My Typical Week as a Consultant

Everyone manages their time a little differently, but I’ve been asked several times what a typical day or week looks like. I’m an independent consultant, so my schedule is different from people who work full time for a single company. I work from home and have a pretty flexible schedule. It’s hard to say what a single day is, but here’s my basic weekly pattern.

Every day

I usually start my day with email and moderating my LinkedIn group (eLearning Global Network). I do other social media (Slack, reddit, Twitter) during transitions, especially if I’m switching from one project to another. That gives me a little mental break between tasks.

I take a 20 minute nap most afternoons. I have found I’m more productive when I get a quick power nap, so it’s worth taking the break.

Monday morning

First thing Monday morning, I catch up on email and work on my business. That means following up with prospects, working on my website, catching up on my blog if needed, networking, etc. Sometimes this is some professional development time spent reading or taking online courses.

It’s so easy to put off working on my business that I decided I need to do it right at the beginning of the week. I always have something I could be doing for a client, but I try to “pay myself first” and put at least a few hours into working on my business every week.

Monday afternoon

Client work. Right now, I have 3 different projects for clients.

• Storyboarding a course on child care standards
• Storyline development for a tech startup
• Revisions to content in an LMS that I converted from face-to-face

I try to have two projects in progress at all times, ideally staggered so they’re in different phases. I prefer having some variety. I love writing and storyboarding, but I can only write for so many hours in a day before my productivity drops significantly. If I have one project that requires writing and one that requires development, I can switch between the two and keep my productivity higher.

Tuesday

Tuesdays are usually client work, sometimes including phone calls with SMEs or project managers.

I know I’m most productive in the mornings, so I try to tackle my hardest or highest priority task before lunch.

Wednesday

Wednesdays are usually more client work: storyboarding, development, or LMS work.

Thursday morning

I spend at least 45 minutes on my blog on Thursday so I can publish a new post every other Tuesday (at least that’s the goal). Every other Thursday, I join the meeting for the Online Network of Independent Learning Professionals. That’s a virtual community for freelancers and consultants.

Thursday afternoon

I try to schedule calls and appointments on Thursday afternoons when possible. That means I have calls with prospective clients, SMEs, or project managers. I also do some client work.

Friday morning

On Friday mornings, I wrap up my client work for the week.

Friday afternoon

Friday afternoons are spent closing out the week. I send status updates to clients, update project plans, and set goals for the next week. Every other Friday, I review and categorize transactions in my accounting software so tax time is easier. If I have time, I do some client work or reading for professional development.

What’s Your Schedule?

What’s your schedule? How do you budget and manage your time? Let me know in the comments.

Looking for More?

Liked this post? You might also be interested in my tips for staying productive while working remotely.