The Life-Changing Magic of Freelancing

A year ago today, I walked out of my beloved office for the last time, switching from a 17 year career in financial services to the unknown world of freelance writing from home. I say ‘beloved’ without a hint of sarcasm – I loved my office very much. It was a slightly odd shape, but the view out over the Liffey was stunning on a sunny morning. And it was my space – the one place in the world that was just mine. Until it wasn’t anymore.

Georges Quay view - Office Mum

It was strange and surreal, staring into the unknown, with no idea whether or not freelancing would work out. And for the first few weeks, I did miss work from time to time, especially with never-ending school runs to contend with. (Note: if you are one of the many people who dreams of giving up your full-time job to run a business around your kids, remember this – you have to do the school run forever. Not just for a few weeks or months – forever. I still remember the moment that realisation kicked in. Not pretty.)

Being off all summer had its ups and downs – lazy mornings at home with the kids were wonderful, but working every night was tough. From September, I had three in school and preschool, and finally mornings were mine all mine for work.

And like everything else, work had its ups and downs. I learned a lot about freelance writing and a lot about myself. Like that I can come up with ideas in the morning or late at night in bed, but not sitting at my kitchen table at 10pm. And that I can’t relax until I have all the contributors I need for an article, even if the deadline is a month away. And that a first commission from a new editor is good, but a second commission is great – that’s the one that tells you, at least momentarily, that you’re not terrible at what you do.

Japanese Garden Cabinteely Park - Office Mum

On the parenting front, in theory, I have the perfect balance. In practice, the lines are more blurred than ever before. In the morning, I’m 100% focused on work – I don’t even put the breakfast dishes in the dishwasher. In the afternoons, I’m supposed to be 100% focused on the kids, but in reality, I’m not. There are always emails and phone-calls and laptop distractions. And we’re mostly doing homework and dinner and tripping over toys. There are moments of idyll but most are mundane. Good mundane, not bad mundane.

As for the guilt – unsurprisingly, it’s not gone, it’s just changed shape. I had always heard, and was reasonably certain, that when it comes to spending time with kids, quality trumps quantity every time. When I was away from the kids for 11 hours a day, I used to try to stop counting hours, and focus instead on making the most of my time spent with them. And it turns out, it’s absolutely true. Now I’m with them every afternoon, and the quality is hit and miss. Some rare days are perfect – everything just flows. Some days are awful – all of us fight. And most days are just normal. Good bits and bad bits. Feeling guilty for being away from the kids all day is one thing; feeling guilty for being with them but still not fully present is a whole different level.

coffee - office mum

Becoming self-employed and working around the kids means tradeoffs, so the daily cappuccino habit is gone, and my house isn’t quite as clean as it used to be. I have less time than ever before – I’ve even stopped putting milk in my coffee, because it’s quicker to go without. Paid writing has necessarily taken over fiction writing, so my attempt at a novel has been filed away for now – something that makes me occasionally sad. I did have lovely news recently – I was long-listed for the Colm Tóibín International Short Story Award as part of the Wexford Literary Festival, and then last week I found out I was short-listed. I’m taking it as a sign that there’s still purpose in trying fiction again when there’s more room in the day. And it was lovely timing, marking one year since I finished my old job.

freelancing in a nutshell - office mum

I think I’d sum up freelancing like this: I went to the hairdressers recently, and brought my lap top. While my hair was being cut and coloured, I used the time to finish an article I’d been working on. Isn’t freelancing great, I thought. I can get work done anywhere.

Then I went up to pay the astronomical bill. And thought about how much additional work I’d have to do to earn the cash to pay for my hair. That, in a nutshell, is freelancing.

But that’s not a happy ending is it. Perhaps what sums it up is that despite the lack of pension, sick leave, healthcare, time off, or even lunch breaks, and even knowing I’ll never be rich from writing, one year in, I wouldn’t trade it for anything.

*

This is what I’ve been doing all year – (almost) every single article is here

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...
The social media bits:Share on FacebookTweet about this on TwitterShare on Google+Share on LinkedInPin on Pinterest

27 thoughts on “The Life-Changing Magic of Freelancing”

    1. Thank you – to be fair, the transition was much easier than I anticipated, so no credit due there – I’m kind of fascinated at how easy it is to walk away from office work after such a long time!

  1. What a great year overall Andrea. You’ve written some brilliant articles and made a name for yourself. Well done too on being short-listed!
    You are an inspiration.
    Fionnuala

    1. Thanks a million Fionnuala, I’d say I definitely fall short of being an inspiration but it’s nice to celebrate the year!

  2. That’s an impressive year (school runs and all!). So delighted that the move is working out well for you. I can totally identify with the guilt of being home but not present. It’s so tough to navigate the divide between work and parenting when you’re home all day every day!
    Stuff and Nothing recently posted…The First Trimester (again)My Profile

    1. It is hard isn’t it – much easier to compartmentalise when you’re physically away and then physically at home. Pros and cons on all sides I’d say. Though you won’t know yourself when preschool and school starts – that makes a huge difference!

    1. Thank you! I have no illusions of going further but can’t even begin to explain how excited I am to have been shortlisted – it means a huge amount.

  3. It’s so lovely to read how well this has all worked out for you, and refreshing that you point out the hard bits about the quality of parenting etc. Have I ever told you that you’re an inspiration?

    1. I think that was the biggest eye opener for me – the fact that being with the kids all day doesn’t mean they’re being parented any better than when I wasn’t here – how scary is that! But I imagine that for the average person, there’s rarely a perfect, perfect, perfect solution – there will always be things we beat ourselves up about. But thank you.

  4. Great update. Well done. The lack of health care etc is a killer but think of the tax breaks when your book is published and you get to file taxes as an artist. Cha ching!

    1. Thank you so much! Yes maybe next year, with littlest in school, will yield a little bit more me-time. And look, I’m being a martyr too – I could probably take more time off, but I feel under pressure (by myself) to really push at it for now. Sometimes we’re our own worst enemies!

  5. Congrats Andrea! Love keeping up with your updates and the honesty about working from home! Can relate to all, esp all the afternoon ‘officially-not- supposed-to-be- working-but-logging- on-to email-while-sitting-doing -homework”!!! Continued success!

    1. Thank you for the lovely comment! Yes, very hard to stick to those work/ home boundaries. I always say to the kid “I’m just sending a work email now, and then I’ll be back to you” so that they know there’s a reason and that it’s finite. But still, I wish I was better at giving them 100%!

    1. Thank Jennie – I’ll need all the luck to the get it finished, and about 48 hours in every day, but then that’s true for most of us!

  6. You are an amazing woman Andrea. I really really enjoyed this article. You have a way with words (duh) and it really resonated with me and inspired me also. Happy anniversary of taking the plunge. You are brilliant!

    1. Thanks Tracey and best of luck to you too with self-employment – it’ll all pay off in the end for both of us I hope!

Comments are closed.