How to Be Self Employed & Uber Productive – Sort of…

posted 24th February 2010    Written by: Heather Rae    CATEGORY: All Posts, Heather Rae, Job/Career/Work, Season 2

Being self employed is seriously hard.

Not that I really consider myself self employed.  One would assume that if you’re self employed, you’re making money.  I’m not.  Let’s be honest about that.  I’m working my ass off from the comfort of my home, for nothing more than the satisfaction of doing exactly what I want.

Seriously.  That’s it.

Hopefully, one day, someone will pay me for my hard work.  For now, I’ll have to settle for satisfaction.

So back to why it’s hard to work for myself. Actually – let me first tell you the perks.  For starters, my boss rocks!  She let’s me come in when I want, take breaks when I want, take long lunches, waste hours on the internet and leave when I want.

How’s that for freedom?

What’s the downside to having the best boss in the world?  Well, it’s all this damn freedom.  Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE it.  But it does take a bit of an adjustment and some serious self-discipline not to blow the whole day Facebook stalking old flames and watching Gilmore Girls reruns.

Seriously, I thought I would leave my job and immediately move into being uber productive and massively efficient. I would redesign my website on Monday, write a novel by Wednesday and be a bestselling author by Friday.  Sounds reasonable, doesn’t it?

Okay, perhaps I’m exaggerating a bit.  But I really did think that switching from being a micro-managed employee to someone who works for herself would be simple.

I’m not finding it so easy.

I’ve always been great with time management.  I’m a ninja multi-tasker, and I kick ass when it comes to productivity. Being productive, no sweat!

But I find that I excel most when I have a deadline.  In this new venture, I have no deadlines (no real ones anyway).

I need to give myself structure – to schedule my days in ways that keep me working and productive, to stop getting sidetracked by every little thing that crosses my path.

A few “self-employed” things have helped so far:

  1. Although the thought of it made me want to vomit a little, I decided to go back to getting up early and using my alarm clock. As much as I resisted, the fact is, I have to actually be awake in order to benefit from the extra hours I get from not having a day job.
  2. For some of my work, writing in particular, I have to be alone. This is a tough one.  My fiancé and I live together in a tiny one bedroom apartment.  He also happens to be in between projects at the moment (leaving the military and waiting for his residency to start), so he’s home all the time too.  I thought this fact would be the most fun ever – and it kind of is.  Except that it’s totally distracting.  To solve this, I’ve started assigning myself dedicated hours for writing – in which I shut myself in the bedroom and don’t come out until I’m done.  On a side note, I’ve also found that a laptop, a bed and a boatload of pillows make for an uber comfy work space.
  3. I discovered a super simple program for writing called Dark Room (Write Room on Mac). When viewed in full screen mode, you see nothing on your computer but a black background and the text that you’re typing.  This is seriously good for those of us prone to distractions (like shiny buttons, formatting options and that ever-calling internet browser).   I didn’t believe it would help until I tried it for myself.  Now I’m hooked.

So that’s where I’m at so far.  I’d love to hear some of your ideas.  Have you found ways to stay on track and keep productive when working on your own projects or being self employed?

[Editor's Note:  Just in case you lovely people haven't checked out Heather Rae's personal blog- do it!   You can follow more of her adventures and reflections as she writes a novel, travels the world and pursues her passions. And bonus of all bonuses- today she wrote about her experiences thus far with the Joy Plan!  Personal values, anyone?]

photo credit: blustar_tam

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Comments (19)

19 Responses to “How to Be Self Employed & Uber Productive – Sort of…”

  • Sugar-n-Spice Says:
    February 24th, 2010 at 7:24 pm

    I can not keep my phone by me when I'm writing. I'm a text whore and I just can't function in life without this lame form of communication. But when it comes to being productive I somehow am able to either keep my phone in another room or turn it off OR both. I even get tempted to turn it on if it's sitting next to me. So, if my phone is out of sight I can concentrate more on being productive instead of wearing out my thumbprints by texting. Maybe this is just me…

