Yesterday I talked about having 3 weeks left before I return to work. Read yesterdays post here. Here are some more of my thoughts.
The Next 3 Weeks
My coach asked me an interesting question at our session Friday.
What do you want to get out of your last 3 weeks?
This question was triggered by the fact that I noticed I was starting to wind down slightly on my workload (in anticipation of having 2 jobs soon perhaps?). I don’t know for sure.
Don’t get me wrong, I am still working hard. It’s more a case of my 12 and a half hour schedule (refer my earlier post) looking more like an 8 hour day. I even had last weekend off which felt rather indulgent.
The truth is I need to give some serious thought to how I want the next couple of weeks to pan out. Certain benefits (my mentor for example) are only available to me for a limited amount of time going forward. I need to work out how to maximize my benefits within the time I have left.
Dealing with other peoples’ expectations of my time off
Despite the fact that I have received a lot of positive encouragement from people regarding taking time off to pursue my writing, I would bet money on someone saying something negative about my experience once I am back at work.
We all know people who always have something negative to say. Without even thinking they put other people down. Normally I would not listen to these people. But lets face it, I’ll probably be feeling a tad fragile going back to work. I won’t be writing as much so that is bound to be a bit of a downer (at least until I find my rhythm writing part time). And we all know when those nasty words from a Negative Nellie affect us the most – when we are a bit down.
It will be my mission to ignore those negative people. Basically what they think about my experience does not matter.
Ignoring negativity of course can be a lot harder to do when it is coming from people you do care about and do listen to. I had this happen recently with a friend and while it was upsetting, you just need to move past it and carry on.
What’s next?
This is the big question! Come to think of it – I already know the answer. It is not like my writing journey is over. It was always my intention that when my six months was up, I would continue to work as a freelancer, blogger and fiction writer. My six months working from home was merely a great way of kick starting the process.
What I need to figure out is where I will focus my energy? How will I best utilize my writing time? Once I am back working full time, I will have a lot less time for writing, so I had better be damn sure I am using the time I do have to my full advantage. Staying productive and motivated is the key.
Have you faced a similar situation yourself? Did you have a long break from work and have to go back? Please share your experiences below in the comments section.
This post was written by...
Thea – who has written 225 posts on Write Change Grow.
Hi! Welcome to my blog. I'm a freelance writer and blogger. For more Write Change Grow goodness, sign up for my free newsletter. You can connect with me on Facebook and Twitter.
My name is Thea Easterby and I am a freelance writer and blogger. Join me on my journey to become a full time writer.
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
Thea.
From your writing, I draw many positives from your time off.
You follow your dreams and back yourself.
You’re determined not to give up, at the first, or second, or third sign of things not going to plan.
You’ve expanded your already open mind and changed your attitude toward life and the challenges it presents.
You’ve inspired me to do the same. I am a musician whose been writing my own songs since I was a kid. Although I don’t need to take time off to write songs or find inspiration, I’d really like to finish my debut solo album properly – not just over the weekend (where I tend to be limited by time and my thoughts often drift back to reality far too quickly).
Keep up your inspirational writing we’re all listening.
Bill
Hi Bill
Thank you so much for your amazing comment. I appreciate it.
I am glad that I have inspired you as a musician. I get such a thrill knowing that my experiences are helping someone. That really means a lot of me.
When you first start a blog and are trying to get established, some days can feel like you are writing the blog to yourself, so I particularly enjoyed your ‘we’re all listening’ comment. You in turn have inspired me with such a lovely compliment.
All the best with getting your debut solo album finished. Stick with it, follow your passion and I would love to hear how you progress as you go along.
Thanks again and good luck with the album.
Cheers
Thea
Hey Thea
Best of luck tomorrow, you have already identified that you are expecting some negativity but if you go in expecting to hear that, that is inevitably what you will hear. Concentrate on the positives of the last 6 months so you can share that with people!
Its great that you have been given the time to create the beginnings of following your passion. I think you will find that you are going to miss this terribly and find yourself each and every night wanting to write more, which is going to spur you on to leave this job you are going back to tomorrow even sooner than planned.
Well done to you, I am looking forward to reading about your first day back and how you handled it and how you felt!
cheers ~ Nat
Hi Nat
Thank you so much for all of your great comments. Really appreciate them!! The first week back was hard. I am about to put up a post about how it all went and my feelings on going back.
You are spot on about me going to miss being able to follow my passion full time. On the days I don’t write I have already noticed a change in my mood. I have to put a plan in place to make sure I write every day. I hope you are right about me missing working from home spurring me on for changing my lifestyle sooner than later. That is certainly the plan, now its just a matter of taking the actions to make it happen.
I think tiredness will be my biggest enemy. I will have to watch my energy levels and keep a much closer eye on my diet and exercise. When pushed for time I tend not to eat as well as I should, which in turn affects your energy levels.
I definitely took your advice and focused on the positives of my experience with people at work. And yes consequently there feedback was very positive. A lot of them are just amazed I took the time off in the first place to do something I love. I think some people due to circumstances in their lives, can’t imagine doing that. I am just so grateful I had this opportunity and will be working very hard to open up my life to the next great opportunity.
Cheers
Thea