I’m tired lately. And by lately, I mean for about the last two years. Since I graduated from Michigan State University and began my professional life, it seems I am always working in one way or another. I have my 8-5 job, but also side projects such as freelance editing and consulting – and there is also the looming (and massive) archiving project I’ve committed myself to for the last year. It seems 40 hours a week is just a myth.
It’s a situtation I’ve completely and totally created for myself. I can’t help it. I’m like an addict – if someone asks if I am interested in consulting, editing, whatever the side work may be – I can’t say no. The extra cash is nice, and I typically enjoy the work itself. The real problem becomes when I stop leaving my 8-5 life at the office door. I think about my day job a lot in the evenings, mostly just because I need to process my day. And a lot of the times, creativity doesn’t strike strictly between business hours. For instance, last Monday after an evening walk with my dog, I was hit with a “burst” of ideas about how to incorporate social networking into our marketing plan. It was 9 p.m. and I was sitting on my bed scrawling notes on a legal pad.
