It is almost a year (11 months to be exact) since I started
to freelance. One of the key reasons I wanted to freelance was that I wanted to
enjoy life. I felt my life was passing me by while I spent hours on commuting
and dealt with office politics. So basically I did want to work and I also
wanted to go out there and do things like finishing my book, learning a musical
instrument and so on.
Though I am enjoying the freelancing ride it didn’t quiet
turn out the way I had imagined. It can be said that I don’t ever want to take
up a corporate or a full-time job but I also need to start making some changes
in my freelancing life.
One big change is that I hardly ever relax. My family finds
it hard to believe that I mostly at home and even then find it hard to relax. I
am constantly thinking of new story ideas; pitches to be sent; invoices to be
made; events to be attended; sources to be contacted and, last but not the
least, stories to be written. So, it is not surprising that I am simply unable
to switch off.
One of the most enjoyable day (and the one I recall with
absolute delight!!) in the last one year was the one when I just got up from my
desk and decided to just wander about in Connaught Place just like in the
college days. That the weather was perfect added to the pleasure. Then there
was another day when I decided to stop working and paint. I really don’t know
how to paint but Youtube is always there…it was good fun. But these kind of
days are few and far between.
So, yes, I do need to learn to relax while freelancing. I
possibly cannot go on working the way I do. It is easy to practice this in
corporate job because one just gets up from office seat and comes home. So work
and office are very clearly demarcated. In my case, I get up from bed, check my
mail, open the door for the maid, pick up newspapers, decide what to eat in
breakfast and lunch, again open the door to hand over the keys to the driver,
if I have a deadline I would start working right away in my pajamas…you get the
picture. Work and home life is so complicatedly meshed up for me right now that
I find myself drained just trying to concentrate on one thing and not ignoring
the other. It is a fine balance…
Some days I use to work out a coffee house. I would just go
and park myself at a café dot at 9 am (that’s when they open otherwise frankly
I can easily reach at 8 am) but then my wallet was stolen while I was deep in
my work. After this I was just so
uncomfortable at this particular café that I was simply unable to work. So I
was back home. Now I have discovered another arrangement of spaces on hire for
freelancers…I am quiet tempted because that would solve my problem. Let’s see…
And yeah, I am yet to finish my book or to enroll myself to
learn some musical instrument. The latter is not because of want of any effort
but the problem is that most the teachers in vicinity are teaching kids and are
somewhat reluctant or uncomfortable to take up middle-aged students. Sigh!!
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