There’s something of a trap that freelancers fall into when they first set out. They leave a nine-to-five job dreaming of a life of flexibility and leisure enabled by self employment, but quickly realize how much work it is to keep it all going, put their heads down, and don’t look up for a year and a half.
I think (fuck, I hope!) I’m out of that stage. It’s been a process, developing the structure and routine to keep me motivated and feeling like I’m getting max benefit out of my decision to be self employed. Because God knows I’m not getting traditional benefits!
Nowadays, I’m mostly relaxed most of the time, feel like I’m making progress with the business, and am even able to take time for the little things that make me smile on the daily.
Here are some of the silly little things I do as a freelancer just because I can:
Freelance Bath
It’s just an ordinary bath, but between the hours of 9-5, Monday to Friday. This happens. And don’t lie, you would too.
Grocery shop
Early afternoon shopping with the seniors is way more my speed than 5:45 PM with the commuters. Any person who makes their own hours and waits more than five minutes in a grocery store lineup is doing it wrong. Here’s an only-sorta-related Gif that I like because I’m tall.
Take Friday afternoons off
The way our workweek is set up, Lisa and I often find ourselves coasting through Fridays and making up for it with a few shorter shifts over the weekend. Friday is such an optimistic day, but not always for work, so we try to take advantage of the natural emotional uptick to do social stuff…or just Happy Hour.
Go outside when the sun shines
Cubicle life never sucks harder than when the sun is shining. And with happiness being directly correlated to the amount of sun we get, you’d think us Canadians who withstand months and months of grey winter weather would make exceptions to soak up that good good Vitamin D. As a freelancer, I do. Even if it’s just a 30 minute walk, when the rain breaks on a Wednesday afternoon in Vancouver, I fold up the laptop and go outside.
Nap
Holy fuck! I unlocked a new life level with this one. On days I’m feeling slow, or uninspired or kind of like this…
…I press the ‘ol biological reset button and, more often than not, come out the other side of a 45 minute siesta a brand new hombre. My cat Mewan fully supports this behavior.
Matinees
We tried to go to Jumanji when it first came out, but it was sold out on the cheap Tuesday night. So we went back the next day at 1:30 pm for our two hours of disappointment. And while we’re on the topic of matinees: why is it so disorienting to step out of a movie theatre when it’s still light outside?
Monday Mid-Morning Run
Lisa and I have a new tradition of running on Mondays after we’ve done a couple hours of work. The Vancouver sea wall between English Bay and Stanley Park, which is crowded with tourists on weekends, is basically all to ourselves at this hour.
If you’re a freelancer, let me know what kind of cool, weird, resourceful things you do during the day while everyone else is at work.