Next to the “how much money do you actually make?” question, I am often asked the “how many hours a week does it take to get your job done?” question. I understand that since people are trained to think of work in terms of hours and salary, that is the main way they can process and get a handle on what it must be like to run a home business. Being a writer further complicates people’s understanding since most people have a stereotypical “vision” of what they think a writer does–fueled by plenty of movies and television programs. I’m probably not helping matters when I reply, “Well, it depends…”
Entrepreneurialism is best not measured in terms of hours and income per hour. That’s my philosophy! If we were to really figure out how many hours we work compared to our income, we might find ourselves in a puddle of tears! Or updating our resume’ and heading for the nearest corporation (with a medical/dental plan and retirement). I’ve found that just when I really get a handle on things, adjusting my time, organizing my schedule and getting into a routine–everything changes (demands from clients, a shift in deadlines and word requirements, late payments, etc.) and I have to readjust and reorganize. So, in fact, some weeks it can seem as I do nothing BUT work, and others I may be feeling twinges of guilt that I’m not more focused on work.
I try to explain to people that I tend to work in blocks of time–instead of a straight 8 hours like a traditional job; and I do admit to working weekends, evenings, and early mornings. But, that means I can take time off in the middle of the day or even take a whole week day off if I’d like. In the beginning of my freelancing work, I did try to keep track of my hours–but I soon realized it was a waste of time and that I wasn’t going to be happy with the results of my statistics anyway. I’ve read books on freelancing that suggesting setting goals in terms of money or dollar amounts–per day, per week, per month, per year–to help a person see if she is staying on track and working toward where she wants to be. I think that makes more sense than keeping track of actual hours worked.
How about you? Have you been asked the “how many hours?” question? Have you ever taken time to figure out how many hours a week you actually DO work on your home business?
See Also: Setting Office Hours When You Work From Home and a Home Business Means Longer Hours