Working in your PJs is hard work…

The most often response I get from people when I tell them I work from home is “Wow, that’s awesome – you get to wear your PJs all day!”. This is from friends, strangers, family – they don’t think that working from home is work. It’s frustrating, and there is no real way to explain to people the work that we do, when we work from home.

Many of you may not know that I do freelance graphic design, event planning and websites besides blogging. That is what I refer to as my job. I’m technically self employed -although there are days my checking account is still zero. I also Blog – this I consider my “job” not because it’s not work – but because it’s something I enjoy and have chosen to do in addition.

It’s noon on Friday when I start to write this – let’s just go through today so far…

7:30 – Wide awake, the alarm is set for 8. Stumble downstairs and turn on the computer, check all of my emails. Reply to 5 from clients – check the blog emails and clear out the junk, star the ones that I will need to check and respond to.

8:00 – Log into the blog, add a couple posts – check to make sure I haven’t missed any great freebies, deals

9:00 – Time to get that housework done. It was scheduled from yesterday, but since someone else was home too – it got postponed.

Oh look – there’s the stuff I bought at Meijer yesterday, that should be put away.
The dishes from last night need to be put away, open the door on the built in hutch. The door falls off.. *grumble* Grab a screw driver and some screws and fix what the previous owner messed up… add that to the list.

Clear off the dining room table, put everything that needs to be shelved on the counters. Sort the mail bins, get rid of the junk mail – file the client mail, pay stubs etc.

9:30 – Attack the backroom. Why did someone put the exercise equipment out here? *sigh*

Grab the swiffer, dust the back room, the dining room, the living room.

Vacuum – wait is that the right order you’re suppose to do it in? *shrug*

Vacuum up stairs, make the bed, dust..

10:00 – Plug in the steam mop to warm up.

Grab the carpet cleaner, run upstairs and spot clean the carpet where the cats left me a special present. *fingers crossed it’s dry before I go to bed*

**Also on the cell phone with client while I do this*

Head back downstairs and grab swiffer pads, hand mop the entry area.

Grab the steam mop and mop the tile and wood surfaces (80% of our house)

11:00 – Balance the Steam Mop on the counter with the head in the sink until it cools, remove the pad.

Replace the items throughout the house.

11:30 – hit the shower – it’s before noon.. clearly this is wrong… hmmm

11:45 – Google client’s zip code to make sure what time zone he’s in. Call client’s contact – find out he doesn’t have the info we need.

Call client, leave message.

12:00  – Log into computer, find 40 new emails.. log into the blog..

I’m exhausted and it’s not even 1 pm. Yes, I make my own schedule, yes I often work in my pjs and stay in them all day. But the house responsibilities, the shopping, the lawn work are all things I do. I have deadlines for clients and have to balance that with life. Would I trade it? Not at all – I don’t think I’d like working at a standard 9-5 job anymore. I like being able to make my own schedule and to have my job and my “job”. Children will only make it more fun and I look forward to that step in our lives.

The schedule this afternoon? A trip to collect packages, a trip to the bank, 3 graphic projects, 2 store matchups for the blog, probably 400 more emails.

It’s hard work, even if it’s not in a regular job atmosphere. And I promise that anyone else who is a Stay at Home Mom, or works from their home understands that as well.