Michelle Goodman will be available via live chat to give advice on how you can be a successful entrepreneur. Live chat: 7.29.07 at 7pm EST, here on Writers Revealed.

How do you survive work as a short timer?
Some of my blog readers have asked about surviving that limbo period when you’ve decided to make the leap from day job to dream job but you’re stuck in the day job for another few months or so. Maybe you’re waiting to make your move until you’ve stockpiled enough money or clients, or maybe you’re interviewing for a choice new day gig. Either way, your heart’s not in your current position. So how do you make it Monday through Friday without your
soul shriveling up?

I write about surviving as a short timer throughout The Anti 9-to-5 Guide, especially in Chapter 3 and the Temp Survival Guide at the back of the book. Some things I did at my last onerous, year-long temp gig (which I took for the resume and bank account boost) to help me make it through each week when, believe me, I thought
about jumping off a bridge on more than one occasion:

1. Made a chart to denote my financial goal (save up enough money for a down payment on a Seattle-area shack) and checked my progress daily to remind myself why the frack I was commuting two miserable hours a day. This silly little ritual stopped me from quitting no less than eleven dozen times. Eyes on the prize, baby!

Someone else might make a timeline to indicate when they’ll reach each milestone on the road to career change (i.e., save enough money to jump ship, finish that project management class, land their first three freelance clients, whatever). See the anti 9-to-5 action plans in the
book for help and inspiration.

2. Cozied up to other non-drones so I had people to commiserate with, but more importantly, so I had down-to-earth “real” folks to share laughs, walks outside, CD recommendations, American Idol critiques, and anything else even remotely life-affirming with. It’s the little things in office life that help you hang on.

3. Always had a writing project going on the side (usually an article or essay due for some book, website, or magazine) so I had something to look forward to after work. This also gave me something that fed my soul that I could work on during the bus ride to work and/or my lunch break. Writing for even 30 minutes before or during the workday (that is, at lunch) meant the difference between a really shitty mood and a really sunny outlook for me, mainly because it meant that I was doing something for moi (and not just for my megacorp employer) during the hours of the day when I was at my freshest and most creative.

For someone else, this might mean researching people whose brain they’d like to pick during their lunch hour, reading about a hopeful new career path on the ride in to work (or over morning coffee), or attending a lecture or class or brainstorming group after work once in a while - all energy-boosting, light-at-the-end-of-the-tunnel quick fixes to get you
through the workweek.

Related Posts
Michelle Goodman’s Business Plan Do’s and Don’ts
Lindsey Pollak’s terrific website

This entry was posted on Monday, July 23rd, 2007 at 6:13 am and is filed under Live Chat, Non Fiction. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.