Whew!

Last Friday I was feeling #allthefeels as I said goodbye to a place that felt like my second home for nearly a decade. A place that saw me through two babies and so much “life.” Some of my best friends. So many memories. A feeling of safety and stability.

 I left my corporate copywriting job of 9 years.

My friends at work surrounded me with the most honorable sendoff with the most kind words. They gave me the most fabulous gifts, but the most fabulous feeling of commendation resonated behind them.

Monday morning was the real deal, and it still feels surreal. I am in a period of adjustment right now because my sensible side is screaming “what the heck are you doing?” while the real raw inner me with fire and purpose and drive is yelling “helllllllllllll yeah!!!!”

Yep, that’s the feeling. This boy gave me the most heartwarming 
face when I told him I would be home when he got off the bus.

So, what did my first day of working at home look like?

Well, let me show you. I put together a very well thought out schedule weeks in advance, so all I had to do was follow it.

And I did, for the most part.

The schedule

What my ideal freelance writing schedule looks like:

5:30-6am Wake up, get coffee, wake up Kayne and get him ready for school.

6-8am Start on my work before Rayna gets up. (I am also building some personal habits into this time. I plan to do a separate post on that, because it deserves its own explanation.)

8:9am Workout, shower, and breakfast with Rayna. (Yes, I plan to shower every day;)

9:12pm Sitter comes while I sit down to my work.

12-1pm Lunch with my Boo, put her down for nap

1-4pm Work

4pm once Kayne gets home, turn off work mode and focus on the family.

 

What the schedule actually looked like yesterday:

6:30am: get up a half-hour after I should have, because I stayed up too late (I don’t intend on this happening again).

6:50am: Kayne misses his bus, so I have to get Rayna up and dressed and drive Kayne to school. So, I really don’t get any considerable work done in my 6-8am stretch.

8-8:45am: Work out with Rayna in the room, because she’s perfectly content watching and playing near me while I work out. Monday is leg day. I have to stop in the middle of the workout to read Rayna a book because she sits on me and hands me a Scooby Doo book. Happy to oblige!

8:45-9: Shower, grab a smoothie.

9:15-12:15: Get down to work, for real this time. Working on some client research.

12:15-1:15: Lunch with my daughter, mom, sister, and nephews. Put Rayna down for her nap after a little bit of snuggle time.

1:30-4:30pm: Work. Spent about 1/2 hour working outside as it was unseasonably warm in WI earlier in the week. Kayne came home at 3:50 but promptly announced he was going to play at the neighbor’s. I did a quick Periscope Livestream about my first day of self-employment while he was away.

4:30-7:30pm: Turn off the computer and turn my attention to my family. We had a tray meal for dinner (sweet potatoes, beans and chicken), worked on rebuilding some of Kayne’s Lego vehicles, wrestled a bit, and then got ready for bed.

8pm: Put the kids to bed, and a live Kat Loterzo training about funnels came on, so I watched that.

9:30pm: Bed for momma.

If you were following along on Snapchat (@StarBasil) or Instagram (@Jess_FlashFit) stories, I did a whole play-by-play of my day.

 

Oh friends, my day was fabulous. Nothing all that noteworthy happened, but everything was noteworthy! I’m now self-employed and it’s real and it’s happening. I got to sit outside whenever I wanted instead of being cooped up and missing these beautiful days we’ve been having. I got to see Rayna whenever I wanted and see my boy when he got off the bus. I got to turn my full attention to them after work, instead of being distracted by my freelance stuff or trying to make my life dreams come true. Because now I get to work on them during my “office hours!”

And check this out, my new work uniform consists of soft leggings and oversized shirts:

I feel a little bit like Carrie on Sex and the City. They pay me to write about what I love. I can’t help but wonder…why have I waited so long?

And Monday I did $380 worth of work!!!! Seriously, a few hours of work and I’m already nearly doubling my previous income. I don’t know if that will happen every day, but I’m already sitting pretty for the week.

Tuesday, it was a record high over 60 degrees. In February. In Wisconsin. And I am more grateful than words for this opportunity to enjoy things like that.

Guys, I have so much more to share about this freelance life, so if you want to stay updated, make sure you’re on my mailing list. I plan to spill all my secrets and share more about freelance life as it unfolds before your very eyes and as I navigate this freelance territory.

And I just want to encourage you to chase after your own dreams. Because this feeling? It is everything you’ve been looking for and more.

So, tell me…

How do you wish you could spend your days?