Time to grind harder than ever 🧑‍🏭

Now that the shackles are finally removed and I no longer work for USPS, I have nobody forcing me to come to work every day. Sounds idyllic, right? It is pretty awesome, but I'm working more now than I feel like I ever have in the past.

You see I used to just swipe in during the mornings and then wait for the torturous 8+ hour shifts to be over by the evening. I never had to put much effort in, as long as I was there I got paid. It was still extremely difficult to show up on a daily basis. I never felt like I had any real reason for being there, I lacked purpose. There was absolutely no passion on my end, I was wasting away my life. I yearned to get away from that way of life for so long.

Now that I have the opportunity to break away and try to do something on my own, I'm realizing how driven I am. There are no union standards reminding me to take a break every few hours, I don't get paid time off, and I definitely don't have somebody over top of me trying to micro-manage every single thing that I do. Instead, I am the one in charge and if I lack motivation, the whole operation fails. That is something that I refuse to let happen. I am determined to win, win, and win some more.

Most probably assume that having nobody to boss you around would result in the vast majority of people becoming lazy and counterproductive. That is far from the case with me. I am strict with myself and refuse to waste my valuable time. I set out each and every day to create something memorable, not only for me but also for the rest of the world. I want my content to be consumable and not just be my diary of sorts. For that to happen, I must put forth great effort to come up with things that actually interest others.

My daily ritual ☀️

Just because I do not have to be at a job early in the morning doesn't mean that I am not getting up at a decent time still. I'm generally awake before 8 am every single day. The first things that I do after getting out of bed are stretch a bit, drain the main vein, and get a drink. Some mornings I go grab some breakfast from one of my two favorite places downtown, but oftentimes I skip that first meal.

Afterward, I fire up my Nespresso for a morning coffee and then head straight over to my iMac at my workstation. From there I begin to catch up with any comments that I have yet to reply to since I was asleep. Then I start getting focused on my reminders list so that I know what content is scheduled for the day and what all I need to work on next.

It is pretty much non-stop productivity for me from about 8 or 8:30 am until 1 pm. The only things I stop working for are to go to the bathroom and reply to an occasional text message. I stay locked in on my computer work, so I quite often forget to reply to messages for hours. Even though I'm at home, I am also technically at work.

Around 1 or 2 is when I usually start wanting some lunch. I get something yummy from around town and then come back and work for another hour or two. Generally, after I've made a bunch of progress on my reminders list, I start getting ready to go to the gym. Sitting at the computer all day can cause the body to grow pretty stiff and weak. I know it to be essential that I include some type of fitness in my daily routine. I spend an hour or so at the gym nearly every single day, I always leave the place feeling miles better than when I arrived.

When I get back home it's back to the computer for more work. I either finish up the last few designs/blogs that I was working on or just take the time to comment and curate. By the time I've cooled off for the gym, it's time to get a shower.

After I'm freshened up, it depends on the night as to what is next. I either go get dinner, relax and play some video games, or meet with @flowerbaby and family. Most of the time when I am gaming, I'm also recording audio and gameplay for more content to post. I can't say that 100% of the time video games turn into work, but quite often it does. I like to seize every opportunity that I have to give myself more things to share here on Hive.

After dinner and relaxing for a bit after the gym, that's when I finally start to wind down. I still casually check my mobile notifications to keep up with chats and stuff going on with things Hive-related, but I'm not sitting directly at the computer. Generally, I like to spend a few hours either playing video games or watching a movie/tv show. I am usually in bed and asleep by midnight. Then I rest up nicely and get ready to do it all again the next day.

Now I see what it is like to really work 🥵

As you can see, my daily ritual is a whole lot more jam-packed than it was when I just went to work and waited for it to be over. I feel like each day I know exactly what I am supposed to be doing now. Gone are the times of wasting hours and hours just scrolling on my phone and wishing I had the freedom to do what I wanted. I am now able to work from home and work I most definitely do.

It's such a stress relief to know that I'm being so productive that I can get my posts finished and scheduled several days in advance. I no longer feel rushed to come up with ideas and work for a few minutes here and there when I have the time. At last, I can sit at my computer from early morning to evening and work on things that I'm passionate about.

Just because I make my own hours now doesn't mean that I am free 24/7. I'm truly dedicated to creating my content on Hive and I put forth more effort here than I have with any other job ever. It's a whole different ball game than having a boss that knows nothing or being stuck in school and having to do assignments that I do not enjoy. It hurts me to waste time and not be doing things that I consider to be essential. I want to design that unique thumbnail. I crave expressing my thoughts through writing. I care about the people that I communicate with online. I want to make an impact on the world.

In closing 🔚

I guess this turned into a bit of a free write. The main point I wanted to get across is that being your own boss doesn't mean you have it easy. I am harder on myself than anybody else ever has been towards me. Even if I do great, I want to become even better. I aim to expand my own experience points each and every day. Just because I am no longer wasting 40+ hours every week with USPS doesn't mean that I won't be spending 50+ hours on Hive-related things. I am working more now than I was when I had a job that required me to clock in and out.

If you decide to take this path, be sure that you are able to keep yourself on track. This journey requires ambition, consistency, and determination. If you don't want to be locked into a job where you do things the way others want you to, make sure that you can figure out how to accomplish tasks on your own. This is not for everyone, but the people that do find success being their own boss are some of the luckiest individuals in the world.

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