So it’s been two years since I quit my full time office job, where has time gone! As I look back at the last two years of being self employed, they certainly flew compared to the two years I had in an office job. As I have covered a handful of milestones you can find here and here, it only feels right to look back on two years. I never really expected to be able to have such a flexible career, a multi-hyphen, squiggle or whatever 2020 phrase you want to call it. So I want to reflect on the best bits and things I’ve learnt, there’s so many posts that make it sound like it’s only for the elite which it’s far from!
No two days are the same!
The beauty of what I do is that I’ve set up my clients, roles and responsibilities to be so varied. Whilst I work with a team in one role, I have flexibility on how I get that job done. Essentially as long as the work gets done, hours mean little to me. If a blog job comes up on a Thursday, then I might do some magazine work in the evening instead. I love having a different job to do each day, I like the variety of clients and roles as it keeps things interesting and doesn’t get boring. Being a blogger and maintaining this site is a real passion of mine so I like that if I want to focus on it or spend time on it, it is a priority to do so. If you’re someone who likes variety then freelancing is a great option.
Routine is so so crucial.
As I say, I love flexibility but flexibility still needs routine. I have set days for most of my work, it is open to move or be altered in some way but generally I know what I’m focusing on. My aim was also to get into the gym this New Year but I’ve already failed due to a cold. I have a fit bit I want to make use of (see this great article on Samsung Galaxy fit vs. Fitbit Inspire hr) so when I’m feeling better I want to work harder on not only a work routine but fitness too. My favourite weeks have been ones with variety but being organised. I highly endorse the whole ‘default diary’ idea which has been a life savour for me.
Opportunities that come your way.
The cliche phrases like ‘You never know what’s around the corner,’ ‘The best things come when you’re not looking’ etc etc, all apply when it comes to your work-life balance. I truly believe when you take a little leap of faith or put positive thoughts out, more comes your way. For example it was a goal of mine to do more instagram consultancy for businesses in the last year and since then I’ve had two jobs come up from working on it, I didn’t push it out there but I’ve let the idea go into the universe. Not everyone believes in this way of thinking but positive thinking is something that has really helped me push my business further.
I’ve stopped working completely for free.
So I’m happy to do some ‘free’ work if there’s a great benefit/gifting purpose for me. However, I’ve developed a brand and business across a few channels now and I no longer just want to do things with no payment. I think initially you will try many options but I’ve learnt my hourly rate, I know my worth and other jobs come up. I remember when I first started blogging I shared pre-written posts for £10 a go. That’s crazy to me now but it was a HUGE deal when I was new to this. Imagine someone telling you, you can earn £10 from copying and pasting? Now, I know there’s a lot more effort involved in content creation and the time I have to put into it, but it’s actually felt like a real achievement getting to that stage. When you can actually say ‘no’ to work, it makes you feel in control!
So, these are the life lessons I’ve got from being in control of my career – are you tempted to be more flexible with your job?