Just over two years ago I took a huge leap of faith and handed my notice in to the company I had worked for since I was eighteen. My job role and hours had changed so much in the 14 years I’d been working for them but it got to the point where I just couldn’t juggle those 19 hours a week, Dave’s shift work, the children’s school hours and everything else. Even with so much help from friends and Dave’s lovely parents I felt like I wasn’t giving anything my all – something had to give, and it was my day job.
Work
Ringing in Sick
I wanted to write this blog post when I was still in my day job. I remember creating this draft when I was off work sick with a problem with my neck. It was stress related – linked to my work – and I just remember how hard it was to ring in sick. But, back then it wasn’t appropriate to write about this or anything stemming from it.
Things I’ve Learnt in a Year of Being Self-Employed
Today marks a year since I took that huge leap of faith into the world of self employment. It feels like only yesterday and yet it feels like forever at the same time. It’s been a huge year for us as a family in so many way – finishing our extension, Little Man starting school and new work situations for Dave and I – and so today has come quicker than I ever expected.
Being Productive When Working from Home | AD
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When our extension was completed we put together a new work space for me, just a few months after I started working from home. I have a beautiful desk that fits well into the room, I have my laptop, a comfortable chair and piles of paperwork always surround me. It’s a space that I hadn’t had before but one that I am really glad of – as I spend so many hours sitting there.
A Massive Change for Us as a Family
Some of the first posts on this blog were about parenting and shift work, how hard it was with a baby and then two young children to manage family life around Dave’s shifts. But it wasn’t something I was unprepared for, he had always worked shifts, it was pretty much the only thing that wasn’t perfect when I met him – he ticked every other box – and I knew that if I wanted him in my life I had to accept the shifts and so I did that very early on. Shifts have always been part of our life together and, in all honesty, I thought that would always be life for us.
What do you do?
Now that I’ve moved from my old traditional day job to work as a blogger life couldn’t be better. We have a good balance, I get to be at home with the children and I finally feel like life and work take up the right amount of time each. But, there’s one thing that still always catches me off guard and makes me nervous about this career of mine.
Carving a Career for Yourself
Every so often I sit at my desk at home, reading other people’s blogs, seeing their videos in my social media feeds and it hits me. How amazing it is to not only work from home but be one of so many people carving out a career for themselves from literally nothing.
The Summer Holidays as a Self Employed Work at Home Mum
It hit me last week that this summer I will be at home for the whole of the summer holidays. This is something I dreamed of since having children and aside from my maternity leave with both children I have worked at least part of the summer holidays since they were born. This has meant juggling childcare, Dave’s shifts, my work and trying to have some time together as a family too. But this year is the first summer since I made that huge leap of faith into making blogging my job.
Half a Year Spent Working from Home
Today is six months since I left my day job. I have been working from home with no other employment, solely self employed for six months. It feels like it has gone so fast – faster than I expected.
Why Self Employed People Should Want to Pay Tax
Having worked in personal finance for the whole of my adult life and now being self employed one thing that often comes up in conversation is self assessments, tax returns and how being self employed can effect your eligibility for credit.