  • Eran Says:
    February 24th, 2010 at 7:39 pm

    For me, it's LISTS! There's something so satisfying in crossing things off. On Monday, I start a list for every day of the week. Usually what ends up distracting me while I'm working is thinking of other things that need to be done. Instead of stopping my current job halfway through, I just take a moment and add that task to Tuesday's list or Thursday's list. I try to actually finish everything on the given day's list – it's like doing my future self a favour, or giving myself the gift of tomorrow. Often I try to schedule the "fun" things (that trip to Ikea, doing laundry – which I love, baking, or writing that next blog post) for later in the week so I have something to look forward to. Often, I keep certain activities to certain days (Monday is groceries, Wednesday is updating the finances etc.)…helps to keep me in line :)

  • Abi Grace Says:
    February 24th, 2010 at 7:40 pm

    I am a huge fan of setting small achievable goals for myself through the week. The trick is to have them EVERYWHERE. I have them written in my journal, on my calender, sticky noted wherever I need to see them sticky noted. The more I see it, the more likely I am to get it done. The trick is to switch your brain from "doing it because it has to get done" mode to "doing it because it makes me feel good to accomplish it" mode. You might try writing down five things that you accomplish every night to jump start the mental switch. I find the more I celebrate my accomplishments (even if it's just getting out of bed before noon the day after a show) the more I want to accomplish.

    Good luck!

  • Anne Devine Says:
    February 24th, 2010 at 7:41 pm

    Facebooking and watching Gilmore Girls sounds like a great day to me! Good to hear that he's out of the military! Hope he stays close to home for a while. :)

  • Cat Kalepo Says:
    February 24th, 2010 at 7:42 pm

    I gave my husband my weekly goal list and he checks up on me at the end of the week to make sure that I've actually accomplished them. It's easier for me to have someone who keeps me accountable otherwise my day would be filled with facebook, twittering and reading blogs :)

  • Heather Rae Says:
    February 25th, 2010 at 2:33 am

    I totally get this – I just started turning my phone off so it can't interrupt me. There are SO many little things that can distract me. This is a good one!

  • Heather Rae Says:
    February 25th, 2010 at 2:38 am

    I love lists too! I haven't been too good with making them these days, as I keep making them longer and longer – I feel like I have SO much to do. I love your idea of sitting down and making the list for the whole week on Monday and saving some of the fun stuff for later to have something to look forward to. I'm definitely trying this approach! I think I need to break it all down into small tasks so that I can finish the small goals and feel some sense of accomplishment. Thanks for this!! ps…do you really love to do laundry? I so wish I loved that!

  • Heather Rae Says:
    February 25th, 2010 at 2:40 am

    YES – I definitely need to make that mental switch! That would help so much. Good idea to write down a list of accomplishments every night – I'm definitely going to try this out! Thanks!

  • Heather Rae Says:
    February 25th, 2010 at 2:42 am

    We are SO happy that he's finally home – it seemed like it was never going to happen! I think he's here for the long run now – he reports for his residency June 1. It's about time, isn't it?!?!

  • Heather Rae Says:
    February 25th, 2010 at 2:43 am

    I've never thought to do that – what a great idea. I'm totally giving Steven my list of things for the week – will report back how this works!

  • Jenn Donogh Says:
    February 25th, 2010 at 3:52 am

    Heather, thanks for the WriteRoom recommendation! I actually downloaded it, thought I'd test it out a bit and wrote a blog in 5 minutes continuously- Crazy how much an old school black screen can help out!! Make sure you indulge every once in a while even if you are getting down to business- I watch Gilmore Girls while eating lunch for sure, otherwise why be self-employed, eh?

  • Katie Says:
    February 25th, 2010 at 3:59 am

    Best. Idea. Ever. Re: Dark Room. I'm about to download it immediately. I'm also "self-employed" and I have such a hard time remaining disciplined. I get distracted by the internets so easily. Twitter. Personal Blogging. Facebook. Stratejoy! :)

    I've also found that taking on jobs that I love helps. Doing things that I don't want to do just makes for inevitable lack of motivation.

  • Pei Yun Says:
    February 25th, 2010 at 2:54 pm

    Hi Rae, this is the first time that I am commenting to your post. Thank you for sharing your experiences. It has been on my mind to wish to travel about the world solo. That brings me to ask you, how did you realise where your source of joy is? I have been figure out where my source of joy comes from, and I realise I have to learn to differentiate between what is real source of joy and perceived source of joy.

  • Molly_Hoyne Says:
    February 25th, 2010 at 6:04 pm

    I actually function practice a very similar system! I love notecards & keep various ongoing lists (wedding, life, stratejoy, stuff I hate but must do) in addition to the tasks that need to get done each day! I am carrying around a bunch of cards at any one point, but I love that I can spread them out and get organized!

