hourly rate project).
5:00-Computer goes OFF!
Switch clothes, do homework with my oldest and cook and eat dinner.

Mon evenings I get cleaning and errands done because Tues-Thurs my oldest daughter has cheerleading from 6:30pm-9pm. During that time my youngest daughter and I have begun going to the gym unless I have a scheduled appointment for something.

Friday afternoons I put aside 1-2 hours (in place of client 3 project) for personal business (bills, banking, ect...).

I work a part time job on the weekends so I do not work my VA business. I TRY to have Sundays off.

I use a daily planner, sometimes google calendar, but mostly write everything down on a to-do list.

Wow, I'm exhausted from just thinking about all of this! LOL

Now I have some down time so my main focus is marketing. But I hope to soon be back on a regular daily routine. Once I get back on a regular workday, I want to feel more in control and organized, yet for some reason I don't. Perhaps it's because I can never catch up on the house work, I'm slacking on my blog and extended learning.

Who's willing to share their day/week?

Thanks in advance.
Dawn

Virtually Assisting You · #2 (**permalink**) 10-27-2008

I'll go next

Monday - Friday

6:00am-alarm goes off, but usually hit snooze until 6:30am

. I get myself ready and get some go-go juice.
7:00am- wake the boys and get them breakfast and ready for school.
7:50am- take the boys to school
8:15am - back home to check emails and visit the VAF, Twitter & Blogs
9:00am - laundry, clean-up breakfast dishes and back to the puter to start on client work

11:00am- grab a quick snack - laundry again(yep, we have alot of it)
11:30a-3:00p - client projects and emails
3:15pm- boys are home from school & computer usually off until bout 8:30pm(which is the boy's bedtime) unless I have a deadline.

My boys are older and dont require alot of my attention anymore. so they don't mind when I have to work
8:30pm-Midnight or later lol - client projects or VAF.

On Wed.from 8:00a -11:00a - I volunteer at school in my sons Kindergarten class, helping out with The Reading First Program

Saturdays are family days. We usually are gone to a ATV Race, but when were not we hang out at home together

In the evenings, when weather permits we are always outside. I'm usually workin on the lawn, playing with the boys or helping out on the farm(which I love to do).

That's my routine -

Dawn At Your Service · #3 (**permalink**) 10-27-2008

Thank you for sharing Kena

I don't know how you function on such little sleep!

What's in that go-go juice? By 9pm I'm a zombie! I clean up, fold clothes and shower. By 10-10:30pm I'm cozy in bed and usually fast asleep within an hour.

Virtually Assisting You · #4 (**permalink**) 10-27-2008

ha ha. Now, I never said I function properly lol.

Oh, and my go-go juice is just a Mtn. Dew - which I have cut back to only 1 a day, trying to quit completely.

My next goal is to start back walking 2-3 miles everyday -somewhere in the mix of all that lol.

vainparadise · #5 (**permalink**) 10-27-2008

I loved reading about everyone's day in this other thread that we had going last year. I actually just copied my schedule from there and added to it!

This is how my day goes for the most part on Tues/Wed/Fri

-Snooze the alarm at 4:30 and get up by 5:00 a.m.
-Start coffee and check emails until 6:00 and then I wake my son up to get in shower. While he is getting ready I work out, go for a bike ride, or work.
- I wake the girls up at 7:00 feed them breakfast then hop in shower. Get them together and on bus at 7:45.
-Do morning house chores, clean kitchen, wipe bathrooms, vacuum floors and start work by 9:00.

9:00 - 12:00 Client work or Marketing.
12:00 - 3:30 pick up business mail, run errands, grocery shop, me/work time depending on what needs to be done.
[B]3:45/B] pick up girls from bus go over their days and get their homework started and snack by 4pm Mondays only Lexi gets off bus and Sami has cheer/dance after school.
4:00 load girls back in car and go to get my son from work (this is M-F)but, on Mondays we have to pick Sami up at school at 4:15 before picking Casey up from work.
5ish-8:00 family time. Dinner, reading, walk or bike ride, park, showers and girls in bed by 8:00 to read for 30 mins. On Thurs. Lexi has cheer/dance so we leave here @ 6:00 to make it to her 6:30 class. We end up getting home a little bit after 8:00.
8:00 - 9:00 Time with son.
9:00 - about 11:00 back on the computer doing research, work, or client work. Thurs evening Greys is on and that is the only show I watch.
In bed by midnight most nights.

leedrozak · #6 (**permalink**) 10-27-2008

Wow I am just as exhausted reading your schedules as I am living mine. So here goes...

