Today’s guest, Megy Karydes, lives in Chicago and has owned her communications and marketing consultant practice for the past 12 years. Megy is all about systems and structure. She is very disciplined about sticking to a set schedule throughout her work day. Megy uses systems like time tracking and knowing her peak productivity time to create this discipline—and it’s a system to be admired. Hear how she does it and what tips you can pick up to try to build more structure into your routine. DELIBERATE FREELANCER SHOW NOTES Learn the system Megy uses to schedule her day. She is regimented about sticking to her schedule and minimizing distractions. Time tracking every 15 minutes showed Megy how to find more time in her day and how much time it took her to do certain types of projects. Megy’s a fan of Cal Newport’s book, “Deep Work,” which showed her the importance of setting aside uninterrupted two-hour blocks of time to do work that required concentration and deep thinking. Megy uses exercise as a good afternoon break and an energy refresher. Megy and Melanie talk about why knowing their peak productivity times is critical to their work. Biz Bites from Megy: Ask clients for testimonials. Send clients handwritten thank-you cards.   Resources: Read Megy’s latest blog post, which contains a link to the Excel spreadsheet she uses to schedule her day. Try the spreadsheet out for a while to see if it works for you. “The Freelance Content Marketing Writer” by Jennifer Goforth Gregory “Six-Figure Freelancing: The Writer’s Guide to Making More Money” by Kelly James-Enger “Off the Clock: Feel Less Busy While Getting More Done” by Laura Vanderkam “Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World” by Cal Newport Episode #5 of Deliberate Freelancer: Track Your Time for Better Efficiency Episode #4 of Deliberate Freelancer: Work Only with Nice Clients, with Jennifer Goforth Gregory American Society of Journalists and Authors (an association for freelance writers) American Society of Journalists and Authors Annual Writers Conference