Why I Don’t Do 9-5
Wow, what an amazing weekend I had. The weather was perfect. Sam and I, along with some friends, went up to the National Forest in Washington and camped. It was probably one of the best overnight camps we’ve ever had. Which sorta sets the tone for todays post.
I’ve had only a handful of 9-5 jobs in my life. We work weekends in this household, and will never have two weeks Christmas vacation. I worked a lot of hospitality and service industry when I was younger, and I admit I like my schedule this way. It’s easier to “get shit done” in the middle of the week, and planning impromptu camping trips like this past weekend. I enjoy playing frisbee in the park with Sam when he gets home from work, and taking the dog for a walk when it’s just the perfect time of day. And I like to work when inspiration hits, which doesn’t always come when you “clock-in.”
A couple months ago I tried to set work hours for myself. Being that this is my full time job, I thought I ought to have more grownup hours (note: I still don’t really think of myself as a grownup.) So I updated my fine print, 10am-6pm, Monday through Friday, and a few hours sprinkled in on Saturday to answer emails and do social stuff.
So what happened? Did my cup runneth over with creativity? Did I have to start beating new design clients off with a stick? No. I wish. What I found was that I was still working on projects at nine o’clock at night, and making posts at 7am before taking a break to run errands in the middle of the day. My point is, 9-5 doesn’t work for everyone, and it certainly doesn’t work for me. That’s one of the many reasons that I work for myself. Other than having the most awesome boss in the world, wink wink, I like working on my own time. I still put the same amount of hours and creativity into each new project. I often work from my couch or at the coffee shop downstairs as opposed to my tiny, messy desk. The beauty of being a freelancer is that you can choose what works for you, and what doesn’t for that matter.
But this is me, and not everyone can just fly by the seat of their pants. I know many people that have to have a set schedule, or they’ll never get anything done. I know people that have to be supervised, in which case freelancing isn’t for them. You have to know yourself, and know yourself well, to see where you’ll thrive and where you might fail.
So what about you? What work rule(s) do you break to make yourself a better freelancer/business owner/stay-at-home whatever?
