A day in the life | Maxine Harrison

Maxine Harrison has spent the past six years carving out a thriving career as a freelance writer. Specialising in journalism, SEO content writing, and copywriting, she crafts compelling stories that inform, engage, and inspire.

Beyond her client work, Maxine runs Remi Reports, a blog dedicated to helping freelance creatives navigate the business side of their craft.

From managing deadlines to brainstorming fresh ideas, no two days look the same. We step into her world to see what a typical day looks like for a writer balancing creativity with business.

What’s the first thing you do when you start your workday?

Depending on the project I am working on, I may begin by researching what I’m about to work on, jump on a meeting call or send a message to a client.

How do you plan or structure your day to stay productive?

Google Calendar is my best friend work-wise! It helps me schedule tasks for specific times and reminds me via a notification when the time is near. It’s like a personal motivator and reminding tool, ensuring I stick to tasks throughout the day.

What’s a typical morning like for you?

I enjoy starting the day reading the Bible – whether chapter(s) or a verse and prayer. I scroll social media too to see if there are any topics I should be aware of. This could help me form ideas of whether to pitch to a publication and mornings are the best time to pitch in journalism – especially if it’s about a timely topic. 

What’s your most important daily task or decision?

In work, the most important task I handle is ensuring I schedule my time in a way that I can adhere to deadlines. If I’m in a newsroom shift with a publication this is especially true as several articles are expected to be written throughout the day.

How do you balance working in your business versus working on your business?

I like to curate my time in a way that I can market my business throughout the week through LinkedIn and Instagram posts, for example, or writing the newsletter for my blog. This way it’s something I can do when I have a moment on a working day for client projects. It feels less time-consuming that way compared to batch-scheduling content.  

What tools, apps, or routines help keep you organised?

Calendly to book meetings, Google Drive to store my writing work and Google Calendar to schedule tasks for the day.

How do you handle challenges or unexpected disruptions during the day?

Sometimes working from home can get distracting, especially when in writer’s block, so I try to switch up my environment from time to time to help with creative inspiration and concentration. Going to the library is one of the ways I do this.

What role does networking or relationship-building play in your daily routine?

Through my blog and weekly newsletter, I’ve connected with other creative freelancers, which has helped give me insight into different industries and how other freelancers work. Some have even become friends beyond networking. I also connect with prospects via LinkedIn Messenger or Instagram Lives occasionally.

How do you wind down and separate work from personal time?

I try to make evenings completely work-free as a way for me to recharge for the week ahead and connect with friends and family. That clear boundary of working in the day and resting in the evening has helped me to separate work from personal life and balance my time accordingly. 

What’s one piece of advice you’d give to someone looking to follow a similar path?

Being a freelancer requires resilience. I would recommend you choose a service to offer that you are passionate about, so that even in challenging times, you have that motivation to keep striving.

When it comes to being a writer, I would recommend you start a blog, even before you get clients, to help build up your portfolio and prospects can see an example of your writing before working with you.

Follow Maxine’s journey on Instagram: @RemiReports

Explore her work: www.remireports.com

Picture credit: Murielle Boa