Learning to live my self- employed life
When I got made redundant from a full time job, I vowed to never give my heart and soul to just one company again. Roll on over a year later, and I’ve welcomed the world of self-employment; holding down multiple jobs. I’m not going to lie, this s**t isn’t easy. Those of you that are self employed and own businesses will probably be able to agree with me on this, but on the plus side, being your own boss is excellent, being able to organise your own day and diary is the best feeling (I am the queen of structure and organisation so I love this!) and owning your life and doing what makes you happy is amazing also.
It's not all fresh daisies and rainbows
Something I never anticipated with self employment though was losing work and not being able to find other stuff straight away. I’ve even had weeks where I've found myself scrolling the job pages (and applying) for full time positions, back to selling my soul. Unfortunately (or fortunately for me) the applications have ended in dead ends and not amounted to anything, leaving me to continue with my self-employment route. I have to admit, I went into self employment with my rose- tinted glasses on, thinking I would just have work coming to me without requiring anything. A massive wake up call occurred, and the saying ‘you only get out what you put in’ had never meant so much..
So with four jobs now under my belt, I need to be organised now more than ever. Keeping track of what I'm doing on a daily basis is important, along with ensuring that I stay busy to keep those negative demons at bay (especially at the times when I don't have a lot of work in the diary).
How do I ensure that I don’t lose the plot during these tough and busy times?
Getting organised can reduce stress. Here’s my top tips:
Have a to-do list that is updated regularly. This gives you structure to your day (especially when the going gets tough and the diary becomes a bit sparse or if you have too much on your plate!) If your list is massive, and like mine seems to grow on a daily basis, highlight the most important things to do that day and prioritise. The other stuff on there can wait for another day.
With more than one job comes getting paid at different times of the month. Try and budget for this (dd at different times of the month or holding back some money for bills that you know will occur). A P&L sheet will help you know how much you need to earn to breakeven and be in profit with your bank account to pay those bills.
Have a diary and use it! Document everything and set reminders if you are a person that could forget things. I use the calendar on my phone. I would be lost if the phone disappeared or stopped working!
Utilise your time accordingly. Use the quiet times to learn a new hobby or skill (for me, I’m enjoying writing; whether you read these blogs or not…lol). Embrace the quiet times as the time will come when you will be rushed off your feet, wishing to have that lie in or pj day!
Take time out to relax and unwind, especially when you feel that it’s all getting a bit much. Meditation and Yoga can be a great activity to enable this to happen. Feel free to read my posts on both Yoga and Meditation in order to learn more about this wonderful pastime.