Monday, January 27, 2014

My Six Month Anniversary

It's been six months since I quit the Day Job and took inviting full-time. Six months, I can't believe it!

Things I've learned:
  • Having a schedule is good. Tuesdays and Thursdays are designing days; Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays are printing days. Blog posts get published Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. Newsletter updates go out Fridays. Lunch break is at 12:30, quitting time is 5:15. But flexibility is important, too:
  • If the weather is good for a run, I should take advantage of it and go.
  • But if the weather is gloomy, it's just as hard to get focused to work as when you're working on the 30th floor in a law firm downtown; I want to close the laptop, grab a novel and curl up on a sofa.
  • Netflix is probably the reason I don't get Cabin Fever. When T worked from home, he'd get lonely and tired of being in the house. I don't get that way, probably because i have my ipad streaming conversations for most of the day (except when designing, then it's Pandora radio only.)
  • No snacks in the house. Seriously, no crackers and chips allowed.  I know myself. Apples & green tea are good. Only buy things that take time to cook. (Sadly I've mastered quick stove-top mac & cheese; makes an amazing breakfast on cold mornings. Bad Ashley!)
  • Frustrated with a project or feeling creatively blocked? Clean house or tackle a domestic project: it helps get out nervous energy or take your mind off the project for a bit.
  • To remember that when I get to that point of extreme anxiety about not being able to cut myself a paycheck, things get busy again. It's really hard, and maybe the anxiety helps (might be a little getting superstitious there) but work does pick up.
  • Taxes suck. Seriously. That Employer's Quarterly Tax Return seems insanely high for such low pay. That on top of personal taxes? Oof.
Things I'm still working on:
  • Making time to exercise every day. Not there yet.
  • Developing systems to improve efficiency. 
  • Social Media. I think that's one of those never-ending tasks, since things are always changing & evolving. 
  • Designs & Printing: I've noticed great improvement with those skills these past months, so it's pretty exciting to think of where they'll be in July, as these are both areas where there is always room for growth and experimentation. 
It's been a great six months and I can't wait to see how things change at the one year mark.

Cheers,
ashley

2 comments:

  1. Congratulations on your halfversary! It's awesome that you've figured out ways to pump up your productivity and have a good idea what you need to work on to keep moving things forward!

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