Living The Dream

Of course working from home is in many ways considered the Holy Grail. Sitting at your desk in your front room, cat curled at your feet, sipping tea while still in your dressing gown, and hammering out the work at a vast rate of knots.

Hmmm – not, it seems, in my house. If I stay in my nightie then you can guarantee a stream of randoms will come knocking at the door, and I just look downright lazy because I’m in a state of undress. So clothes are a must. I got dressed this morning, and sat for at least three hours in a stunning new leather skirt, that I have been absolutely dying to wear. No one has seen me – not even the postman. So I have given up and changed into a much more practical pair of pants that are so uncool they could be pajamas (and despite all of Victoria Beckham’s best efforts, Pjs in my mind still don’t work as fashion items). Anyway, as I pondered at my laptop, waiting for inspiration to hit, my mind wandered to the laundry cupboard that needs sorting. The urge to address it became too strong, so I got up, pulled the entire contents onto the hall floor – then felt guilty about my deadlines and left it there to go back to my work. With inspiration still not hitting, I found that the need to eat became stronger and stronger. The inner voice that urges me to snack at will went from a whisper to a yell. So sod it, I caved and hit the biscuit tin (shortly followed by a raid on the chocolate supplies). Unimaginable that by 11.30 it was officially lunchtime and a rummage through the fridge ensued. The upshot was that the house was in turmoil, I had eaten my body-weight and the work still hadn’t been finished.

Oh I know, there are many many upsides. You don’t have to drink the crap tea in the office. You don’t have to sit in rush hour traffic, with the little stress vein throbbing in your neck - wondering idly if this will be the day it will burst and the inside of your car will look like a scene from Greys Anatomy. And of course best of all you don’t have to smile at/ exchange pleasantries with wanky co-workers. But one word of warning to freelancers in the making - beware - organization and self discipline are key, and if you haven’t got them, you too, like me, will often scratch your head, and wonder just where the day has gone.