Why I’m Done Living for The Weekend
Quitting my 9–5 enabled me to *live* each day.
I quit my job at 25 to become a self-employed writer and creative entrepreneur. Some might say that 25 is too early to judge the corporate sector; I knew I had more potential and didn’t want to waste time doing things I don’t enjoy.
It wasn’t easy. I planned it for over six months, but it took me four hours to type my resignation email. It’s all fun and rosy when you’re dreaming, but it hits you when it becomes a reality. Doubt creeps in as you realize that you’re missing out on being a part of a great company where you can travel the world, grow, learn, and earn well as you go up the ladder. But these perks would’ve taken lots of time and work, and time is so vital because it won’t come back. I was confident I could create this lifestyle in lesser time and have fun while living it.
After all, what’s the worst that can happen? Going back to a job? That’s motivating enough to keep working hard being self-employed.
Now, I don’t think everybody should have a side hustle or quit their job. My opposition to the corporate sector is mainly because the country where I come from is developing, underpaid, and culturally rooted in the hierarchy. I have friends working in Europe who don’t have to slog 12 hours a day and are paid decently, whereas we get paid under $1000 and have to put in late nights and sometimes weekends.
It all comes down to what makes you happy and what kind of life you desire. With that, here’s why I’ll never go back to working at a 9–5.
I Can Make More Money Here
Being a creator at this time feels like I’m given a platter of opportunities. There’s so much I can do that there’s no end. This motivates me more than a monthly paycheck and a tiny appraisal.
Since I quit, I’ve never earned lower money than my corporate job. It’s always been somewhere between earning as much or 5x of it, but not lower. And even if I earn lower in the future, I won’t sweat it.
Right now, I’m working for clients, writing on a platform that pays me, and I’m creating a product to help others. I also created a free ebook that had over 550 downloads in a month with no marketing simply because I solved an issue. People enquired about having a side hustle and making money online, and I tried to answer it.
All this pays me enough, and it’s only upwards from here. I have been a recruiter and am aware of the market and salaries, and I don’t see myself earning this much until at least 10 years of corporate work experience.
I don’t advocate pursuing your passion if you’re broke, which is why it starts with a side hustle. Money is essential, and when this area gets sorted, everything else feels less stressful.
The Work Itself
I enjoy the work I do with all my heart, something I never felt in my previous jobs.
Both jobs had great people around me and differed greatly from each other — one was a unicorn startup with cool culture, and one was a multinational with offices in over 30 countries. One had one table for 6 people, and the other had cubicles. One had a flat hierarchy with t-shirts and pants, and the other had a strict hierarchy with semi-formals. I also had two entirely different roles here. At one place, I was a recruiter, and at another, I was into HR Transformation. It was great, but it wasn’t the kind of work that fulfilled my heart and gave me a kick to wake up every morning.
Due to some awful leaders in both places, I was super anxious on Mondays, and my mental health would start lowering as the sun set on Sunday.
I’m now doing something I genuinely enjoy and what my strength is. Work is so much fun and drives me to show up every day. I love what I do, as opposed to a 9–5 where there’s always some kind of stress.
There’s stress here too, but the one that challenges you in a good way — you want to give your best shot at everything.
The People Make It Better
I haven’t yet felt lonely in my one year of side hustling and a few months of self-employment. I’m a part of various writing communities and have great clients. I’ve also recently started networking on Twitter, which is fun and helps me connect and learn from fellow creators.
My clients make self-employment such a peaceful place to be in. I help leaders and SMBs with their content. My gigs have included ebook writing for an executive in a major tech firm in Bay Area, LinkedIn content for a startup in America, copywriting for a fintech startup in Australia, consulting a coach on his digital content strategy — to name a few. I’m now talking with a spirituality business based in Switzerland and a fine jewelry business in Los Angeles.
All these people are pioneers in their field. They have decades of experience and have accomplished enough in their domain and the business world.
They’re all willing to guide me with my path and advise me when I face difficulties. They’re the reason I reject more requests than I accept because I don’t just want it to be work; I want to have meaningful relationships. I limit myself to working for 3 quality clients at a time instead of 10 clients paying me peanuts.
This is a better place to be in when I compare my life under some awful leaders who made me doubt myself hard. I’ve also had a wonderful leader who believed in me and was lots of fun to work under, but the ratio of good to bad in my experience is 1:3.
Time Won’t Come Back
I resort to project-based work because it breaks the monotony of a full-time role and gives me the time and creative space to think, ideate, and create.
I now spend at least 2 hours with my mom and grandma each day, read for an hour, and have ample time to build my own business. I also don’t enjoy working in the afternoons and watch Netflix or take a nap, or chill.
Thinking consciously about death helps me live better and in the moment, and I don’t think I’ll ever regret not being more productive or making more use of my time. I work for a maximum of 4.5 hours a day — because this is the youngest that elders in my family will be and an integral time to learn and build, not just fry your brain working.
I don’t see why these things have to be done post-retirement. Creativity strikes the relaxed mind better than the restless and stressed-out mind. I won’t be this young again, and nor will my family, so I want to seize each day that we get.
Work isn’t my entire life; it will never be. There’s more to living than working, and working 8 hours a day is half my waking time being immensely stressed out.
I want to live each day and not just on weekends and holidays. Is that so bad? I don’t want to work my ass off Monday to Friday to relax on weekends and work for 10 years to get more money, and 40 years to retire and relax when I can earn decent money, relax, and enjoy life right now. I want to live the best I can today and each day. I’ve found my peace and contentment in the present instead of designating days or age to attain it.
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