Friday 16th May
As usual, things happen, even though you wish they wouldn’t. Well, you certainly wish some things wouldn’t anyway! These last few days have been interesting. Being a freelancer is SUCH a bitch sometimes. When I first became ‘ill’ [is that what we call it? seems more like becoming deranged!] I have been expecting some difficulty, as I can’t travel due to the chemo, and it is the way we are used to working as a team. I travel to Portugal, we update and discuss everything and plan the future few weeks work, I come home, do it, go back and so on and so forth.
I know that compared to some people, a stressful work week is nothing, but, this is MY week not theirs. Actually ‘doing’ the work is no problem – I can work in the middle of the night if I need to and I have been lucky so far in that the tiredness has been manageable around other things. My work ethic is the same as always – I am paid to work a full 5 days a week, and that’s what I do and more sometimes, no matter what. And lucky for me, I work from home at the moment, so I can work in my hours when it suits me. Or rather, when it suits the chemo.
BUT – the work has to be sent to me. Thank God for the internet. Usually if I don’t have work, I will ask and do a bit of nagging until something arrives. But at the moment, I am not in ‘asking’ mode. I am in “someone else please take responsibility, and give me things to do, and I will do it” mode. I am in the usual frame of mind that I must absolutely get everything done if someone asks me to do it. It’s another control mechanism. And equally I understand that someone has to take time out in order to send me stuff to do. Hence the asking.
So, even though I have been determined to keep up with everything and do my utmost to work as per usual, if after asking, no-one gives me much to do [just odds and ends], I should chase them every day? I don’t think so. Having asked repeatedly for something constructive to do, I decided to teach myself how to use Illustrator [always useful] and deal with small things, adverts, translations etc while I waited for a response. Which was an email telling me that there is concern about justifying a renewal of next years contract, as I may not be doing enough work this year. Right. Just what I need on top of cancer, hysterectomy, chemo etc. Difficult to deal with. Better to call me and say ‘oy! what’s happening Sandhy, do this and this and this and hurry up’. No problem. Less stress.
But luckily the situation has resolved itself by discussion, as we have a good relationship and as yet we haven’t met a situation that we can’t sort out. But it was a bit frightening to think I may have no job through no fault of my own. So I am feeling quite relieved now, as I have a good work schedule, and know precisely what I’m supposed to be doing and by when. Good result and helps a lot to feel normal, which again I am convinced helps a lot toward recovery.
Roll on September when this is over and we can all get back to the usual routine!
As usual, things happen, even though you wish they wouldn’t. Well, you certainly wish some things wouldn’t anyway! These last few days have been interesting. Being a freelancer is SUCH a bitch sometimes. When I first became ‘ill’ [is that what we call it? seems more like becoming deranged!] I have been expecting some difficulty, as I can’t travel due to the chemo, and it is the way we are used to working as a team. I travel to Portugal, we update and discuss everything and plan the future few weeks work, I come home, do it, go back and so on and so forth.
I know that compared to some people, a stressful work week is nothing, but, this is MY week not theirs. Actually ‘doing’ the work is no problem – I can work in the middle of the night if I need to and I have been lucky so far in that the tiredness has been manageable around other things. My work ethic is the same as always – I am paid to work a full 5 days a week, and that’s what I do and more sometimes, no matter what. And lucky for me, I work from home at the moment, so I can work in my hours when it suits me. Or rather, when it suits the chemo.
BUT – the work has to be sent to me. Thank God for the internet. Usually if I don’t have work, I will ask and do a bit of nagging until something arrives. But at the moment, I am not in ‘asking’ mode. I am in “someone else please take responsibility, and give me things to do, and I will do it” mode. I am in the usual frame of mind that I must absolutely get everything done if someone asks me to do it. It’s another control mechanism. And equally I understand that someone has to take time out in order to send me stuff to do. Hence the asking.
So, even though I have been determined to keep up with everything and do my utmost to work as per usual, if after asking, no-one gives me much to do [just odds and ends], I should chase them every day? I don’t think so. Having asked repeatedly for something constructive to do, I decided to teach myself how to use Illustrator [always useful] and deal with small things, adverts, translations etc while I waited for a response. Which was an email telling me that there is concern about justifying a renewal of next years contract, as I may not be doing enough work this year. Right. Just what I need on top of cancer, hysterectomy, chemo etc. Difficult to deal with. Better to call me and say ‘oy! what’s happening Sandhy, do this and this and this and hurry up’. No problem. Less stress.
But luckily the situation has resolved itself by discussion, as we have a good relationship and as yet we haven’t met a situation that we can’t sort out. But it was a bit frightening to think I may have no job through no fault of my own. So I am feeling quite relieved now, as I have a good work schedule, and know precisely what I’m supposed to be doing and by when. Good result and helps a lot to feel normal, which again I am convinced helps a lot toward recovery.
Roll on September when this is over and we can all get back to the usual routine!
No comments:
Post a Comment
If you would like to comment on anything in this blog, or share your own thoughts, feel free, I would love to hear from you.