  • Molly_Hoyne Says:
    February 25th, 2010 at 6:11 pm

    Yup.. About that love thing— If I'm really resisting doing something- I have to ask myself "Why am I doing it in the first place?". Makes for some interesting revelations about what I'm trying to get done and why…

  • Heather Rae Says:
    February 26th, 2010 at 1:36 am

    It's taken me a long time to really figure out where my joy really comes from. And I'm still learning every day. In the beginning, a lot of people told me that I would be able to figure out what I'm passionate about fairly quickly if I spent enough time focusing on it – days, weeks, maybe months. Honestly, it took me a couple of years. Take your time – don't feel the need to rush yourself. When you find what's right, you'll know. And like I said – I'm still learning and changing and figuring it all out. I just figure that's all part of the fun!

  • Heather Rae Says:
    February 26th, 2010 at 1:37 am

    So true – got to make time for the fun stuff also! :) So glad WriteRoom is working for you!!

  • Pei Yun Says:
    February 26th, 2010 at 2:29 pm

    Dear Heather, thank you for your thoughtful suggestion. It helps to hear from someone who has went through the process of figuring it out. Your reply reminded me to be patient with the process, and to be kind to myself. Thanks a lot.

  • Sunny Jo Says:
    July 30th, 2010 at 8:43 pm

    Two years ago I woke up to that damn alarm clock, got dressed, walked the dog, packed my lunch, got in the car (still in a coma), sat in traffic to drive 9 miles over the next 40 minutes, walked through that huge parking lot in 105 degree weather in heels to badge my way into the building, had the obligatory "good morning, how are you today?" conversations with the receptionist and guards, took the elevator to the basement (yes, the basement, and I do realize this is a run-on sentence that I promise will end soon), and scurried to my 6×8 cubicle. I put my purse down on my empty desk (I cleaned it off every nite and never kept anything personal around. In retrospect, I think it's because I expected to escape this hell one day.). I turned on my computer and stared at it for 30 minutes wondering, what the hell am I doing here?? I spend 8-10 hours a day in this dark, dreary basement with no windows or daylight, getting bitched at by people less experienced than myself and younger no less.

    I picked up my cell phone. I walked outside to the docks where the smoking section was and called my consulting firm (I was on contract here at this place for a year through them). I told my boss "I quit. I'm outta here in 2 weeks." His response, "I don't blame you. Call me on your last day to remind me and have a happy life."

    Two weeks later I called him to remind him I quit. I never even told my co-workers I quit. The place was full of backstabbing wannabees all trying to grab the top rung of the ladder, knocking down anyone who got in their way. I refused to be a part of all that and didn't trust anyone there, so I was pretty much a loner for an entire year and it was becoming depressing. No one noticed I was gone for a full week. They thought I was on vacation.

    I took a week to make a plan. I would travel until my money ran out or I found somewhere to be that made me happy, whichever came first. (Trust me, it doesn't take long for the money to run out.) I rolled up jacks on my motorhome (I'm a full time Rv'er now for 3 yrs) and headed out on the road. I spent 2 months traveling around southern Arizona and then came out here to southern California. I have not regretted my decision for one minute and I have never stepped foot inside an office to work again. I've done some odd jobs myself (designed a few websites, fixed a few computers, etc.) and re-schooled myself in my backup plan from years ago, bartending. I don't exactly work for myself, but I still have the freedom from that corporate world that I was looking for.

    Sorry this post was so long, but I think I needed to get all that off my chest. Even though I am living a life most would envy, some days it still leaves a lot to be desired like today when I am missing friends and family and currently out of work (the job search has not been going so well lately).

    I'm heading to the zoo now for a day of mind relaxation. The job hunt has me more depressed than I realized and it's time to rejuvenate because this is not me. I have not felt like this since that lonely day in that dreary cubicle. I'm hoping that talking to the animals brings me some peace of mind today to start tomorrow with a clearer mind.

    I have read many of the posts on this site and am starting to feel a little more inspired. I still need a job and that's what weighs heavily on my mind these days, making it difficult sometimes to stay positive, but I'm trying.

    Thanks to everyone for their inspirational posts & for letting me vent!

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