You guys seemed to like my little Home Office series, so I thought I’d revive it every once in a while when I have something to say or need advice. Sound good? Super. Off we go!
Today, I wanted to talk about something I’ve been struggling with a little bit: down time. Or more specifically, how to walk away from work when you are your own boss or you work from home.
Since the beginning of 2012, when I decided to essentially do everything I could to get out of my desk job, I spent every evening and weekend working on my blog, doing collaborations on projects, pitching and writing stories. Because I was working toward getting out of a work situation that was making me very unhappy, every moment was an opportunity to get closer to freedom faster.
Working those extra hours paid off and I left my day job in early November of last year and am loving every minute of it. But now that I’m freelancing full time, my schedule hasn’t been any more regular. I thought I would have more time to myself, but if anything, it’s probably been more packed – with meetings and deadlines, researching for new projets, and pitching more ideas. I’m grateful and thrilled, but I’m also a little worn out! Because I’m my own boss and am still working toward building my freelance career, evenings and weekends still seem like fair game for making things happen. Every extra minute or hour seems like an opportunity to accomplish more.
I suppose I should have seen this coming. I’ve always been the type of person who likes to check things off the list. There was a time in college when I was three weeks ahead of all my reading assignments just because I liked to finish things. (Needless to say I was not the coolest college kid!) There’s also a huge part of me that likes to get ahead of work in case I have to take time off later. But so far this spring, that time off has been quite elusive – and I really only have myself to blame.
I’m often asked how I keep myself on disciplined and working when there’s no one to tell me to – I have the opposite problem. There’s no one to tell me to shut off the computer and stop working, so I just keep working. Michael has started hinting in the last few weeks, so I think it’s time to back away from the computer just a bit. This summer, while we’ll be traveling around America visiting various friends and family, I’ll be working, but I also hope I’ll be able to take some time away from work to let my brain rest, without the guilt of my never-ending to-do list looming.
Fellow creatives and freelancers and self-employed folks, does this happen to you? Do you worry about wasting time that could be spent building your business? Do you have a hard time turning it off? I’d love to hear how you cope with being your own boss and making your schedule. I think the solution might just be making the choice to walk away, and reminding myself that this career is a marathon, not a sprint. Slow and steady wins the race? How about medium and steady wins the race. We’ll start there, at least!
For more in the Home Office Mini-Series, check out these posts on Challenges, Inspiration, Daily Schedules, and Tips.
