Builder update: they are still here but I have made myself a nest among the chaos in which to write and eat Monster Munch, so things are looking up….
Is anyone else getting Christmas Creep? I’m a fully paid-up member of the Keep Christmas in December brigade. But my freelance calendar for December already looks like hell on toast, so this year I sense that resistance is not only useless but self-defeating. An early start seems like the only option. Urgh.
As I’ve said before, I work pretty much seven days a week - not necessarily all day but a clear day is rare. I spied an empty day in the diary at the back end of November and it occurred to me that if I don’t use that to put the decorations up, it probably won’t happen at all. Wow. When I started freelancing, I imagined all sorts of compromises I’d have to make to my guiding principles, mostly related to whose money I’d have to take. I didn’t think the first thing to go would be my “no tinsel in November” rule.
It made me wonder what else freelance life has forced me to change. Where else have I made compromises?
Turns out there’s no specific list of things. It’s everything. It’s also nothing - at least nothing that really matters. I imagine a lot of the major changes, like often having to work at home in isolation, would have been more noticeable were it not for the pandemic - by the time I left “office life”, well, I’d already effectively made those adjustments.
A lack of routine was undoubtedly a struggle early on - and those of you who’ve been with me from the start of this comedy-drama witnessed my repeated attempts to create a self-imposed one. I’ve always been someone who likes to know “the plan”. But now I'm able to juggle my time (mostly, aside from my endless capacity to over-commit) and reprioritse as necessary. And, if anything, I’m more chilled out now even though a clear timeline and route map was what used to keep me calm. Turns out the seats on Seat Of Your Pants Airlines are surprisingly comfy with plenty of legroom.
As I say, the things that changed aren’t terribly important. Perhaps it’s more significant to notice the compromises that I haven’t needed to make.
I’ve not had to start working for Big Evil, or even Big Boring. I haven’t compromised on that. It would have been very easy to do so when I first started out - and I’ll even confess to getting the fear and considering some rather terrible jobs. But fortunately, I had some very wise counsel from career coach Penny to guide me. In case you missed that episode of Terrible Mistake, it’s one simple question: how much would you have to get paid to feel excited about this job? And since the answer was that there’s no amount I could be paid to actually feel “excited”, my course of action was clear.
Look, OK, freelance life isn’t like the pictures in brochure. I don’t have relaxed, athleisure-clad mornings considering my day before decamping to a coffee shop where I tap away for a few hours. I don’t work from the beach. I’m not a digital nomad. BUT I’ve never had to do anything that I really didn’t want to do. Does every assignment make my heart sing? Or course not. Nothing’s ever made me feel like a sell-out though.
So, yes, Christmas decs in November will be the first thing I’ve had to do that makes me uncomfortable. Huh. Didn’t see that coming.
Friday Dance Break
No link this week but this popped up on the Spotify-randomiser this week (I know, I was surprised too) and it made me so happy. And I do like to spread joy. Actually, if I really reeeeeeach, there is a link - thoughts of Christmas. For what is Christmas without Eric and Ernie?