the end of freelance as we know it

Man

09-08-24

It feels good to be back working on the site again after my little hiatus. Sometimes taking a break is good to avoid creative burnout, but it wasn't really a planned break. I just had a very busy, stressful August that had me too exhausted to do the things I enjoyed.

I had multiple job interviews I was studying around the clock for, got COVID somehow which I'm currently recovering from, and most relevant of all, my freelance bubble finally burst. If you've kept up with my blogs, you'll know I've been doing a freelance gig for the last few months. Though I still feel very grateful for it, it was definitely not good for my mental health staying home alone and doing repetitive tasks on a computer all day. Plus, the pay and work would vary wildly from week to week. With it being such an unstable source of income, I should have expected to stop getting tasks one day.
(ｏ・_・)ノ”(ノ_< )

I checked around with other contractors and it turns out everyone was left high and dry at around the same time. So, I scrambled around to get any job to replace it, even if it wasn't a degree-related career like I was looking for. Thus, I got a part-time job at the local cinema.
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Denji jumping excitedly outside a cinema

The pay is pretty bad to start and yeah, it's gonna suck paying for gas way more now, but to be honest I think it's a good change. My room was starting to feel like the Cask of Amontillado and my social skills had diminished greatly since I graduated college almost a year ago. It'll be good for me to do some retail work and customer service, while toughening up my portfolio for more lucrative careers on the side. I mean, it is retail so I'm sure it might break my brain in a different way but at least it'll be interesting.

I've also been getting more organized this past month. A good friend, whom I actually met through the personal web, encouraged me to get a physical planner and it's crazy how much just writing down a physical plan helps with productivity. For some reason with me, things don't feel as real? if they're digital and physically writing things down helps me commit to things.

I've been doing this strategy I got from this video that's helped me. I plan stuff down to the hour, even stuff that isn't work like hobbies. I also include time between tasks to refocus. It sounds obvious in retrospect, I mean you can't switch tasks in 0 seconds after all. Here's an example:

It sounds weird but making my own school-like schedule and treating tasks like class periods has helped my brain stay productive. And specifying time for even leisurely stuff like say watching a movie or reading a book is also helpful for me. It:

  1. gives me something to look forward to
  2. gives order to my free time so I don't waste it all scrolling on the Internet

and I still give myself free spaces too to turn off my brain and do whatever.

I'm interested to see how this method works for me when I have a set job to work around with variable shifts each week. That'll be the true test but it's worked well for me so far.

It's weird to say but I'm grateful to have lost my freelance gig, though it payed more than this new job at the cinema, it was just so bad on my mental health. We'll see how this new part-time goes. I'd like to make friends through it and improve my social skills, but I'm gonna go in with low expectations. Even if it sucks and turns out to be retail hell, at least I'll have stories to tell so stay tuned.
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ABSOLUTE CINEMA