5:30 am - wake myself and hubby up and off to work for him, more coffee for me
6:00 - 6:30 am - check online banking, read news sites and check personal email
6:30 - 7:00 am - keep trying to wake my son and check business email accounts
7:00 - 7:30 am - have last cup of coffee and talk with my son until bus comes
7:30 - 9:30 am - use time for errands, forums or other things that need done.
9:30 - 11:30 am - work on client projects
11:30 am- 1:00 pm - stop for lunch and do some cleaning
1:00 - 3:00 pm - continue with client projects
3:00 - 4:00 pm - walk dog, talk with my son, prod to get homework done and have a snack
4:00 - 5:00 pm - start dinner and check all emails
5:00 - 7:00 pm - send time with family (I try to call my daughter at college just to check in)
7:00 - 10:00 pm - work on any items I have left for the day or fill in time with forums, blogs and marketing
10:00 pm to 12 or 1 am - spend me time, read a good book, go through junk mail, pay bills, read news again and then to bed

My only difference is on Friday my work is done and computer off by 3 pm, Saturdays are spend on my new "old" house and Sundays are strictly family time

Administrative Partners · #7 (**permalink**) 10-27-2008

Wow.. when do you ladies sleep

6:15a - Get up and get ready for my commute :-(
7:00a - Catch the metro/train to work (check blackberry on the way)
8:00a - Arrive at work (a freakin hour commute)
8:00a-10:15 - do what they actually pay me to do
10:15a - 1:30 - work on client work
1:30p - 2:00p - Grab lunch or more work they pay me for
2:00p - 4:00p - return phone calls, prospecting
4:00p - 5:00p - finish up outstanding client work
5:00P-6:15p - Commute home
6:15-6:30p - feed dog, change clothes
6:30p - 7:00p - Check on outstanding tasks
7:00p - leave back out for the gym (or exercise at home - depending on my mood)
7:15p - 8:15p - Spinning or weights
8:15p-8:30p - Travel home from gym
8:30p - 9:00p - Catch up with hubby/something in my belly
9:00p - 11:00 - work on client work or marketing for the business
11:00p - self imposed bedtime

** if no client work.. I chat with co-workers or surf the net :-)

McCaul Assistance · #8 (**permalink**) 10-27-2008

Wow...took me awhile to get through all these posts (I also clicked on the prior thread Tess mentioned)...especially since my girls are still up watching the Phillies.

This is so interesting to read and it's really cool to see how some va's spend their days. I have a two year old at home so when I launch my business I will really need to stick to a schedule!

Thanks for sharing!

Lori

Dawn At Your Service · #9 (**permalink**) 10-28-2008

Thank you everyone for sharing.

I used the wrong keywords to search for a previous post like this so I apologize for re-posting the thread. I went back and read all of the previous posts which made me feel a lot better because I was feeling lazy for needing 8 hours of sleep!

I can sacrifice sleeping only 7 hours, but any less and my brain doesn't function. I don't know how you ladies do it or what kind of vitamins you take, but I couldn't live on 5-6 hours a night.

It is very helpful to see how others accomplish all that we compact into a day. Many of us share the same responsibilities and it can be extremely overwhelming at times. I went to an Oprah show for overwhelmed moms hoping to get some great tips on how to manage all of the responsibilities. Instead I gained devastating images of a beautiful 2 years old girl who passed away because her mom had so much on her mind she forgot the baby in the back seat of her SUV on an extremely hot day in August.

Thank you for taking the time to participate and keep the ideas coming.

Tess, have you been able to develop a daily routine yet?

