Yes, I WFH, and no, I don’t (always) work in my pyjamas!
Working from home, for myself, has taught me the importance of responsibility. Yes, there might be some days when I’m at my laptop on the sofa. But lounge-working on a full-time basis isn’t productive, despite what you might think freelancing is…
“What do you do?”
It’s a question that’s asked a lot, isn’t it? On dates, meeting new neighbours, chatting to friends of friends. It’s as normal as asking someone’s name (and certainly more acceptable than asking someone’s age) when we’re doing that common thing humans do – sizing someone up. After all, what we do, defines us, right?
When I’m asked what I do, there are times when there’s a flicker of an eye roll at my reply. And more often than not, there’s a joke involving working in my pyjamas, working from the sofa, working to a backdrop of daytime TV, or all three. Sometimes, there’s a comment about ‘getting a proper job’.
I’m Hannah, freelance writer, with a fantastic sportsluxe wardrobe
I’m a freelance writer and I work from home. So I’d be a liar if I said I hadn’t done any of those things involving PJs, sofas and the television. The beauty of quitting the rat race and working for me, is being able to work on my terms.
But on the whole, I work from an actual real life desk, fully dressed (albeit in leggings and jumpers) and once I’ve caught up with things on BBC Breakfast, the TV goes off.
Because whilst it might seem like not having to commute and having no boss sounds luxurious, I have to be on the ball at all times. Whatever happens, it’s down to me. I have to take full ownership of everything that goes right, and goes wrong. If I sit on the sofa too long drinking coffee and watching interviews with people I’m not interested in, I’m going to miss a deadline. If I don’t do what I’ve committed to doing for a client by a certain deadline without a valid reason, it’s unlikely I’ll hear from that client again. And I would assume that’s not a good place to be.
Self-accountability in freelancing, therefore, is crucial
That’s not to say I can’t start work at 6 am and finish by lunchtime. Or work through the night to meet a deadline for a client in a different time zone. But being responsible for my actions is crucial, and self-motivation in bucketloads is a skill I didn’t realise I had until I went freelance.
Which gets me thinking sometimes. When I was an employee, how much did self-accountability matter then?
A lot, it turns out. Because in a competitive environment, with new generations of eager, young, new starters nipping at my office bound, corporate, non-slippered ankles, not taking liability for my tasks, deadlines and professionalism would’ve been akin to signing my own P45.
Being accountable for our actions at work (and in our relationships and personal lives) is crucial for success. If we don’t care much for our output, the quality of our work or meeting deadlines, then sooner or later, it’ll show and our personal review scores and progress metrics will suffer. Our motivation and zest will also decline, as we feel we can’t be bothered, sending us into a vicious cycle.
Accountability matters, no matter what you do
Think about how much you care about the work that you do. Do you do it to the best of your ability and hand it in on time? Or are you a little slapdash? If you’re the latter, why is that? Is your job no longer inspiring you? What could you do to make it more motivating?
What could you do to improve your self-accountability? Could taking more pride in your amazing work, congratulating yourself and feeling proud of your accomplishments help you feel more responsible?
Could a promotion, a new job or even an entire career change help you become more accountable? What would you need to do to enable that? Are you being as accountable as you possibly can be in your job? One worth pondering.
In the meantime, if you fancy some top notch, expert content written by this desk-dwelling, non pyjama-clad freelance writer, get in touch below!
