Blogging as reward

I can't believe it's only been a little over a year since I've been fully self-employed. I can believe, however, that my blogging has been way less regular since then.

Blogging used to be part of my morning ritual... Go to work. Check emails. Blog. Work. Have coffee with boss and discuss any urgent jobs for the day, etc.

But working as a freelancer means there's not much of a routine. Sometimes it's slow, sometimes it's frenetic. There are times when I work on the same project for weeks and times where I tackle six different jobs in a day.

The way I try to work now is to lay out a schedule of what needs to be done and then blog as a reward for finishing something. It's a healthier incentive than chocolate ;-) But it's also frustrating because for the past few months I've been so busy that I never get to the end of my to-do list and there's always something more urgent to do than write a blog post.

There are so many things I've wanted to blog about - movies I've seen, funny things my clients have done, personal news, restaurants I've discovered and the bloody cold weather.

I've missed catching up on everyone else's blogs regularly and I've missed writing daily here. But it is what it is, and it's unlikely to change until things slow down. If things slow down.

So I will continue to reward myself for work completed by blogging and blog-reading, but occasionally (like now) I will also bend my rules and stop by to post something quickly even though there are so many urgent jobs needing to be tackled, just because I need to blog.

And I will try to stop apologising for the less frequent posts because a) it's annoying to read and b) it's the way it has to be for now.

K. Now I really do need to go and do some of those urgent jobs. Thanks for reading.

Self-employed

Today I got up as usual, showered and got dressed for work. The difference was that when it came time to leave for the office, I pulled on my slippers, put in a load of washing and sat down behind my laptop at the dining room table (where the sun shines in through the window).

Yes, this self employment thing has its benefits. Aside from the sound of the washing machine and the builders somewhere in the complex, all is quiet. No incessant phone ringing. No annoying music playing (that always drove me mad at the office). I had done more by 9am this morning than I would normally have accomplished by lunch time at the office.

Of course, it also has its pitfalls. Like yesterday, when TSC was at home trying to study for his geology exam and the once-a-week cleaner and gardener we employ were also here. Between the vacuum cleaner, lawn mower and constant questions (What does argillaceous mean? Where's the tile cleaner? Can I cut this branch off?) I got nothing done. It was infuriating.

I'm guessing that Tuesdays will be my client meeting and outings days in future.

The cats can't quite decided whether me working from home is a good thing or not. On the one hand (paw) they know that I am now at their beck and call all day long. But on the other, they can't get up to mischief without me knowing about it either.

There's two sides to every coin, hey ;-)

Weekend!

Yay! Yay! Yay!

I feel as though this week has dragged its heels like a stubborn five-year old on his way to a bath. But at last, the end has come.

Well, nearly. I still have a big client meeting this afternoon and loads of that intimidating freelance work to do before I can kick back and enjoy a curry with some of our neighbours tonight, but I can feel the relief already.

Although, I am still nervous about the meeting this afternoon. Firstly, I hate Friday afternoon meetings, because the thought of weekend plans makes concentration difficult. "Yes, I totally agree with your decision to relook your website curry... I mean copy. Sorry."

Secondly, this client is awesome, but incredibly intelligent (like genius level) and I feel like he talks over my head 90% of the time. And he talks super fast and in techie jargon, making the keeping up even more of a challenge. I'm always a couple of TLAs (three-letter acronyms) behind him.

Thirdly, he's not actually my client - I was brought in on this job by a colleague to do certain bits of it - so I need to not screw up, or I'll reflect badly on the person who recommended me.

Eeep!

I sometimes get terrified when I realise that this little business TSC and I started rests squarely in my hands at the moment (until his studies finish, at least. And probably beyond). It's my job to make it a success, and it's my responsibility if it all goes balls up.

But right now I'm going to try to forget that, make myself a cuppa and grab a rusk while I daydream of curry and my warm bed.

Have a fabulous Friday, people. I leave you with a funny from my inbox:

We are about to enter the braai (BBQ) season. Therefore it is important to refresh your memory on the etiquette of this sublime outdoor cooking activity.

When a man volunteers to do the braai the following chain of events are put into motion: Routine...
(1) The woman buys the food.
(2) The woman makes the salad, prepares the vegetables, and makes dessert ..
(3) The woman prepares the meat for cooking, places it on a tray along with the necessary cooking utensils and sauces, and takes it to the man who is lounging beside the grill - beer in hand.
(4) The woman remains outside the compulsory three meter exclusion zone where the exuberance of testosterone and other manly bonding activities can take place without the interference of the woman.

BBQ RULES
Here comes the important part:
(5) THE MAN PLACES THE MEAT ON THE GRILL.


(6) The woman goes inside to organize the plates and cutlery.
(7) The woman comes out to tell the man that the meat is looking great. He thanks her and asks if she will bring another beer while he flips the meat.

