Summary

The article discusses how adopting a 9–5 mindset can help self-employed individuals manage their time and responsibilities more effectively during the transition from traditional employment to self-employment.

Abstract

The transition from a structured 9–5 job to self-employment presents unexpected challenges, including managing time, setting boundaries, and coping with the lack of external structure. The author shares personal experiences of feeling overwhelmed and less productive after becoming self-employed, despite having more control over their time. The article suggests that applying principles from the 9–5 work environment, such as scheduled breaks, goal setting, and accountability, can help self-employed individuals create a productive routine and mental framework. It emphasizes the importance of embracing the transition, setting concrete goals, and learning to shut down at the end of the workday to prevent burnout. The author also highlights the value of having a mentor to navigate the complexities of self-employment and the emotional support needed during this period of change.

Opinions

The author believes that the conditioning of a structured work environment is deeply ingrained and that the sudden absence of this structure can be disorienting.
There is an opinion that self-employment can lead to a blurring of output and goals, making it difficult to measure productivity and success.
The author suggests that self-discipline, similar to that required in a 9–5 job, is crucial for success in self-employment.
It is conveyed that self-employed individuals should not be too hard on themselves during the transition and should seek support from mentors to overcome creative and entrepreneurial roadblocks.
The article expresses that while self-employment offers flexibility and freedom, it also requires a proactive approach to managing one's time and mental health.
The author emphasizes the importance of setting boundaries and creating a clear distinction between work and personal life to maintain a healthy balance.

How the 9–5 Mindset Can Help the Self Employed Sort Out Clutter

The transition can be bumpy, but you can make it smoother with this.

When I dived into my self-employment journey, a lot of unexpected things occurred. The reality was different from what I dreamt of. I thought it’ll be 4 hours of working and lots of reading and relaxing, but I’m currently reading the same book for over a week and hardly relaxing.

That means I had more time during my 9–5 when I pursued a side hustle and read one book a week as compared to now, when the day finishes and I feel inadequate about what I didn’t do.

If you’re feeling the same or are anywhere close to being self-employed, you’ll be bound to feel this way because transition takes time. And this isn’t a time to be hard on yourself.

Instead, feel and embrace the transition. Here’s how you can smoothen the bumpy road.

The Problem

You’ve been at school since you were 4. Your study time, playtime, meal times and even bedtime were predetermined. Then you went to university where you got a little freedom but your post-school tasks were set with homework.

Then, you do a job where 9 hours a day belong to somebody else and the rest are for responsibilities at home and yourself.

When you move from this conditioning, which takes place for over two decades to suddenly being solely responsible for your day, it hits hard.

1. Where does your day go?

I’m huge on productivity and setting timers. I’ve been waking up early to work out for 7 years and plan my day well. But this period made me realise I excelled when I just had a portion of the day under my control, not the entire day.

That’s too much responsibility at once and can be overwhelming.

2. You could’ve got more done

On some days, you’re pushing yourself too hard to get things done. But on most, you’ve got enough done and need to cut some slack. When the clock is at 3 pm and you’re used to clocking in 8 hours in the office, you feel a sword over your head telling you that you could’ve got more done.

This could lead to burnout, so accomplish tasks instead of chasing time.

3. Output and goals become a blur

I’m still pumping out the same number of articles as I did when writing was my side hustle. That makes me feel like there was no point in freeing up all these hours. I feel inadequate and not good enough, but I hop back to realise I need to embrace this transition instead of negative self-talk. You’re now in a space where there’s no limit to work and achieve, which can get stressful and messy.

Consider having a mentor who can help you with roadblocks in creative entrepreneurship.

How to use the 9–5 mindset to overcome this?

Here’s how I’m stealing the mindset I had during my corporate job to make my transition to self-employment easier. I’m taking it one step at a time and things are slowly falling in place.

It doesn’t matter how you feel: Get to work anyway. Unless you’re really sick, you’re mostly lazy or procrastinating because the day has plenty of hours left. Schedule your breaks and work time to not slack off.
Goal setting: This is important in all spheres of life but is now more important than ever. Have a mentor and set concrete goals to achieve. Have somebody to hold you accountable and guide you to the right direction.
Nobody wants to hear you cry: Just like your boss didn’t care about how tough your life is. You’ve made this choice and you’re still better than most slogging from Monday 9 am till Friday 5 pm. Quit crying about your difficulties and get to the solutions instead.
Lots of deep breaths: Your clients will pull out. People will pick on your brains for free. Prospective clients will lure you to get your ideas for their business, you’ll spend days on a proposal and still not get hired. All this has happened with me, and it could happen with you too. Use deep breaths to get over your fumes and know this is just the beginning of an adventure.
Shut down when work ends: There are no Thursday beers with colleagues or relaxed Friday where you take it slow. So you’re responsible for mentally and physically shutting down when your work time ends. It's important to prevent burnout.

After all, life is all about learning and using those teachings wherever you can.

Lastly

I’m a month old into becoming self-employed and while it’s rosy and dreamy as I thought it’d be, it's not an easy ride.

Yes, Mondays are a lot more stress-free, and I enjoy the time I get to spend with my family. My grandfather recently passed away, so I really appreciate getting more time with my grandma. The 15 minutes rushed up tea time has become a few hours a day spent next to her.

But the transition is hard and takes time. Earlier, I stressed out a lot about it, but now I’m embracing it instead. I’m not fully there yet, but by using the 9–5 mindset, each day is getting easier than yesterday.

I hope this helps you as much!

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