KC Virtual Solutions · #10 (**permalink**) 10-29-2008

well my daily routine varys quite a bit, depending on the day, but my typical day as a VA goes like this;

6am get rudely awakened by my 3 year old son who has been in our bed for most of the night
6:30 a nice strong coffee to start off the day
7am breakfast for the boys
7:30am get myself dressed, then get the boys dressed.
8am leave to take the boys to nursery
9am arrive home and check emails
9am - noon network and do any work for the day
noon stop for lunch and watch a bit of tv
1pm back to work, network, marketing, advertising
3:30pm leave to pick up boys from nursery
4:30 back home in time for tea
5:30 bath time
6pm bottle
7pm bed time
8pm back to work and checking emails and catching up on forums
10pm bed.

MoragB · #11 (**permalink**) 10-29-2008

What a great thread - glad to know my fellow VAs are insomniacs like me

My day goes like this:

6.00am - Wake up & get the children ready for school
6.30am - Shower & lots of coffee!
7.00am - 3pm - Client work
3pm - 7pm - Supervise homework, activities etc.
8pm - 1am - Client work

Our weekends are structured slightly differently here, in that the children have Friday and Sunday off school, so Saturday is a regular working day!

Tess · #12 (**permalink**) 04-13-2010

I wanted to bump this thread back up as it's a good one and so interesting to read how each of us manages the day...
Looking forward to reading more posts here.

Essential Office Solutions · #13 (**permalink**) 04-13-2010

Wow, you all make me feel lazy! My children are grown and on their own so I guess I should be doing more than I am!!!

My schedule is really dependent on the doctor appts (for kids and grandchild), husbands job search and who ever needs me today. That is why I really enjoy my VA business - of course when I was in the corporate world I could not attend the appts, school programs, help with whatever my family needed during the day.

But my basic schedule is:

7:00 - Wake up have coffee
7:30 - Read local and national newspapers, more coffee
8:00 - 10:00 Log in read emails, facebook posts, VAF, Hootsuite to catch up with my night owl connections.
10:00 - 1:00 Client work, prospecting
1:00 - 5:00 Marketing, prospect follow-up
5:00 - 6:30 Social Media catch up, research for clients

After 6:30, dinner and what needs to be done (housework, shopping, etc)
Bed by 11:00

Not so exciting but today I get to pick up my grandson from school and spend the afternoon with him! That is the best.

Office Goddess · #14 (**permalink**) 04-13-2010

Monday - Friday
6:30am - 7:00am Up and into shower, brush teeth, get dressed
7:00am - 8:30am Make toast/hot tea, boot up computer, check emails, start on Goddess work (client work, marketing, etc.)
8:30am - 8:45am Shut down 'puter, fix b-fast for F-I-L, head to 9-5
8:45am - 10:30am At 9-5, start work.
10:30am - 10:45am Morning break - check emails, check VAF, return client phone calls
10:45am - 12:15am Back on 9-5 work
12:15pm - 12:45am Lunch break - check emails, check VAF, return client phone calls
12:45pm - 3:00pm Back on 9-5 work
3:00pm - 5:15pm Afternoon break - check emails, check VAF, return client phone calls
5:15pm - 5:30pm Head home
5:30pm - 6:45pm Fix dinner for family
6:45pm - 7:00pm Wash dishes, brush teeth, etc.
7:00pm - 9:00pm Boot up computer, check emails, start on Goddess work
9:00pm - 9:30pm Shut down 'puter, cuddle time on couch w/hubby
9:30pm Bed

Saturday
7:30am - 8:00am Up and into shower, brush teeth, get dressed
8:00am - 12:00am Make toast/hot tea, boot up computer, check emails, start on Goddess work (client work, marketing, whatever needs to be done.)
12:00pm Shut down 'puter, personal time rest of day and Sunday

There is a lot of flexibility not only in this schedule, but also in my 9-5. I often have breaks in my day waiting on someone else so check emails, jump onto VAF, or whatever here and there during the day, as well. Subject to change without notice

lsmapp · #15 (**permalink**) 04-13-2010

What a fun thread!

My schedule is definitely child-centered with three boys to manage in addition to the client work.

7 am - wake up/and get kids breakfast
8am - kids 1 (and sometimes 2) off on bus
8-9 - email/twitter/1 to do item
9-10 - play with 2yo and 5yo if he's home
10-12-a little work and usually some time cleaning or playing with kids
12-2 - baby's nap and dedicated work time
2-7 - a little work but mostly kid time and dinner prep etc
7-8 - kids into bath and bed
8-11 - work time if needed
11 - bedtime