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Self Employment and Work/Life Balance [Guest Blogger]

Self Employment and Work/Life Balance by Rebecca Ronane

I am living in France and the cultural attitude to work and play is sometimes very different to the Anglo-Saxon.  The month of November has two holidays the 1st  All Saints Day and  the 11th Armistice day and often as it happened this year with the 1st it fell on a Thursday, therefore the ‘pont ‘ (bridge) is taken which is the Friday, followed by the weekend and ‘voila’ you have your four days!  Joie de Vivre (the Good Life) is taken seriously here! In fact 2018 claimed 12 public holidays and then depending on how long you’ve worked you will have a bountiful  annual paid one too.

Does that mean the French style is a lazy one, no not at all, it happens to be at number 14 of the most productive countries in the world while my own country the UK doesn’t appear in the top 15! Does this  mean that more days off, lead to better productivity, and happiness, for worker and boss alike?  Japan the country with the least depression apparently, but the highest suicide, has a regular 40 hour week, but people there are well-known for putting in an extraordinary amount of overtime. It’s tricky to find out which country in general is doing work/life balance correctly. In the end it is left to ourselves to get it right!

In my work-world which has been the self employment one, work/life balance  interestingly can sit on a fine line. I’ve been a tour director (leading/organising groups on holidays) and for many years one worked 15 hours a day, or even more for 6/7 months then a 5 months free, which may sound idyllic, however the mental stress of worrying where your next job might come from, often eradicates the potential pleasure. I’m lucky to have had an understanding  partner in the same profession, but for those  trying to settle back into a balanced life style it can be difficult. Finding the perfect scenario is placing boundary lines within the structure of your working life and  managing to say ‘No’ to a job to save your sanity, not an easy option when organising your own finances and responsibilities.

Self employment might mean working for non scrupulous boss bullies, it’s tricky when you want that ‘job’ which someone else who might have a different set of values or simply feels they have to put up with being bullied as long as money is coming in.  No benefits of any kind, but perhaps less tax  seems appealing, but unless your discipline has stretched to creating plans for your future you can end up being at a loss.

Creating your own business from home appeals to me no end, no boss except yourself, no-one telling you when or what time you must start except yourself, no-one holding you accountable except yourself!

Ok, yourself has to be the perfect time manager, the perfect boundary liner, when  your partner starts a conversation on what we might be eating tonight and whose going to do the shopping. The self discipline to eliminate self distraction, whether it might be family, friends, calls and social media is another milestone.

There are so many pros and cons in whatever work structure you find yourself in, the most important is that you have the wisdom  and discipline to nourish all your needs. The majority of us have to work, to earn money, to be constructive and valued, but all of us will need to counter-balance the necessities to stay healthy in mind and body.

Boundaries and confidence to move away from work situations which don’t make you happy could be the answer. Self discovery to find out what makes you jump for joy, because certainly we all deserve to have happiness in our daily lives at work and at play. ~ Rebecca Ronane 

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About Rebecca Ronane:
I am a Briti living in the south of France with my husband and scruffy dog Myrtle. After thirty years in the travel industry and in my fifties I found Life Coaching and was overwhelmed at the difference this can make to people’s lives, so I decided to study and become one myself! Having reinvented myself I know how to unleash the Magic that women have later in their lives whether personal, or business. I have always worked with groups and I currently run Cappuccino coaching in Aix en Provence a program for like-minded women to explore confidence boosting topics.
My journey has also led me to creating the successful Network Provence a networking group for women to promote their business/project or socialise, meetings which take place on a monthly basis.
During the summer months I am still actively involved in taking organised groups around Europe, as well as my own coaching vacations here in Provence named ‘Holiday Retreats in Provence’.

 

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