My Writing, Working & Workout Routine as a Novelist with a Full-Time PR Career
(and yes, that headline made me tired, too)
When people learn that I’m in the process of promoting my debut novel publishing this June, actively writing the second book in the two-book deal I secured with Bantam/Penguin Random House due this July, and also maintaining a full-time PR career PLUS a dedicated fitness practice, the most common question I’m asked is: “how do you get it all done?”
Well, the truth is, I don’t. I mean yes, I do all of the things mentioned above, but I feel like I’m able to accomplish little else as a result. For instance, I’ve repeatedly fallen short of my goal to publish this newsletter on the first Tuesday of every month. The apartment I share with my husband is cluttered due to all of the home organization projects I can’t seem to find the time or brainspace to handle. And I’m constantly feeling like a bad friend for turning down invitations that conflict with my precious weekend writing time.
While my process may be imperfect, and I’m always looking for opportunities to find more balance, I’ve still managed to cobble together a fairly consistent writing, working and workout routine. I’ve also amassed a few time-saving/time-maximizing strategies that have helped my endless to-do lists feel slightly more manageable. And so, in case you’re also trying to carve out more time in your life for the goals that matter most to you, I thought I’d share what I’ve come up with so far.
Time Blocking: Timm Chiusano’s TikToks about this practice have always made me feel seen. Because while approaching one’s week in the painstakingly color-coded manner above may appear rigid and confining to others, I find comfort in the structure. It takes the guesswork out of figuring out how to make time for the commitments I need to prioritize most at this moment in my life. And it helps ensure that I’m building in time to recharge my batteries in this period of intense productivity. While I’m not able to stick to this schedule perfectly every week, I use it as my guiding light when planning out my days, and do my very best to protect it.
Allowing Everything Else to Happen in the “Ish”: I’d love to get to a place where I have dedicated time in my calendar blocked off for things like reading, newsletter writing and social media content creation. But I’ve had to make peace with the fact that I’m not willing to step back from the goals and commitments currently reflected in my schedule to make that happen. You may have noticed that each of the times listed on my schedule are followed by the word “ish,” as in, “5:30 a.m. ish.” The “ish” is very important; it allows for a modicum of flexibility in my carefully crafted schedule, and embraces the fact that life often doesn’t allow for the level of rigidity I’d prefer. The “ish” also gives me permission to occasionally stray from my usual routine. For example, I’m writing this newsletter on a Sunday morning; I turned in the first ~100 pages of my next novel to my editor earlier today (😬), and decided to give myself a day-long break before diving into the next ~100.
4:30 a.m. Weekday Wake-Ups: Yes, it is sort of gross to wake up this early most days of the week. And yet I’ve grown to love and cherish those still-dark hours of the morning, long before anyone expects me to be awake or responsive. I get some of my best writing done during those liminal hours, when I’m the most purely myself, before I’ve begun adjusting and reacting to the world around me. I try to lean into this feeling, setting my phone to Do Not Disturb, lighting a cozy candle and turning on only the little ambient lights around my desk. I’ve really come to enjoy this early ritual.
“Outsourcing” As Many Chores As Possible: I can’t tell you the last time I stepped foot in a grocery store. My weekly meal planning consists of selecting from either the Factor or Home Chef menus, and pre-scheduling an Amazon Fresh delivery to fill in the gaps, primarily recurring staples that I purchase every week. It’s not the most cost-effective method of shopping and cooking, but it’s a massive time-saver. So is the Roomba my husband bought, whose vacuum and mopping functions keep our floors in passable condition, removing another ongoing chore from our list.
Prioritized To-Do Lists & Weekly Planners: The Task List Adhesives from Appointed have changed my life. These slim sticky notes help to organize to-do lists in three categories: “Must Do,” “Should Do,” and “Could Do.” When I feel like I’m drowning in tasks, categorizing them in this way helps me to put them all in their proper context, and decide what to tackle first. Similarly, on weeks when I can’t stick to my carefully time-blocked routine, the Weekly Desk Planner from Papier comes in clutch. I love that the pages are undated, so I only need to reach for them when I need a little help trying to figure out how to slot in all of my priorities for the week.
