Self-Employment is a confusing blend of how I expected it would be, and how I could have never imagined it to be. When I tell people I’m self-employed and work from home, it’s often met with sighs of, “oh how lucky” and “I bet you just sleep all day long.” So I thought I’d share ten things you may not know about self-employment.
- I wake up the same time I did when I was working my “real job.” Sure I may push snooze a couple more times when Wednesdays roll around (my least favorite day), but I’m usually at my desk before or around 9 am every morning, including the weekends.
- Weekends don’t really exist. Sure I take more time off during the weekends since our friends and family have those days off, but more often than not I’m working. Most jobs have a clear start and end time, but with self-employment everything gets a bit muddled.
- Working in pajamas definitely does happen, but I like to get ready every morning as if I’m going to a desk job somewhere that’s not in my living room.
- It’s not as glamorous as one would think. I literally work in our living room. My desk is right next to where we relax and I’m in eye sight of our cat’s litter box. Working from home definitely has its pros, but it’s not as fabulous as I imagined it would be.
- I’m not free whenever people call or ask to hang out. Our friends have the hardest time understanding that just because we set our own schedules, doesn’t mean we can just pop out any time we want. There are deadlines and structure to our days just like any other job. Sure, it is a bit more flexible, but I’m definitely not at the beck and call whenever it’s convenient for other people.
- When gloomy days happen, they’re so much worse. Usually if I’m feeling down and out I would just take the day off of work and stay home, but working from home you just don’t get the same feeling. If I’m having an off day I feel even worse about it because I see Alex working away and I’m laying in bed feeling sorry for myself. I think our tiny apartment amplifies this too.
- Every day I worry about our future. With my university job I never felt that much worry or insecurity, but since we work for ourselves it’s become that much more stressful. It’s a constant blend of self-doubt, fear people will just suddenly stop buying stickers, and concern about keeping things going.
- I get seriously stir crazy. Alex and I will just leave the house to go walk around Target and not buy anything, just to get out of the house. I think this also has a lot to do with our tiny living space, but I’m sure in our future home we’ll feel the itch to just get out and get some fresh air.
- It’s a lot more complicated than you think. When I first decided to quit my job I had no idea the information I was going to learn. We had to find our own health insurance, figure out much more complicated taxes, and tons of other adult things we just never really worried too much over. There’s so much more to learn than just how to work for yourself. I’m still so clueless about a lot of things involved in working at home.
- I wouldn’t have things any other way. I love working for myself and working from home. It’s everything I’ve ever wanted and most of the trouble comes in worrying that it’ll go away. Yet I don’t want to do anything else ever again if I can help it.
Do you have any questions about what it’s like to be self-employed? Leave them in the comments!
xoxo Kayla
