Ever since The Siben Consult, LLC opened its doors in January 2004, people have asked me, "What's the hardest thing about being self-employed?"
Some asked because they were contemplating going out on their own; others asked because they were curious. I've told everyone who asked the same thing:
Self-discipline!
A/E/C industry marketers are used to having their lives dictated by deadlines. Everything revolves around when the next proposal is due. But what do you do when you don't have an assignment with a deadline?
I have one client assignment that has more than 25 components and no deadline. I can use the pieces as "fill" when I'm between time-sensitive assignments. I also have a typical amount of paper filing, cleaning of electronic files and emails from recent projects, expenses to track, expense reports to write up and file, bookkeeping to do, etc.
None of these chores are terribly onerous. Individually, they don't take long (other than the ongoing client assignment), once I get started.
The hardest part of what I do in The Siben Consult is getting started on these items.
I know from experience that it's always easier to start a new time-sensitive project when my desk is relatively clean. It's certainly easier to work two concurrent projects if I start with a clean desk. But doing the administrative chores and getting the desk clean...
The hardest part of what I do is getting started.
So I shower and dress -- sometimes I even shave. I have to do that in order to have the "work mindset" when I sit down at the computer. I can't overcome the mental inertia until I deal with the physical inertia. And I can't approach the work seriously in my pajamas!
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