I left my day job back in early October, and it’s wild to realize it’s been over three months since then. Time flies when you’re self-employed. I never wake up dreading work anymore, which is fantastic. Instead, I wake up happy and full of energy, excited for the new possibilities each day brings.
Being in control of my future is empowering, even if it can be a bit scary at times. I decided to do a quarterly update to see how I’m doing and to track my progress. Plus, it might be fun to look back on these updates in the future.
Many of you have mentioned that you’re also planning to make the switch to self-employment and that these updates would be helpful. Thanks for your interest! 🙂
In these three months, I’ve learned a lot about being self-employed. While I’m not an expert yet, I’m definitely getting the hang of things, especially when it comes to understanding and expanding my business. So far, I’m loving the self-employed life, and it’s treating me well.
I expected to have a better schedule. When people think about self-employment, they often look forward to a flexible schedule. But for me, a strict schedule hasn’t worked out yet. I’m constantly on my phone, probably because I’m excited about my new business. I love my flexible schedule, but I need to be more disciplined about working during set hours. Instead of lounging on the couch or bed, I need to sit at a proper desk.
I’ve also started to spend less. Many self-employed people say working from home saves money, but initially, I spent more and ate out more often. It didn’t make sense because I was home more and could cook. Thankfully, that’s changed. We now eat at home more and cook delicious meals. Being on a health kick helps too, as fast food no longer appeals to me.
Surprisingly, I’m not constantly snacking. I thought being home all the time would mean endless trips to the kitchen, but I don’t buy snacks anymore. Our house is stocked with fruits and vegetables instead.
I’m still sleeping too much. When I had my day job, I’d wake up early to work on side projects. Now, I wake up around 5 a.m., work for an hour, and then go back to sleep for several more hours. I need to change this habit. Even though I don’t have to be anywhere, I know I’m most productive in the early morning.
And yes, the stereotype about self-employed people always being in their pajamas is true for me. If I’m not going out, I stay in my pajamas all day. It’s a bit gross, I know, but it means I spend less on clothes. In the past three months, I’ve only bought two jackets, a dress, and a shirt, and I probably didn’t need the shirt or the dress.
So, what else do you want to know about my first three months of self-employment? Did anything in my update surprise you?