A Day in My Life at Tell-It-To-The-World Marketing

by Patty L. Fletcher

“What do you do all day?”

That’s the question I get asked a lot by people who have no clue whatsoever what it means to run one’s own business.

“Oh, I saw you sitting at your table on the computer the other day. Must be fun to be a writer and have your own business too. I cannot imagine having all that free time.”

Yes, someone actually said that to me.

Well, let me dispel all the myths…

On any given day, I’m up and running by 5:00 in the morning. Usually, I’m checking email and social media notifications before I ever roll out of the bed for that first trip for my morning’s necessary. On Facebook alone there are anywhere from 20 to 40 notifications which have come in over-night and most likely many of those must be replied to, shared or at the very least given some sort of reaction and you may rest assured they will multiply and divide several times over throughout the day.

Once I’m up and have washed face, brushed teeth and hair, fed the cat and made that all important first cup of brew, my day truly begins.

Normally, I have anywhere from 50 to 150 emails that came drifting in over-night which must be read and dealt with. Many of them must be replied to and many more are blog posts which must be shared.

Once that’s done it’s time for another cup of brew, and the morning chores of cleaning litter box, running the vacuum, cleaning up the dishes and carrying out the trash. And that’s if I don’t also need to scrub the tub, sink and toilet, do a load or two of laundry and possibly go shopping. (Goddess forbid if I should want to eat more than a Poptart or bowl of cereal for breakfast.)

I live alone and do not have anyone who assists me with daily tasks so it’s on me to get everything done. Yes, occasionally someone will drop off a few items I need and of course there’s Amazon and Instacart. But mostly, there’s just me.

Once all the normal stuff is done, it’s time to get down to the real business of the day. First, I must check the email again because while I’ve been taking care of morning chores another 20 to 30 emails have come through and most of those must be replied to or they’re blog posts which need to either be shared or filed for a particular promotion day.

Then, depending upon the day of the week, and what clients have sent for me to promote on their behalf, I must go back onto social media and not only read and reply to notifications there, but I must also post various items for clients, check on Facebook pages, Twitter and LinkedIn feeds. If there are things which must be placed onto my blog, they must first be proofread to make sure they comply with my submission guidelines.

If the deadline for The Writer’s Grapevine has passed, I am also working on the magazine. Each article, essay, short story, poem, tip and book review must be read and worked into the magazine template. Headings must be checked; links must be clicked to make sure they work and then I must do a complete spell and grammar check to be certain everything is as it should be.

By the time I’ve worked on that or whatever other project I’ve going for an hour or two, it’s time to check the inbox and read through another 50 to 75 emails and again many of those must be dealt with right away.

Finally, it’s 3 or so in the afternoon and time to start winding down. But wait! No! Not quite yet. Here’s an email from Casey my audio magik man stating that the latest podcast recording is done and ready for my approval. There’s another hour gone and then lo and behold, there’s another 30 or so emails to check and before you know it it’s 5 in the evening, the cat and I are both starving and yet there are things I didn’t get done.

Well, not complaining but sometimes by the end of the day, I feel quite like I’ve been tossed into the washer and placed onto the spin cycle and left there.

What’s the point of the story?

I love my job, but I cannot for the life of me understand these people who believe I’ve nothing to do. As I’m typing this to you, it’s well after 8 in the evening and while I’ve been pounding this blog post out a few dozen more emails have trickled into the inbox which must be read before I can close things out for the day.

For now, this is Patty who is ready to prop her feet up and snuggle with the cat saying…

“No, I’m not playing games and mindlessly scrolling through Facebook posts when you walk by and see me at my table pounding away on the keyboard. And No, I’ve no idea when the next book will be out.”

May harmony find you and blessid be.

About the Author

Patty L. Fletcher lives in Kingsport, Tennessee, where she works full time as a Writer with the goal of bridging the great chasm which separates the disAbled from the non-disAbled. She is Also a Social Media Marketing Assistant. To learn more, visit her Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/tellittotheworld/.

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