Weekend work

I've long been an advocate of keeping my weekends free of work. Ever since I turned freelance, I have striven to keep to "office hours", just like an employee. With an other half in tow who also worked long hours during the week, weekends were precious. Time to be spent with the OH or friends and not earning a crust.

Time change, though. Astute readers may have noticed it has been an awfully long time since I last mentioned the OH in despatches. And so it came to pass that we are Together No More. Hence the imminent move to Wordsmith Towers II.

As I mentioned previously, I am inundated with work. And have since taken yet more on. In fact, when I look at my diary I can see I am fully booked until September now, excluding any successful pitching to the press. I have taken on a very large writing contract for a major publisher, two copywriting jobs (one of which should be ongoing), a non-fiction book that needs some serious copy-editing, plus back-up coverage for an editor colleague working solo in-house at a foreign investment bank but who needs back-up when taking holidays. On top of that are my regular copy-editing jobs for long-term clients.

Then there are the blogs. Six at the last count and I'm about to take over a friend's blog with the aim of keeping it going and earning some money.

Being newly single will have its advantages though. No longer am I obliged to keep weekends or evenings free. I shall have more flexibility over my working hours now. And as long I have time to watch EastEnders and keep my boy happy, I can work when and how I choose. Indeed, this weekend I have chatted to a client about his book, typed up and posted several invoices, emailed several clients, written a feature for a newspaper and interviewed a case study. And I still had time on Saturday night to go out on the razz with half a dozen friends (after watching Doctor Who, of course).

Working life is suddenly shifting shape. And you know what? I rather like it!