I'm trying to decide if I am off work today for the holiday. I have several jobs. My main job is Mom, although I prefer the more accurate title, CIC (Chick in Charge). I also teach online from home, write this blog, and I am working on a novel. In all of these pursuits, there really isn't a distinct line between days off or on.
I can't really use whether I am being paid or not as a indicator of working. Unfortunately, only one of those jobs pays, and that is only when I am under a current contract. There is always unpaid training and skill upkeep for my teaching work. CIC pays purely in satisfaction for me and my family, and I am working toward money coming in with the blog and other writing.
It can feel strange on days like this, but I am the one that set my schedule up to blur the lines between work and time off. It works for me in so many ways.
I never have to ask for time off so I am completely unlimited on when and how long I can go on vacation. I just bring my work with me wherever we go. For the past 6 years we have family vacation photos featuring me and my laptop. I set up my work schedule to keep online work to a minimum during the time we are away, then I carve out a few hours alone and get it done.
Days at home require discipline (and sometimes a hiding place). My noisy CIC job can run a muck over my writing work so sometimes I have to separate them with a closed door for a few hours, but in general, I can do both at the same time, which feels great. They actually work really well off each other since one is active (CIC) and the other is butt-in-chair work. I can break my day up into sitting and moving time.
Setting priorities is still a challenge. I have to tune out all the projects around the house that beg for my attention on days that my writing muse shows up or my teaching contract says, work. . .now. The great thing about house projects is the immediate sense of completion and accomplishment. On those days that I feel like I am getting nowhere I will open the linen closet in my bathroom (one of the few super organized spaces I have) and just revel in the feeling of calm and order.
So today I am writing, because I love it, and I am doing laundry and planning meals for the week ahead, because I love my family (and I love good food). This may not be a holiday from labor because most of what I do is a labor of love.
Labels: CIC, labor day, work
