How to Create a Flexible Freelancing Schedule
Freelancing is the number one fastest growing industry in America right now. So many people are fed up with their 9-5 and are looking for a more flexible schedule that allows them to work from home and be more present in their kids’ lives. Freelancing allows you to have that flexibility and freedom that you desire, but you might be wondering how can I actually find the time to create a freelancing schedule that works for me and my family and my full time job?
As a freelancer you are an independent contractor meaning you get to create your own schedule and set your own rates…a dream come true for most! The dream can absolutely become your reality, but I always recommend that you do this slowly rather than diving in head first.
In my signature course, The Prep 2.0, where I teach hundreds of women how to launch and scale their own virtual assistant business, I always recommend that you maintain your 9-5 (if you currently have one) for as long as you need to build up a little nest egg of $$$. But with that recommendation comes the question “How do I juggle freelancing while I still have my full time job?”
Today, I am sharing three virtual assistant schedules. The first schedule is juggling a full time job plus freelancing. The second schedule is managing freelancing plus being a work from home mom. And the third schedule is when you have help with your kids whether that be a nanny, daycare, or school.
Your Schedule When You Still Have a 9-5
When I first started my freelancing journey, I had a full time teaching position plus a two year old at home…oh and did I mention, I was 7 months pregnant with my second.
I knew that I wanted to be home with my boys and I was ready and willing to do what it took to replace my teaching salary as quickly as possible, especially considering I had two months left before maternity leave.
I knew 9 hours of my day would include driving to and from school, plus working a full school day. So where in the world was I going to fit in freelancing?
This took some creativity and shifting what my current lifestyle looked like. It also meant waking up a little bit earlier and going to bed a little bit later.
This is what a freelancing schedule might look like if you are juggling your 9-5:
When I was putting together my schedule, I knew there were a few things I wasn’t willing to budge on. I was NOT willing to sacrifice my family time and I knew I needed to get 6 hours of sleep each night. As you start to think through a schedule for yourself, always start with the non negotiables. If you need to sleep more like 7 hours a night, tweak your schedule to allow for this to happen.
One thing you have to remember is that this freelancing/9-5 juggling act is ONLY temporary. Once you have a little bit of money saved and a few freelancing clients under your belt, you will be able to ditch your 9-5 and make this your new reality which in turn means a whole new schedule.
Your Schedule With Kids at Home
If you are a mom desiring to juggle a freelancing career and keeping your kids at home, you might be wondering what in the world a schedule for that might look like. At first, this is something I wanted. I wanted to have both boys home as well as work in pockets of time on my business.
So I restructured my schedule to look something like this:
As you can see in this example, I was still waking up early and going to bed a little later but I was also working 2 more hours a day than I was with my 9-5. For you, you might only need 5 hours a day which means you only need to work the naptime hustle and in the early morning or late evenings, not both.
The reality is, you are in the driver’s seat of what your schedule looks like. You could also choose to work only 3 days a week like this and then one day on the weekend if that fits your lifestyle better.
Your Schedule Without Kids at Home
If you are a mama reading this, you probably started freelancing to have more flexibility and freedom to be home with your kids. I know I did! But I also realized that I need dedicated work time so my husband and I decided to enroll our kiddos in daycare.
This schedule below does not match what my current schedule looks like as I have one of my little guys in part time care and another one full time. My schedule is a little all over the place so I am sharing a more structured schedule of what it could look like with little ones in daycare or school.
In this schedule, you will notice that you get 7 hours a day, 35 hours a week of uninterrupted work time. You could also tag on an hour at night and/or in the morning if you really wanted.
For some, you may have a schedule that looks like this M-W and then Thursday and Friday your kids are home with you so your schedule looks like the second one shared in this post.
Overall, the options are endless as a freelancer. My schedule has changed with each season of life and yours will likely do the same. You can work in this type of career to any schedule considering YOU are the one creating it.
If you want to learn more about launching a freelancing business to have the flexibility and freedom to create your own schedule, check out my free training on how to become a virtual assistant today!
