Being self-employed I almost hit 100 hours a week (that's 14 hours a day if you average it). I have kids, and honestly if I didn't it would be a solid 14 hours a day, 7 days a week.
My schedule look more like:
Mon – Fri : 9am – 5pm (8) & 7pm-midnight (5) = 13 == 65
Sat – Sun : whenever (4) & 7pm-midnight (5) = 9 == 18
Total / average of 83 hours. My husband puts in the same hours (he is self-employed also).
Many people would say I / we shouldn't work that much. Loving what you do helps! Look at it this way, I have to put in a solid 8 hours a day to work on client work, then the 'leftover' time is spent growing my own business and knowledge. Cube Farmers as I affectionately call people that go to work, do their work, get a paycheck, and go home – may also put in a significant chunk of their personal (aka unpaid) time to enrich themselves, but many do not.
Add all this to the 23+ years of prior work and experience and it quickly hits the 10,000 hours Malcolm Gladwell / Outliers theory.
Working for ourselves, essentially as freelancers, is not a 'set your own hours' kind of thing. It's not cushy. It is harder to get leads and clients because either we DO the work or GET the work, but it's hard to concentrate 100% on both at the same time.
It sort of makes me sad when I see people out of work because of the economy and seeing small business ownership as a 'way out'. You will never work more hours in your life…….
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I have learned to NEVER count my hours
+Lorraine Ball I only do when I am billing for clients. After compiling this, I really just want to go drink a vat of coffee.
Or a large Martini
+Lynette Young When I was self-employed, I worked hours like that, though I was able to avoid working on Sundays. Now I still work long hours, but I also do a lot of volunteer work, so that helps keep me balanced.
I go through the same thing. I am exhausted. Admittedly it was much worse before I quit freelancing on the web, but still I am racking up waa-ay more hours than I would working outside my home. The mom stuff and the house stuff never ever stops even though we're working. So if you added all of that up too, at least for me it would be nearly 20 hours per day (I only get to sleep on average 3.5-4 hours per day).
Resembles The Time Out Chair…
I worked an average of 80 hours per week while building my first company. The only thing that bothers me is when people try to discourage you from "burning yourself out". I was more successful by 27 than most 40 year olds. (measuring success by income and business productivity alone). I didn't have time for kids or relationships though. :-/
What I'm quickly realizing is that by dealing on a regular basis with a 83 hour work week when unexpected things (projects or health) come up I'm screwed. There just isn't any more time on the clock to give.
I say while you're young and energetic, this is great. If you have the opportunity then take it. I consider myself retired now as far as money, but I still continue to pursue my goals and now everything I do is on my terms. 🙂
Hard work pays off.
great h
+Lynette Young Oh the self employed that relaxes all the time, I do not know that myth started but I do not believe that it was by a self employed person— I like you spend a lot of time working not so much as at first but 60 hours are about normal
+Lynette Young I admire you and tell me how do you handle the kids? That is a huge job too!
Also, it helps if your passion is your work. I have always had to be mostly self-employed (longer-term stuff) because most people don't want to pay for all the tinkering time even if it's still work.
I used to work that many hours when I was a Cube Farmer (love that term!). I'm unemployed now and have finally realized that I'd rather be putting that many hours into something that I love and is personally fulfilling. No more Cube Farming for me!! 😉
# 1 "IF" you enjoy your work the time flies by. What is the ratio of the "IF" being on the positive side ? One in 154, 000 is my guess.
How old are the kids and how are they coping with this? What is their dad's attendance like?
woooooooooooooooo
If you hate your job, start your own business. I get paid to play with robots and come up with concepts for movies and engineering feats for other people. That is on top of getting paid to teach classrooms about circuit design and robotics. All of these are what I do on the side, as I'm a grad student, and on the weekends I run a robotics club. I would have to say the best thing I did was go back to school. It opened my eyes to so many opportunities. If you'd told me I could make a killing playing with gadgets and hacking stuff, I would have thought you were on drugs. School changed my perspective and I met people who valued my skills.
i feel for you!
i also
And you could just have saved an hour by not posting how much you have to work. (just kidding) Keep it up, according to the theory you have quoted your work will pan out soon 😉 +Lynette Young
Start my own businees. I don't no where to go with that. I work in a shrinking city witha terrible economy. I work with in a small businees and everyone put in there $2 for the Mega Millions in hopes of not having to return to work.
kkk
To the parenting questions – our kids are in school & preschool – so we work when they are at school or sleeping. When it's family / family time – we are fully engaged with our kids. 😉 My hours aren't exactly 'set' as I outlined them out, it was just a quick estimate to see how many hours I put in. I get up early. I stay up late. I work when they are at school. Work takes up every free moment of my day/night. I don't watch ANY television & no longer have hobbies – I love what I do for a living so that IS my fun!
A lot of what I 'do' for work IS interacting with people on social sites. I am a social media technologist, strategist, and coach. So I actually AM working by being here….
Mine cannot got to school of any sort, so I am not able to take advantage of that. lol.
I"m on my seventh start-up, yeah they are alot of time, but i learned that there is a balance between work expanding to fill time, and getting to a point where the workday is more concentrated. Like editing, it takes awhile to less is more.
+Jackie Lightfield way to go!! I should also note that this is my third or forth business. I'm a serial entrepreneur!
+Lynette Young – Do you tend to move on or do you have 3 or 4 running concurrently?
Oh not all now! 3-4 over the years. Being that I'm in technology, my work changes (sometimes drastically) depending on the state of the Internet.
Great post +Lynette Young, however being out of work for over 2 years, starting self-employment may be the best option. My wife and I partnered with someone to start a business. But sadly it didn't work out…I somewhat envy those who HAVE to work 100 hrs…
+Lynette Young Congrats on the serial chain reaction 🙂 I'm hoping I'm actually on my last start-up I think I've got my best idea yet and now to see if I can execute it as well as I was able to when I was eons younger.
Yeah, also some things just run their course. My first company is still alive and kickeing and we're releasing V3 this summer (multi-platform). The money I make in sales funds my current philanthropic interests and pays for school. I'm in the middle of starting another company – super excited as it's pretty much what I wish my legacy to be.
My passions ebb and wane also. For the past two decades I worked with women to coach / mentor them but I never took it to heart. To me it was an extension of teaching / training (which I LOVE). Now I have brought that part front and center to my career and business.
That schedule is not leaving you a lot of room for proper rest, and lack of proper rest can cause you to be less effective.
That schedule is not leaving you a lot of room for proper rest, and lack of proper rest can cause you to be less effective.
That schedule is not leaving you a lot of room for proper rest, and lack of proper rest can cause you to be less effective.
This was begging to be shared.
This was begging to be shared.
This was begging to be shared.
yes and true
yes and true
yes and true
+Chris Pirillo you work a many hours a week as I do <grin> thanks for the share……
+Chris Pirillo you work a many hours a week as I do <grin> thanks for the share……
+Chris Pirillo you work a many hours a week as I do <grin> thanks for the share……
+Lynette Young I usually get to work around 730 am and leave at around 7pm and then I get home and work till about 2 am.. wake up at 6am and do it all again…. sucks!! but hey it pays well!! and i look forward to the weekends.
Told you you're a ROCK STAR! Anything worth doing is worth overdoing sometimes.
Yeah, that's about right. And I work more now that my son has left. Hey, someone's gotta build this empire.