Important again:
(8) THE MAN TAKES THE MEAT OFF THE GRILL AND HANDS IT TO THE WOMAN.


More routine...
(9) The woman prepares the plates, salad, bread, utensils, napkins, sauces, and brings them to the table.
(10) After eating, the woman clears the table and does the dishes.

And most important of all:
(11) Everyone PRAISES the MAN and THANKS HIM for his cooking efforts.
(12) The man asks the woman how she enjoyed 'her night off' and, upon seeing her annoyed reaction, concludes that there's just no pleasing some women.

Overwhelmed

I am in ostrich mode.

I'm feeling overwhelmed by my freelance work (especially by one client, who seems to think I have access to limitless time, funds and even government ministers. Hah! I wish) and so I am doing what I usually do when things get too much - procrastinating. I've been blogging, reading blogs, going through my junk emails folder, chatting with colleagues and generally doing everything I can to not do what I need to do.

Clever, hey? Putting aside the big pile of work until I have even less time to deal with it. Tsssk tsssk, Tamara.

My dad reckons I work better under pressure. I think I have no choice - the pressure is usually my own fault. I just don't know where to start, so I don't start.

I must get over this. Let me take a step towards that goal now and go and nail at least the top things on my to-do list. Fun, fun.

Freelancing... the pros and cons

As most of you know... I work mornings at a small company and then freelance in the afternoons. The goal is to go full-time freelance one day.

Here's some thoughts on that. The good and bad of freelancing...

Pros:

• Working for yourself - no boss, no office hours and no office politics (unless you suffer from multiple personality disorder or are taking vast quantities of hallucinogenic drugs).
• Choosing your own projects. If you don't like it, you don't have to take it on.
• The potential to earn damn good money.
• Working at home. From your bed, if you like. With your cats and cup of Milo. Or a bottle of Jack, if that's your preference.
• No "15 days of leave" nonsense. It's all your time and you can take a holiday whenever you feel like it.
• No team-building sessions!
• Variety - the spice of life.
• All the money the client pays for the job (apart from tax) is yours.

Cons:

• Working for yourself... Nobody but you to take the blame when things go pear-shaped.
• No choice but to take all the work that comes your way - there's no set salary to rely on.
• The potential to earn absolutely nothing if you don't get work in for any given month.
• The potential to turn into an unprofessional slob because you work, eat and sleep in your bed. With your cats and Milo. Or Jack.
• Having to deal with clients outside of office hours and during "holiday" periods.
• No friendly office banter.
• No stability or routine.
• You ARE the boss, accountant, tea lady, receptionist etc.

Remind me why I'm chasing this again ;-)

One thing that I didn't think about...

...Is that when I'm sitting in bed, typing away, my cats have easy access to my lap - they simply climb on top of my laptop ;-)

I love my cats. If it were up to me they'd star in the LOLcats newsletter from ICHC every day.

Here are my darlings...

In pleasant news, while the office politics continue, I have my third feature article from the nice magazine I've been writing for. Happiness! The deadline is super tight, but the topic is great.

And, TSC and I are planning a long weekend away near the end of next month, so I'm happily trawling the internet for nice, reasonably-priced places to stay. If anyone has suggestions (must be somewhere warm. Maybe Limpopo or North West?), please drop me a comment and let me know. And before you international smart asses start, I mean somewhere within a few hours drive, still in the country, k?

We're more than halfway through our first full working week in ages and I actually feel just fine. I'm going to enjoy the sense of calm that seems to have randomly fallen on top of me while it lasts.

Have a good evening, folks.

Role play

Have you ever noticed how you end up in roles you'd never have imagined yourself in?

I've never seen myself as the entrepreneurial type. At all. I kind of pictured myself as a journalist working my way through the ranks at some nice glossy consumer magazine, until, after many moons, I would eventually make editor.

Instead, at the age of 24, I find myself working my half day PR job in the mornings, and then running my own freelance business in the afternoons. I'm not exactly sure how that happened, seeing I don't have a clue how to run a business.

Frankly, I am amazed that all the right paperwork got filled in and that the thing got registered at all, nevermind the fact that I actually have a couple of clients. I mean, the last time I did book-keeping was in grade 9, and I sucked at it even then. I have no idea how quotes and invoices and all that jazz works. Yet, somehow, I have still managed to get a bit of money in the bank. I still need to find someone to help me figure out the whole tax thing and do the book balancing so I don't end up in jail someday.

I just feel like such a fraud. I am terrified that someone will discover that I ended up here by accident and don't know what I'm doing. I stress that my clients will realise that I'm actually just a little girl playing dress up. This whole thing petrifies me beyond belief.

Is it like this for everyone? Somebody please say yes!