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I quit my full-time marketing director job two months ago to be my own boss as a consultant. My life has changed in some fundamental ways, and I& #39;m sharing how for anyone else thinking about taking the leap.
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https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="👇🏻" title="Rückhand Zeigefinger nach unten (heller Hautton)" aria-label="Emoji: Rückhand Zeigefinger nach unten (heller Hautton)">
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I& #39;m building deeper professional relationships. https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🤝" title="Handschlag" aria-label="Emoji: Handschlag"> My connections are now based on personal values over company priorities, so the meetings/consultations I& #39;m taking feel more like fun, creative hang outs with people I really like. https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="❤️" title="Rotes Herz" aria-label="Emoji: Rotes Herz">
My physical well being is better than ever. https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🏃🏻♀️" title="Läuferin (heller Hautton)" aria-label="Emoji: Läuferin (heller Hautton)"> Now that I don& #39;t adhere to an unsustainable full-time tech industry schedule, I can move my body when it wants to move. Turns out it wants to run, circuit train, and do yoga basically every day but at different times.
My mental health has bounced back after a bad stint. https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🧠" title="Gehirn" aria-label="Emoji: Gehirn"> I live with moderate, cyclical depression, which was exacerbated by the pandemic in March and April. Removing unsustainable work pressures has allowed me to reach a state of mental clarity I haven& #39;t felt in years.
My work schedule matches my "energy flow". https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="⚡️" title="Hochspannungszeichen" aria-label="Emoji: Hochspannungszeichen"> Turns out I& #39;m not a morning person – I thought I was for years. All my best work these past two months has happened past 8pm. I don& #39;t start work before 10am at the earliest, and I take large breaks during the day when it feels right.
My natural curiosity is back and burning brighter. https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🎉" title="Partyknaller" aria-label="Emoji: Partyknaller"> Reading had become a struggle because my brain was overworked and exhausted, but now it& #39;s fun again and I& #39;m getting through books and long reads at a much faster pace.
I& #39;ve fallen in love with learning again. https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🙇🏻♀️" title="Frau verbeugt sich tief (heller Hautton)" aria-label="Emoji: Frau verbeugt sich tief (heller Hautton)"> In the past 2 months, I& #39;ve taken courses in video editing, advanced copywriting, growth hacking, advanced Google Analytics etc. Most companies don& #39;t grant people the time to brush up on skills, so I designed my own learning program.
I can focus on what I know will have the most impact that week. https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="💥" title="Symbol für eine Kollision" aria-label="Emoji: Symbol für eine Kollision"> The complexities of corporate accountability have been stripped away, and I& #39;m only accountable to myself and my clients. I do miss working with a team, but I like being able to focus on fewer priorities more.
I love remote work. https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="💻" title="Computer" aria-label="Emoji: Computer"> I get so much more done without the distractions of office life, and my interactions now carry more purpose. I have built-in lone wolf tendencies to support this life, but even then I didn& #39;t understand the true impact of constant interruption.
I was so scared to leave a "secure" full-time job in the middle of an economic crisis during a pandemic! But the professional network and financial cushion I managed to build over several years were more solid than I thought, and I& #39;m landing some great projects.
My ability to go solo is directly tied to my privileges as a white person who was set up with a comfortable socioeconomic background. So don& #39;t think it& #39;s a character flaw if you can& #39;t for whatever reason. That& #39;s some bullshit capitalist rhetoric right there.
But if you have the socioeconomic safety to quit full-time permanent work and you& #39;re nervous about the change, I& #39;m offering my experience as someone who& #39;s cautiously optimistic about my new lifestyle.
Last thing, key takeaway: work needs to better fit the fluctuations of how we feel day-to-day – not the other way around! Beyond remote work, we need to be talking about flexible work. That& #39;s the real depth of the conversation.
