Under My Wig

Five weeks ago today was my last day with a full-time job. The other day, someone asked me: Has it lived up to your goals?

Um, what was that? Was I supposed to set goals for this big adventure? Outline some sort of financial plan? Or maybe even just a work plan? Oops.

Hmmm … Well, I’m not forced to eat Ramen noodles three meals a day (yet), which is as good a barometer as any for how business is going.

But maybe what he really meant was: Has it lived up to your expectations? And that answer to that is: Yes. I figured I’d be eating Ramen noodles at least one meal per week, but so far, only the best Kroger brand spaghetti for me. In all seriousness, it’s been a blast. Here’s the lowdown.

The Good
I get up and “go to work” each day at 9 a.m. My “commute” either takes 20 seconds, as I walk into my home office, or 10 minutes, if I walk up the street to one of my client’s offices, where he has allowed me some space and a plug.

I’m learning tons, as I read and take classes to become a professional organizer, and as I work with clients to help write articles, press releases, use social media and a host of other tasks to make sure business happens.

I also actually have time to attend networking events and other random classes now that I have normal work schedule. The new schedule also means I can have a social life.

The Bad
Not having a regular paycheck takes some adjustment. Yes, I’m getting paid, and it will be at regular times each month, which means I’m lucky. While I don’t miss the daily grind of the full-time same place, same stuff job, I do miss knowing that every second Friday there would be money in my bank account.

Working doesn’t always mean getting paid. I usually work seven or eight hours a day. But that doesn’t mean I can charge my clients or employer for every minute of that time. I might be updating my Web site or checking out some professional networking groups.

The Ugly
Taxes are no fun. I now get to file my taxes quarterly, which means I pay the government four times a year. How exciting. I’m really looking forward to filling out that IRS paperwork. Does “cluelessness” count as a defense?

The Bottom Line
I’m happy. I made the right choice. Of course, it’s only five weeks in, so there’s still time …

I have measured out my life with coffee spoons. ~ “The Love Song of Alfred J. Prufrock” by T.S. Eliot

Two days left of work. Two days left of boot camp. Four days until the weekend.

My old boss called me a clock-watcher. Then, it was a bad thing. I couldn’t wait to leave at 5 p.m. each day.

For the past year, I’ve done nothing but watch the clock, but at a TV station, it’s a good thing: I strive to produce a news show by 6 p.m. Every second counts when you’re trying to put the day’s news into twenty-seven minutes and 30 seconds, minus commercials. I spend eight hours working on a show, I watch it happen, and it’s quickly over. The seconds fly by at the end. (Unless something is going horribly wrong.)

In two days, I will no longer be a clock watcher.

They say you have to be a little be crazy to start your own business. I agree. I must be crazy to give up the security of a full-time job with health benefits and a steady paycheck. But here I go.

Many of my friends and family know I’m leaving, but they don’t know exactly what I’m doing. They are all expecting a simple insert-new-job-title-and-company-name-here answer. Nope. Guess again. The answer is: a lot of things.

It’s not easily summed up in a 30-second elevator pitch. So here’s a breakdown, as we say on TV:

• Freelancing – Writing, editing, social media management. Producing content for Web sites, media relations, marketing. If you know anyone who needs my services, send them my way. I may have landed a client who needs a book edited, which I’m excited to do.

• Professional Organizing – I’ll be taking classes with the National Association of Professional Organizers, and, if my plans work out, I’ll be working as an organizer part-time.
• Meeting Management – I still haven’t heard back about this one, but I’m hoping a meeting management company has some part-time work for me that would allow me to go to different cities and help companies set up meetings.

I’m an organized and efficient person, so I doubt I’ll keep my eyes from the clock while doing any of these jobs. But at least it will be for me.

Two more days.