It’s Okay To Go Back To Your 9 to 5
One of the biggest driving forces between why so many people take up the internet marketing reins is that they want some degree – often complete – of freedom from their dreaded day jobs. The 9 to 5 cycle has left many jaded, especially in a place like the US where traditional allowances for vacation time can be pitiful, and leave many feeling like they simply work to work more, with an all-too-short weekend escape in between.
At first, that freedom will be liberating. Next, probably comes the fear as you realize that online marketing is no walk in the park, and that those who make it, and are able to match let alone exceed the income they made from their “regular” job, are grinding longer hours out every single day than they’ve ever worked in their life.
For some, this means turns out to be too much, and they realize it’s just not a sustainable approach to making a living for them. For others, the extra workload is nothing compared to the freedom it offers, and they never look back. Others yet lie in between, drifting between pure entrepreneurship, consultancy or freelance, and maybe even a part time gig for some guaranteed cash, or with the intent of learning a new skill.
Whatever the case may be, one thing should be said that doesn’t ever get mentioned in IM circles: it’s ok to go back to your day job.
Be it a permanent or temporary move, there are actually a number of reasons you might want to consider some more structured work from time to time.
You can cross-pollinate ideas. Even if your work is similar on both fronts, there are probably deviations in the day to day tasks that you would be conducting on your own and those you do in a more traditional office setting. The great thing about this is that you can take ideas from one line of work and use them to put a new spin on what you’re doing in the other.
Working alone can get lonely. Sometimes, the coworker environment can help to keep you motivated and feeling like you’re working toward a large, common goal. Additionally, it can help to have easy access to the input of others when you’re faced with tough decisions that may fall outside of your area of expertise. Even if you don’t go back to work for a company, you might consider a shared office space in which you can still maintain your freedom of schedule and work direction while opening up a few of the benefits of a more social environment.
It might just prevent you from getting hit with burnout. Many of us who have worked freelance or in an entrepreneurial capacity for a number of years know that it can be easy to slip in directionlessness or boredom when things get too respective or you don’t have a clear vision anymore. Sometimes, a drop back into 9 to 5 life might just re-energize your entrepreneurial spirit and remind you why you took up the reins in the first place.