When I first started out working for myself, I had issues with working. I was in a studio apartment in Chicago. My desk was one foot from my bed. My counter and stool was across from my fridge. Naps and snacks were so tempting and it didn’t help that my natural inclination was to be a night owl.

In the beginning, I did what I do for every new endeavor: I researched the shit out of being an entrepreneur. The best productivity hacks. The best time to do your work. The best schedules to keep. How to successfully work from home. It took me a while, but I eventually learned to throw all of it out. All of the articles are clickbait. Why? Because your life and circumstances are not going to be like someone else’s and what works for them might not work for you. 

It took trial and error to figure out that I’m totally useless before 10 am, no matter how early I woke up and how early I went to bed. I also learned that my productivity falls off after about two hours (we’re not built to sit at a desk for eight hours straight anyway). I found myself writing profusely around 10 pm–2 am and eventually accepted that it was okay to do that. 

The whole point of this is to say that when you’re in marketing, you have a big list of to-dos. And you might not have the freedom I do of leaving the desk whenever you want but you could certainly figure out when you work best. Maybe your weekly admin tasks are best done on a Friday when you have less creative brain space but can look at spreadsheets. Maybe 6 am is a terrible time for you and you shouldn’t be checking the company’s DMs and answering them. 

So, my advice for productivity? Find what works for you. Read all the articles, try all the hacks out, but don’t be discouraged if any that are “supposed” to work don’t work for you. With the addition of Zoey who kind of keeps me on a schedule, I’ve been relearning my best work times in relation to her. It’s a constantly evolving learning experience but I don’t mind the challenge.