five reasons freelance is still right for me, five years in

as a proud neurodivergent human, I head into my fifth year of self-employment reflecting on the choices I've made and the realisations I've had since leaving a toxic work environment behind. the big five things that keep me going and remind me why working for myself, and having the ability to pick and choose which clients I take on and which just don't meet the vibe check, is still the best choice for me:

1. no office politics. being good at my job and keeping my clients happy is my preferred metric of success, not getting rounds at the pub and schmoozing after hours.

2. no forced fun. for me, being a team player looks like doing tasks outside of my job description to help out others who might be drowning, not being made to play a game of rounders in the sun.

3. no chit chat. I will never miss the fear of wanting to get up to make a cup of coffee or reheat my lunch but not knowing who would be lurking around the door in the office kitchen. I'd rather starve.

4. no micromanagement. having to share my to-do list every morning for scrutiny and feedback from the team AS AN ADULT is some infantilising shit. hard pass.

5. no dismissal of boundaries. blocking time out in my diary to avoid hyperfocus being interrupted, asking for an agenda ahead of calls to prepare what I'll say, and working flexibly to allow for my mental capacity are things I take for granted now that I'm able to be clear about my boundaries whenever I onboard a new client. 

freelance life isn't for everyone, and yes, there are absolutely bad bits that make things hard and uncomfortable at times, but the way my mental health, my nervous system and my physical health have improved since leaving employment is.. a testament to me, really.

and the incredible clients I've had over the last five years who have helped me heal by showing me that, actually... spoiler: it was never the clients who found my reasonable adjustments unreasonable.

think you meet the vibe check? get in touch and let's chat!

erica@colourfulcomms.com