ultimatewriter 5 | - Freelance Writer
Jun 10, 2019 | #1
I spent more than 10 years working in a formal office space before I decided to move into the freelance writing world. I can tell you what I do not miss about working in a formal workspace setting.
Formal Workplace - I don't miss:
1. Having to get up early to rush through breakfast and the dash to the train station to make it to my workplace on time;
2. Having to answer to a higher authority for a pittance of a salary;
3. The office gossip mill;
4. The constant noise coming from various workstations that stop me from thinking about completing my own task.
I could go on and on with the list of things I do not regret leaving behind as a freelance worker.
However, that is not to say that I do not miss something about having a formal workspace. The one thing that I can admit to missing is a formal break-room. Yes, the office pantry. Why?
Formal Workplace - what I miss:
1. I miss the electricity of seeing my office mates from other departments and comparing notes regarding immediate superiors and other bosses with regular employees.
2. I miss the smell of fresh brewed bad coffee coming from the pantry.
3. I miss the interaction with office colleagues over the coffee break or lunch hour.
4. I miss everything that the office pantry represents
As a freelance worker, I miss out on these things by being home-based. However, nobody said I could not try and replicate the pantry office setting at home. While it won't be the same, it's the closest I can get to having the same interaction with others while never leaving home to report to a formal workplace.
Living in a bungalow allows me to recreate the break-room atmosphere while at home. I created a break-room for myself in 2 areas of my home's exterior setting. My driveway has become my pantry while my porch, has become my water cooler.
My morning coffee, taken while still dressed in jammies are taken at the porch, where I converse with my neighbors rushing off to work. In the middle of the afternoon, when I need another coffee fix, I am back on the porch, this time conversing with the passersby, exchanging stories about how the day went for both of us. Funny, I got to get to know my neighbors now rather when we were merely passing acquaintances rushing off to work every day.
The driveway now houses a lunch table where I sit for an informal meal with my neighbors. Potluck lunches are now the order of the day and the one hour we take to have lunch turn out to be far more productive than an hour at the office pantry. Business contacts are made, work opportunities arise, far better than in an office-controlled atmosphere.
Facebook Messenger has taken the place of office interaction for me. I discuss with clients during formal meetings, chat with my friends and fellow freelancers to break the monotony of my work pace, and I find myself creating a healthier social setting myself in the process. Gone are the days of office gossip and intrigue, present are the support groups that help me get through any difficult work day.
So, as you can see, a workplace setting does not need to remain within a company setting. It can be replicated in a better and more advantageous way by anybody who enjoys freelancing but misses having the workplace interaction that he got used to.
Formal Workplace - I don't miss:
1. Having to get up early to rush through breakfast and the dash to the train station to make it to my workplace on time;
2. Having to answer to a higher authority for a pittance of a salary;
3. The office gossip mill;
4. The constant noise coming from various workstations that stop me from thinking about completing my own task.
I could go on and on with the list of things I do not regret leaving behind as a freelance worker.
However, that is not to say that I do not miss something about having a formal workspace. The one thing that I can admit to missing is a formal break-room. Yes, the office pantry. Why?Formal Workplace - what I miss:
1. I miss the electricity of seeing my office mates from other departments and comparing notes regarding immediate superiors and other bosses with regular employees.
2. I miss the smell of fresh brewed bad coffee coming from the pantry.
3. I miss the interaction with office colleagues over the coffee break or lunch hour.
4. I miss everything that the office pantry represents
As a freelance worker, I miss out on these things by being home-based. However, nobody said I could not try and replicate the pantry office setting at home. While it won't be the same, it's the closest I can get to having the same interaction with others while never leaving home to report to a formal workplace.
Living in a bungalow allows me to recreate the break-room atmosphere while at home. I created a break-room for myself in 2 areas of my home's exterior setting. My driveway has become my pantry while my porch, has become my water cooler.
My morning coffee, taken while still dressed in jammies are taken at the porch, where I converse with my neighbors rushing off to work. In the middle of the afternoon, when I need another coffee fix, I am back on the porch, this time conversing with the passersby, exchanging stories about how the day went for both of us. Funny, I got to get to know my neighbors now rather when we were merely passing acquaintances rushing off to work every day.
The driveway now houses a lunch table where I sit for an informal meal with my neighbors. Potluck lunches are now the order of the day and the one hour we take to have lunch turn out to be far more productive than an hour at the office pantry. Business contacts are made, work opportunities arise, far better than in an office-controlled atmosphere.
Facebook Messenger has taken the place of office interaction for me. I discuss with clients during formal meetings, chat with my friends and fellow freelancers to break the monotony of my work pace, and I find myself creating a healthier social setting myself in the process. Gone are the days of office gossip and intrigue, present are the support groups that help me get through any difficult work day.
So, as you can see, a workplace setting does not need to remain within a company setting. It can be replicated in a better and more advantageous way by anybody who enjoys freelancing but misses having the workplace interaction that he got used to.