This weekend I sent in my paperwork to be an independent contractor with a company in Utah to do copy writing for their creative team. It is the smallest job, and other than you, dear Internet, I haven't really told anyone. But I’m still super excited, and here’s the whole story.
Before I had my perfect babies, a woman at church was telling me about how she just started an administrative job at a middle school. She said she always knew she would eventually go back to work, she just didn’t know when. Then, when her youngest daughter was in seventh grade, she looked around her house one day and thought to herself, “Oh, I’m ready to start working again.”
That conversation has been immensely comforting to me over the years. When I was in law school, I did not imagine myself staying home with children. I wasn’t crazy about watching kids, and I liked legal work, so I figured if I got married and had kids, they would have a nanny. Then, of course, I had kids, and here I am blogging while they nap, so what did I know? After that conversation, I have not stressed out about when I will go back to work because I really believe that one day I’ll look at my life and feel like I'm ready.
Anyway, I had a tiny bit of that feeling earlier this year. I told Chris and my friend Whitney that I was thinking about freelance writing. A few months later Whitney sent me a link to a job opening, and she said I would be great at it. I applied. They hired me. So this is a success story in women helping women! Female empowerment. Hashtag feminism.
Anyway, I'm not practicing law, but I am using that BA in English! Woohoo! Also? Please share your work from home advice. When do you squeeze that in? Do you have a babysitter? How do you also exercise and go grocery shopping? We’ll see how this goes.
b perry
Yay! I'm excited for you.
ReplyDeleteThis depends on how many hours you are working and how well your kids nap, but after many years of going to school and working with small kids, here's what I've learned:
1. Have a dedicated work space
2. Pay for childcare. My kids survived a whole summer of watching TV and entertaining themselves while I worked, but it's a whole lot less stressful and guilt-inducing to know they are being stimulated and well taken care of while you work.
3. Having consistent work hours really helps with the routine and reduces the stress of constantly trying to work out the schedule and figure out when you will have time to get things done.
4. Hire a house cleaner. (Took me way too long to do this, but seriously life-changing!) It doesn't have to be a house cleaner, but recognize that something has to give, and you can choose what it is.
Good luck! You're going to be awesome!
Hooray!!! Congratulations!!! And now we know what you do with a BA in English ;) So funny, I was just pondering about getting a job of sorts today. I started an Etsy shop as a “side hustle” and have sold two whole things (for a profit of $20 haha), but it’d be nice to have something more legit!
ReplyDeleteJust read this. But I worked from home until we moved from Utah to California. I got up early and worked in the morning (like 6am, and my oldest was AMAZING and slept til at least 8), and during nap time. After I had Luke and was still working, I would hold him while he slept and I typed. Or put him in the Moby wrap and stood, bouncing, while I sent emails. So fun. I worked about 20 hours a week, and usually was able to get my 4 hours./day done in those hours. If I didn't, I finished up in the evening after the kid(s) were in bed. Of course, I stopped when Luke was almost 4 months, so I have no idea how to balance a preschooler and a toddler. Good luck with your job!
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