Just over two years ago now, I wrote in my post Stick or Twist? about making changes in life when you felt decisions weren’t serving you, and in particular about my own decision to jump out of a job I wasn’t enjoying. This post is something of a follow up to that, as I have recently taken the decision to change my approach to life and work (again!).
Earlier this year, I ceased to be an ’employee’. I have decided that I need a break from the constraints of being contracted to a permanent role – a break that may turn out to be temporary / long-term / short-term / permanent… as yet I don’t know. But I have declared myself to be ‘FREELANCE’, and intend to seek out and say yes to work opportunities that light my fire, rather than plug away at something that I find to be slowly eating away at my soul. I have been lucky enough to have work come my way almost immediately, and to have a couple of other opportunities in the pipeline. But there are challenges to be faced.
Firstly, there is the obvious challenge of not having a juicy monthly salary plopping into my account. And if I take a day off or go on holiday, I am not paid for it. I am having to think about things like daily rates, invoicing, managing cash flow, tax etc. This does not necessarily come naturally to me, and it would be easy to panic about where the next penny is going to come from, even when I know that I have put in place a reasonable buffer to bankruptcy!!
Secondly, there is the challenge of less structured days and weeks. I am not required to be in an office. I am not required to work ‘core hours’. I am not instantly available on Teams (though on the flip side, neither can I instantly contact people to answer queries). Technically, and barring any required attendance at meetings (which is much less then when employed), I can start/finish work at any time. And, **spoiler alert**, I don’t have to work full days or every day (with the caveat as above that no work = no pay 😂). This is great, to a degree. Although as a confirmed ‘human doing’, it can be difficult to accept this change of pace and lack of structure. Definitely something that will take some adjustment for me, and I have to admit that I am finding it difficult to embrace that aspect of the freedom right now.
So, what of the advantages? Well, I have long-time been a proponent of the adage that ‘variety is the spice of life’, and having multiple projects on the go, be that consecutively or simultaneously, has a certain appeal. I also like that I have the freedom to choose which projects I pursue and say yes to. I like that I can declare myself ‘unavailable’ on certain days, and skip off to wherever I like to meet whomever I like for coffee / lunch / a catch up. I can also book holidays without worrying about leave allocations, workflow, or other people’s leave. These are all definite advantages.
And slowly but surely, I think I will also be able to appreciate the advantage of having more time for my hobbies – crafting, fluting and writing – and the advantage of life being less frantic… which is really quite welcome at this point in life. More time as a ‘human being’.
Maybe I’ll get bored. Maybe I’ll struggle financially. Maybe I’ll miss the collegiality and the security of employment. And maybe I won’t. But if I do, then I will know that it’s time to twist again!
PS If you or your contacts want to send any work opportunities my way, you can find me on LinkedIn here: www.linkedin.com/in/justine-swainson-898a4112
50shadesofbrave 