The other week I read an article about a woman who treats herself like a toddler and tonight a similar topic came up in conversation. Both that conversation and the article were about being able to prioritise your own needs better.
When it comes to work it’s easy to put other people’s or the company’s needs before your own and I do find that as a freelancer I do that more than when I was a permanent employee. As a freelance you’re conscious of “playing by the rules” and not taking liberties. As a result I don’t really book in the health check ups I need, get the builders to come around to sort out a few bits, schedule deliveries or errands any time between 9-6pm. As a permanent I did. Not all the time of course but once in a while when it was needed. I would work from home for a day and use the close to two hours I saved on not commuting on adapting my workday and getting things done. Start a bit earlier and finish a bit later. I generally got more work done during those days than when I was in the office. It wasn’t taking liberties but simply using my time more efficiently, both in terms of being able to skip the commute and getting some focused non-meeting work done whilst at the same time being able to take care of one or two things that were hanging over me. Now, when I’m freelancing I don’t do that and I feel the effects. But even more so, it makes it hard to do the things I’ve set out to do like doing talks and running classes with companies as well as help out as a mentor.
The point of the article by Gretchen Rubin about treating yourself as a toddler is that though it’s great to be flexible to an extent, most of us are happier and more fun to be around when we know our limits. When you look after a toddler you need to plan within the toddler’s limits so that the toddler gets what he/she needs when he/she needs it. You know that certain situations with toddlers are tricky, and can result in problems, and so you try to avoid them by making plans around it and know what will work and what doesn’t. Just as the woman who wrote the article my mood dips somewhat if I don’t get my coffee or my food according to my body clock. I function better if I get a proper break during lunch and I’m happier if I have a good balance where I don’t feel like work is completely ruling my life. However, there is no reason why I wouldn’t be able to have the setup I had as a permanent employee even if I’m freelancing. The benefit of being a freelance is after all that you to a larger extent are able to influence when you work. And, as I’m learning it’s perfectly fine to ask if working from home one day is ok. In fact it’s perfectly fine to treat yourself as a toddler or an employee of your own company, which you are, talk about yourself in third person and say that the setup of your company means you can only work 4 days a week, or that your company requires you to work from home one day a week. After all we do better work when we’re relaxed and happy and if talking about yourself, even if it’s just too yourself, helps you realise and stay within your limits, then that’s a good thing for both you and the place you work.
Tomorrow – Day 332 | Second leaving drinks
Image source: www.flickr.com/photos/kayveeinc/3477687028