Embracing Audiobooks as My Primary Medium for Reading: Somehow, despite 2024 being one of the most demanding years of my life from a productivity/output perspective, I also read more books than I have since I started actively tracking my reading back in 2019. And I fully credit audiobooks for this achievement. I listen to audiobooks constantly, while getting ready for the day, while driving to/from the gym, while cooking and cleaning and doing laundry, and while dozing off at night. As much as I love cozying up on a couch with a warm beverage and a hardcover novel, at this point in my life, that can only happen in the “ish.”
If you have a time-saving or time-maximizing habit of your own that you’re willing to share, I’d love to hear about it in the comments!
Listen to Your Sister | By Neena Viel | St. Martin’s Griffin | Available Now
“For fans of Jordan Peele’s films, Stranger Things, and The Other Black Girl, Listen To Your Sister is a laugh-out-loud, deeply terrifying, and big-hearted speculative horror novel from electrifying debut talent Neena Viel.” I’m currently LOVING this novel, and the description above is spot-on. Calla Williams is struggling to balance life as a 25-year-old and the responsibility of being the guardian of her 16-year-old brother, Jamie. Their middle sibling, Dre, is falling short on his promise to help his sister care for Jamie. “When Jamie’s actions at a protest spiral out of control, the siblings must go on the run. Taking refuge in a remote cabin that looks like it belongs on a slasher movie poster rather than an Airbnb, the siblings now face a new threat where their lives–and reality–hang in the balance. Their sister always warned them about her nightmares. They really should have listened.”
The Lamb | By Lucy Rose | Harper | Available Now
This novel is next up on my TBR list, a) because the book sounds fantastic, and b) because I’ve connected with Lucy on social media, and she’s an absolute delight. You should definitely follow her on TikTok. “Margot and Mama have lived by the forest ever since Margot can remember. When Margot is not at school, they spend quiet days together in their cottage, waiting for strangers to knock on their door. Strays, Mama calls them. People who have strayed too far from the road. Mama loves the strays. She feeds them wine, keeps them warm. Then she satisfies her burning appetite by picking apart their bodies. But Mama’s want is stronger than her hunger sometimes, and when a beautiful, white-toothed stray named Eden turns up in the heart of a snowstorm, Margot must confront the shifting dynamics of her family, untangle her own desires, and make her bid for freedom. With this gothic coming-of-age tale, debut novelist Lucy Rose explores how women swallow their anger, desire, and animal instincts—and wrings the relationship between mother and daughter until blood drips from it.”
Count My Lies | By Sophie Stava | Gallery/Scout Press | March 4
This blurb from the incomparable Liane Moriarty was enough to compel me to preorder this forthcoming debut: “The very definition of a page-turner! This smart, original, twisty story had me gripped from the first to the last page.” From the book jacket: “A read-in-one-night suspense thriller narrated by a compulsive liar whose little white lies allow her to enter into the life and comfort of a wealthy married couple who are harboring much darker secrets themselves. For the millions of us still chasing those gone girls, this is perfect for fans of Lisa Jewell, Lucy Foley, and Laura Dave.”
Dream Count | By Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie | Knopf | March 4
I adored Americanah and We Should All Be Feminists, so this novel is an auto-buy for me. “Chiamaka is a Nigerian travel writer living in America. Alone in the midst of the pandemic, she recalls her past lovers and grapples with her choices and regrets. Zikora, her best friend, is a lawyer who has been successful at everything until—betrayed and brokenhearted—she must turn to the person she thought she needed least. Omelogor, Chiamaka’s bold, outspoken cousin, is a financial powerhouse in Nigeria who begins to question how well she knows herself. And Kadiatou, Chiamaka’s housekeeper, is proudly raising her daughter in America—but faces an unthinkable hardship that threatens all she has worked to achieve. In Dream Count, Adichie trains her fierce eye on these women in a sparkling, transcendent novel that takes up the very nature of love itself. Is true happiness ever attainable or is it just a fleeting state? And how honest must we be with ourselves in order to love, and to be loved?”
Thank you so much for reading! Have a topic you’d like me to cover in a future post? Drop me a line here.
I’m a working/writing mom too. This was so relatable and helpful!
Wow first of all congratulations on writing a novel!! I'm in the process of writing one too and honestly I write the novel for about 1-2 hours a day. I figure if I get one page written every day I'll have 365 pages written in one year.