This has been the best week. Yes, I’ve been miserable with this cold/sinus infection, but when I open my email in the morning, I don’t tense up or stress. I smile. More signs that dropping those projects was a great idea.
Because I fulfill my obligations, I still have residual edits coming in from this particular job. Yesterday I faced the client who wants to be an editor. She argued that a sentence that started with a preposition was incorrect. The day before that it was the client who wanted me to reassure him, yet again, that his project looked fine. The day before that, the first client wasn’t sure she liked a different section in the same project. Piecemeal editor and someone who needs coaching – we writers take on all sorts of challenges, don’t we?
I was reading Susan Johnston’s latest post on The Urban Muse yesterday. She asks just how free are we freelancers? And frankly, I’m glad she did. I’m guilty of sitting here 9-to-5 religiously, as though the world will stop spinning if I get up and walk away from, well, sometimes Facebook or Twitter. Not all these hours are productive ones, so why do I remain glued to this chair?
I know some of you don’t keep set hours. You work when you want to. I’m trying to adopt the same mental attitude, for I think I’m chained here only out of some corporate-induced discipline that makes me think I’m more successful if I’m held captive. It’s why I started taking Fridays off. It’s why I’m going to get up and get out of here more often.
So what are your working hours like? Are you an over-disciplined corporate-style wonk like me? Do you work just mornings? Just evenings? How many hours do you put in? Is it working for you?
In a lot of ways, I'd say I'm no more free now than when I had an office job. I keep regular business hours (8-4, Monday to Friday), and I'm guilty of checking and answering e-mails during the evenings and on weekends.
However…I'm trying to get out of that. Last weekend I only checked my e-mail once. This weekend I'm going to try not to do it at all. I'm available 40 hours a week, and answer any e-mails received during that time within minutes. I'm thinking that should be enough.
Krista, go – be free! :)) I don't check email at ALL on weekends unless I'm looking for something else. I rarely go near the computer until Monday. I figured long ago that if they get weekends off, so should I. Mind you, if I took time off all week, then maybe weekends would be when I need to work. It's different for everyone.
I like freelancing because of the flexibility. I can work from home and be there when the gas repair man also can get there, or I can nip out to a doctor's appointment without losing any of my daily working hours (tag them onto the end or the beginning), or I can hide away from callers in the local library and work there with as many resourses as I need.
I maintain regular 9 to 5 hours where I can, though, because otherwise I will (and have done so) end up working from 7am until 11pm and have no free time at all, which is half the reason for freelancing in the first place.
The part time day job has more regular hours for obvious reasons. But when I'm freelancing full time, I please myself and try not to over do it.
No point working for yourself if you can't enjoy it and still feel stifled or unfulfilled.
# resources (typo not thicko).
I've never worked a 40-hour week as a freelancer. I'm the second income earner with four kids at home, and my schedule will vary depending on what's going on at home. In addition to the work, which I love, that's the main reason I freelance. I work between 20 and 30 hours most weeks, and still earn an almost full time income. I do, however, check email compulsively even on evenings and weekends.
My hours change from day to day. It's whatever I want and need to get done.
This is my favorite blog right now, Lori! Love it.
I work from 9-6 on weekdays because I freelance for an entertainment company. I most blog on celebs and breaking news, so I have to be in and around at certain times. I don't mind it, because it gives me structure.
My husband hasn't worked for four years, so he takes care of errands.
Hi Lori.
Unfortunately, I've been in a bit of a funk lately (sick dog), and that's affecting my motivation.
So while I typically work from about 9:30-4 on weekdays, I'm finding it really hard to make myself work, and I haven't been swimming (which for five years, I've done religiously every weekday morning) in about two months.
As a result, last weekend I ended up writing all day Sunday because I couldn't make myself do the job during the week.
That's so not like me!
So I've realized I've got to figure out how to get out of this funk so my entire life can get back on track.
The bottom line: Lately, I've worked more unusual hours than I'm used to doing. But thank goodness being self-employed allows me to do that!
Lori, I'm glad that post had an impact on you. I think the reality is somewhere in between. Non-freelancers think we have all the freedom in the world, and many freelancers think they need to work be as diligently as 9 to 5ers. Neither perception is entirely accurate, but obviously it depends on the freelancer.
Since most of the people I interact with are two hours behind me, my work days are usually 10-6 (sometimes 7, but I occasionally take off an hour or so here and there – buying groceries is so much faster at 2:00 on a weekday than on a weekend). Occasionally I'll work on a weekend, but I generally try to avoid it.
My New Year's resolution is NOT to make myself too available when it comes to scheduling interviews. I've run into a lot of PR types who seem to think it helps make their client seem more important and so in demand that they need evening or weekend interviews (even then they might keep pushing them back). So 2010 is the year of "They don't pay me enough to be at your beck and call."
Of course, for assignments that really do pay a lot, I'll be more flexible. If it's a crucial interview and I'm up against deadline, I'll consider it. However, I will not be doing interviews after 6 PM unless it is absolutely necessary.
Lori, I think that for me, staying in the office until 6 (or at least checking e-mail and answering the phone until then) is partially because I want to know ASAP if an editor assigns me a new article late in the day.
If I try to write more than 3 or 4 hours in a day the next day is shot. After that's done, and I mostly do it early, I do the rest of business and life.
Rarely work weekends anymore and often take Wed's off.
I set an 8-5 day, but it will change depending on what's going on. Today, my son got sick, so there won't be much work for me for the next couple of days.
I usually only check business email during my work hours during the week. I only check personal emails in the evening and on weekends. I've learned to separate work and personal time… well most of the time I can anyway.
Eileen, I hear you. We have separate finances, so I'm the main wage earner for my little corner of the world.
How do you do it, Diane? Sounds like you're juggling both jobs well!
I'm adopting your model, Devon. Much more sane.
Mei, I'm glad you're here! Glad you like the blog, too. 🙂
Gabriella, they're like your kids, you know? I hope your dog is feeling better soon.
Susan, I like your conclusion. It's whatever works for you, right?
Good attitude, Paula. You're AREN'T at their beck and call!
Anne, I love your method! I'm of the same opinion. After four hours of writing, the brain is too tired to go on.
Flexibility, right Wenday? Thank God for this job as we can stay up late if we need to, show up early or not at all….
I'm glad to hear I'm not the only one who can only write for three or four hours a day. But there's always admin and marketing to do after that …
Well, you know that I'm doing Internet Marketing instead of freelancing, but the work is the same- it's just that I'm my own client. I know EXACTLY what you mean about chaining yourself to your chair just to feel productive. I finally decided that I wouldn't do that over the holidays- if I knew I wouldn't get any valuable work done AND I wasn't intending to play online, the laptop would stay off and I'd watch a movie, read a book, make jewelry, play board games with my husband, and so on. It was awesome. So, I'm still doing it!
In fact, I just bought a Wii so that my non-internet time that would normally be spent channel flipping (not enough time for a movie, not in the mood to read, etc) could be put toward entertaining exercise. It's win win. 🙂
Having trouble bringing myself back to being productive though. It DOES take discipline.
Great topic. I love that my days are varied and I can choose my projects, but no freelancers aren't free from a time perspective. For example, yesterday I worked from 8:30-5:30. My butt was in the chair for the morning and then I was out in the afternoon conducting interviews for an article.