Working part time is new to me. It’s a fine balancing act not taking on too much work but also ensuring there is enough coming in. In swedish I would say that it’s about finding a ‘lagom’ workload.
There isn’t a direct translation to english of the word ‘Lagom’. It kind of means ‘Just the right amount’ but it’s more nuanced and positive than that. We use if to answer questions like “How much milk would you like in your coffee?” or “Is the water too hot?” (No it’s lagom). Finding a ‘lagom’ balance when it comes to the amount of freelance projects to take on is… a good challenge for me. It’s a little scary turning down full time work not knowing if that means you’ll miss out on the whole thing, but I’m daring to give it a go and so far it’s working. My setup has to be flexible but that also includes arrangements towards the people I work with. As long as I’m freelancing there will have to be some give and take to ensure that it works for all parties. That means having honest conversations around my situation and how we can make it work and so far nothing but positive things have come from that.
Being true to your own needs as well as honest with others is a great feeling, when you got nothing to hide that is, and I’m finding that it’s paying off and makes me feel much better and more confident about the whole setup of working part time. It’s definitely not without challenges but it’s lovely to see that the companies I’m talking to and working with are as keen as I am to make it work. That’s exactly the kind of working arrangements I believe in as well as enjoy and it makes me want to go the extra mile for them, whilst still of course maintaining a ‘lagom’ freelance workload.
Tomorrow – Day 237 | Seeing the bigger picture
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