Have a question you’d like answered? Let me know.

I’m asked this question often, or some variation of it.

I think it’s because people want to probe what it is I’m actually doing with my time because “consulting” can mean different things. Plus, there’s the assumption that I have more time on my hands compared to someone who doesn’t work for themselves.

The short answer is: It depends.

The longer answer is: It depends on what’s occurring at that point in time during a project, which projects are operating simultaneously, what’s going on with my clients, and what’s happening with my own non-client projects.

On any given day, I may have 2-3 client calls, a webinar meeting to either attend or host for a client, prepping for an in-person presentation or workshop, invoicing, planning out my blog content and newsletter editorial calendar, scheduling social media posts, participating in online forums to seek or give advice, writing a project proposal or end-of-program report, 1:1 coaching with client staff, doing an informational interview for someone interested in what I do, or scheduling a meeting with a prospective client.

Some days I get up and prepare for the day in the way I used to when I worked in an office setting, and some days I literally roll over, grab my laptop, and get started. Some days I work from home, or I’ll head over to the nearest cafe or coworking space.

Some days I’m more productive in the morning, where other days I feel more productive in the evenings. You may see people in online blog posts give a by-the-hour breakdown on what they do, but unless I have to do something at a particular time, I allow my day to flow the way it needs to.

While my time is my own because I have fewer distractions like unnecessary meetings, clients showing up at the office unexpectantly, or my phone ringing off the hook, I feel busier working for myself now than I did when I worked for someone else. I’ve gotten better at tracking my billable time, and have noticed that I work more hours now than I did when I had an employer. Only this time, it’s doesn’t feel like a bummer. In order to have better work/life balance, I am working on having a more effective shutdown so that I’m not sitting at my computer for hours on end.

No two days are the same when working for yourself.

Raise Your Voice: What does your typical day look like? Does it vary daily? Share below in the comments section.