Knowing I am a woman who wears many hats, people often ask me what a typical day is like for me. Well, here goes…
My alarm sounds at 4 am, my phone blaring an instrumental version of Beyonce’s “Yonce” and displaying the simple message: Beyonce Would Get Up.
Most folks think I’m crazy for getting up this early, but when you’re a full-time teacher, a freelance writer, a blogger, and an entrepreneur, rising before the sun does is a must. I have a motto: “If you want to make your dreams to come true, you have to wake up.”
Or as Tamar Gottesman says in her Elle interview with Beyonce, “When ‘Run the world’ is your business plan, your day starts early.”
I use these early morning hours to work on blog posts, freelance stories, or important emails. I also spend time writing in my prayer journal.
Later, there is more Beyonce. I often blast “6 Inch Heels,” track 5 from LEMONADE, while I get ready for work.
Sometimes while getting dressed and eating breakfast I listen to podcasts or Periscope replays from my favorite bloggers and entrepreneurs.
I’ve done all of this before 7 am.
Then I’m off to work. Or I guess I should say off to do more work. It’s now time for me to become my alter ego. It’s time for “Javacia of See Jane Write” to become “Mrs. Bowser.”
From about 7:30 am to 3:30 pm each weekday you’ll find me at the Alabama School of Fine Arts where I teach 10th grade English and an elective I created called Women and the Media (which I describe as Journalism 101 meets Women’s Studies).
I love my job. My students are smart, talented, hilarious, and compassionate. They love and live out loud and challenge me to do the same. I often say that my students have helped me become the woman that I am by reminding me of the girl I used to be.
After work, you may find me going for a run in my neighborhood or working out to a Jillian Michaels DVD. Some evenings I attend a networking event or host an event of my own for See Jane Write. Sometimes I visit my parents. Sometimes you’ll find me doing one-on-one coaching sessions for the women of See Jane Write. Oftentimes you’ll find me grading papers and preparing for lectures or speaking engagements.
On some nights during dinner I watch superhero TV shows like Arrow or The Flash with my husband. On other nights I’m engrossed in delicious dramas like Scandal, Grey’s Anatomy, How to Get Away with Murder or Being Mary Jane.
I end my day planning for the next one and then reading a good book, eager to write more stories of my own.
What’s a typical day like for you?