Throughout my 12 months of working strictly from home, I have found so many myths of the wonders and fabulousness of said situation to be utterly and completely shattered.
Making your day, your time. Sipping cups of tea, one right after the other, whilst looking our the window to contemplate your next task. Starting your day when you like and ending it as early or as late as needs be. Feeling in control of your environment and situation. And feeling rather pleased with one's self for responding to the unimaginative question of What-Do-You-Do with 'well, I work from home.'
As cosy and as nice as all of that sounds, this just has not been the reality for me. I do remember those helcian (sarcastic) days of starting up my business whilst working full time at a job I disliked. By day I was a mild mannered office worker, taking people's phone calls, filing, writing eviction notices and such like, but by night I was creating a new world of Gee How Quaint dreamyness, commiting my handiwork to treasured items. We ate poorly during this period. I felt gaunt and drawn and never went to bed before midnight. It was such a hard slog, but eventually, I had to make the decision to work outside of the home part time if I wanted to have a proper go at the business.
A year ago I gave up outside work altogether and have focused on the business and creating artworks.
To which it is often responded to with 'oh, that must be nice.'
Well, it is, and it isn't. I wake up just as early as my friends with office jobs. 6:30 and I'm bounding out of bed, peering through tired eyes to find my way to the coffee machine. My husband can attest to the fact that I am still working late into the evenings. But the thing is, once you say you work from home, people suddenly stop respecting you. And you, yes, you little home office drone, are suddenly the recipient of comments heard in passing that go a little like this:
'Oh, she has time to do extra such and such. She works from home'
'Must be nice to have that luxury'
'Get her to do it. She doesn't work.'
But the thing is, to make the decision to work from home means sacrificing a monthly pay cheque and all stability goes flying out the door. Jobs that were never your jobs to begin with become your responsibility (since when is it my job to do all cooking, food shopping, all cleaning, laundry and every single dog walk of the week...just because I work from home?!) And it is shocking to me to find that at the end of the week, all of those necessary tasks that I should have been doing for myself, for my business, for MY income, have suddenly been taken over with everybody' else's work?
And it isn't that I am trying to have a nice little hobby earner, it is that this HAS TO WORK. I do not have the luxury of an 'it would be nice if I got a little spending money' attitude.
To work from home, it is necessary to develop the thick skin of a rhino. To not let the petty comments get to you. To have your time valued less than others. It isn't all cups of tea and lie ins. That has never been my reality and I doubt it ever will be.
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