Monday 20 August 2012

To part-time or not to part-time

I've always been an author who's been glad to have a day job - it does keep me sane and connected and from turning into a self-absorbed hermit. I also like to be able to afford to buy things I want (mostly books, but a lot of them and quite a few expensive ones). I like being able to pay my mortgage. I don't want to freak out over an unexpected bill.

On the other hand, my day job is draining, often boring, and extremely repetitive. It often feels like I'm editing the same document twenty times. Every single day, five days a week, four weeks a month, twelve month a year, for the rest of my working life (=30 years). There are days when I get home and all creativity and joy has been scourged out of my soul. I'm not pulling the "speshul snowflake" card, but being a writer, running a publisher and working full time is a wear and tear that I'm starting to feel. So I've been doing numbers. I don't think I'll ever quit my day job (for pension and mental health reasons), but I'm starting to think I might be able to wrestle at least my Fridays from the corporate clutch. The end goal would be to go part-time on a 2.5-day basis, which should neatly cut my week into three roughly equal chunks of Day Job, Writing, which I think would be ideal (and mean I won't collapse in my mid-fifties of stress and burnout). The alternative would be to find a better working environment in a different company that pays more; however, I'm not sure banks will ever re-hire in my field. Or at least not in the foreseeable future (ie, less than 3 years).

The problem I'm foreseeing is that, while my income from writing is growing, it's patchy. Yesterday's big seller might not sell anything next month. I don't write many contemporaries. I don't write the stuff that sells very much (which I'm acknowledging without envy or resentment - after all, I could probably learn how to do that if I *really* wanted to and were desperate for the cash). It would also mean I'd have to be more productive. I couldn't afford not to publish for 3-4 months. I'd have to have something new out every two months. Basically, writing would become work. I might even have to kill or postpone books that won't sell very much (=everything but contemporaries). I couldn't, in good conscience, write a novel that won't sell. My worst fear is that I'll be losing my freedom to write whatever strikes my fancy on that day, that I don't have enough readers to support that decision in good conscience.

I could possibly talk to HR about how easy/difficult it would be to go back onto 5 days if it all fails. Personally, I think I'd be saner and happier on a four-day week, and productive enough to make the financial sacrifice worth it. Although it's still 20% of my "real" income, and calculating those numbers makes me slightly ill, London not being a cheap place to be. And then I tell myself I can keep this pace going for another 2-5 years and then go part-time. It's a goal. At least it's always good to have a goal, regardless of how far away that looks at the moment.

6 comments:

  1. It's always hard to jump from a day job to your dream job. I did it back in 2002 when I moved from my day job to my company full time. It was really scary and the next year I thought we were going to go out of business but that was ten years ago and now I work overtime.

    There's a lot of differences between cosmetics and publishing but it's still boils down to business. If you need an ear, I'm here!

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    1. Thank you! I'm thinking about scaling back gradually until I'm down to 2.5 days, or can quit working altogether (which might never happen). I gently mentioned today that I might look at freeing up two Fridays a month to devote to writing and my boss's boss didn't go ballistic, so I'm thinking it's quite possible. :) Which would be great.

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    2. I'll keep my fingers crossed for you ;)

      You're going to GRL, right?

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  2. If I could go part-time, or 4 days/wk, I so would. But I know exactly how much cash I'd have to be banking from writing royalties and freelance editing... and I'm not there yet. (sigh) I also don't have a partner with an income to help cushion some of the financial blow. Maybe one of these years, I'll be making enough to cut back my hours (assuming my job will even let me do so.)

    If you can do it, then go for it! And I shall be envious :)

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    1. Oh, I'm leaving my partner's income out of it. I'll never beg a partner for money, I have a huge block against that in my head which has to do with my family and my whole past. I'd absolutely have to be able to support myself and ideally with all the creature comforts that I like and have gotten used to (like being able to travel). I'm just thinking cutting back on my often pointless-feeling day job will free up more energy for more worthwhile things.

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  3. I think if you have worked out all the details in your head to the extent you have described above, then the absolute desire to do this is going to over ride any caveats you have. Maybe you negotiate it for a 6 month trial period with work? That way you can see if you cope financially and they see it doesn't take away from productivity and flexibility.

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