Here’s the thing—authors work very hard. According to a scientific study, the average age of debut authors is 36.2 years old. You may have noticed that, although mid-30s is still young, it’s definitely older than the age you’re supposed to be figuring out your life and earning money. The average age of a graduate student is 33 years old, which has little to do with writing itself and a lot to do with the MFA (a higher-level creative writing degree that many authors receive). But here’s another, equally true thing—Jenny Han, author of To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before, has the single chillest schedule you’ve ever seen.
9:00 A.M.: Breakfast. Jenny prefers something light before her workout, for example, “jasmine tea with honey,” or something equally small and fancy. Given that many historic authors’ favorite breakfast food was liquor, it does seem like Jenny is onto something here.
9:30 A.M.: Time to head out and meet her personal trainer! “It’s so crucial to find a personal trainer that you love being around,” she advises, probably in the very relaxed voice of someone who can afford a personal trainer.
10:00 A.M.: Workout time, baby. Jenny meets with her personal trainer twice per week and supplements with SoulCycle classes, saying that they “mentally ground [her]” for her afternoon writing activities. It’s hard to argue with that- anyone who works out before an important activity and then doesn’t pass out after is to be respected and feared.
11:00 A.M.: “I refuel post-sweat with Sweetgreen.” And they say authors will always be poor.
11:30 A.M. Skincare session. To stay fresh, Jenny follows an intensive skincare routine, cleansing twice with Nooni Deep-Cleanse Snowflake Jelly Cleansing Oil and Drunk Elephant Beste No. 9 Jelly Cleanser. (We’re guessing this makes her twice as clean?) She finishes up with essence, serum, and beauty water, which sounds more like the kind of thing you see out your window on a vacation than something purchased in a bottle. But it’s hard to argue with Jenny’s skincare routine when it obviously works.
(Seriously, is this beauty water?)
12:00 P.M.: Head to work. This is not to be confused with actually begin working.
12:30 P.M.: Attend to the small but productive stuff-emails, deadlines, etc. Jenny admits she frequently works at cafes or friends’ houses, possibly in an attempt to impress her readership with her ability to focus on creative writing in a busy Starbucks.
1:00 P.M.: The magic happens about four hours after the rest of the world has settled into its proverbial desk. Han grants us insight into her process: “I try to always have my hands in one big, deadline-driven project and a little secret passion-project at the same time. It’s like the husband and the boyfriend—when I get burnt out on one, I can recharge by working on the other.”
This is less a nine-to-five and more a one-to-whatever. But hey, if double cleansing is part of what helps Jenny Han to write those books, let her triple cleanse if she wants. After the fourth time it probably starts to get unpleasant.
Featured Image Via Themarysue.com