So I keep meaning to write about how my new freelance writing career has been going. But y'all, I've been so busy that I haven't had time to write about how my new freelance writing career has been going!
Basically.
Now that I'm about three months into it, I'm realizing that I missed out on sharing my experiences during those early weeks. Fortunately, I still have a functioning memory, so I'm going to recap the significant developments from those dark, early days of freelancing.
6 or 7 Day Work Weeks
Monday through Friday was quickly replaced by Monday through Saturday, and more often Monday through Sunday. Because I was still scraping for projects, I was happy to snatch up jobs that required me to work on the weekend, sometimes all weekend long. And if I wasn't doing projects on Saturday and Sunday, then I was hungrily submitting proposals for new jobs for the upcoming work week.
A New Entrepreneurial Spirit
My fiancé has always wanted to start a businesses and, in the past, I've been a little frightened by the idea. Like a baby boomer born in the wrong decade, I wanted both of us to keep working for the man until it was time to retire. No risk, no re . . . percussions. But now that I work for myself, I love the control and flexibility I've gained. My salary isn't capped, I create the office culture (cat cuddles, short walks and Vogue breaks) and I can wear a miniskirt and a tank top every day. Working for myself didn't end up being that much of a stretch, so starting a business no longer seems as insurmountable as I once thought it might be. That being said, I still don't have a passion for business. Unless it's cheese-related.
Money Money Money Money . . . Money!
In the early days in particular, I was constantly doing math in my head to try to add up how many of X jobs I would need to complete per week in order to make Y dollars. And how many of Q jobs I needed to grab each day, on average, to add up to a yearly salary of Z. What if I worked 25 days in a month? What if I worked 30 days? What if I found a slightly higher paying job that I could do a little more quickly? The calculations were constantly running through my mind, especially just before I fell asleep at night. Even when I was out and about, I tried to guess how much money everyone around me was making each hour, based on completely random things like what they were wearing, what time of day they were shopping, how much of a hurry they were in and whether they requested soy for their lattes. It was kind of like how Sherlock sizes people up. Except I wasn't as accurate. Or sexy.
So that's how the beginning was. I had a hard time falling asleep, I wrote a lot of articles about RVs and I didn't miss any playwriting deadlines (or any freelance writing deadlines, for that matter. Go me.) I put wedding planning on hold for about a month (it's back in full swing now) and I became much closer to my cat, which I didn't think was possible.
Stay tuned for part deux! Also, have I shared this yet?
6 or 7 Day Work Weeks
Monday through Friday was quickly replaced by Monday through Saturday, and more often Monday through Sunday. Because I was still scraping for projects, I was happy to snatch up jobs that required me to work on the weekend, sometimes all weekend long. And if I wasn't doing projects on Saturday and Sunday, then I was hungrily submitting proposals for new jobs for the upcoming work week.
A New Entrepreneurial Spirit
My fiancé has always wanted to start a businesses and, in the past, I've been a little frightened by the idea. Like a baby boomer born in the wrong decade, I wanted both of us to keep working for the man until it was time to retire. No risk, no re . . . percussions. But now that I work for myself, I love the control and flexibility I've gained. My salary isn't capped, I create the office culture (cat cuddles, short walks and Vogue breaks) and I can wear a miniskirt and a tank top every day. Working for myself didn't end up being that much of a stretch, so starting a business no longer seems as insurmountable as I once thought it might be. That being said, I still don't have a passion for business. Unless it's cheese-related.
Money Money Money Money . . . Money!
In the early days in particular, I was constantly doing math in my head to try to add up how many of X jobs I would need to complete per week in order to make Y dollars. And how many of Q jobs I needed to grab each day, on average, to add up to a yearly salary of Z. What if I worked 25 days in a month? What if I worked 30 days? What if I found a slightly higher paying job that I could do a little more quickly? The calculations were constantly running through my mind, especially just before I fell asleep at night. Even when I was out and about, I tried to guess how much money everyone around me was making each hour, based on completely random things like what they were wearing, what time of day they were shopping, how much of a hurry they were in and whether they requested soy for their lattes. It was kind of like how Sherlock sizes people up. Except I wasn't as accurate. Or sexy.
So that's how the beginning was. I had a hard time falling asleep, I wrote a lot of articles about RVs and I didn't miss any playwriting deadlines (or any freelance writing deadlines, for that matter. Go me.) I put wedding planning on hold for about a month (it's back in full swing now) and I became much closer to my cat, which I didn't think was possible.
Stay tuned for part deux! Also, have I shared this yet?
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