Well, this is more of a question I ask myself everyday. And it’s not like I am a bum. I’m a hardworking gal:

15 credit hours this semester (trying to complete my damn undergrad)

40 hour work week

10-20 hours of reading/homework a week

Sometimes, I can schedule a nap. Or manage to shave BOTH legs instead of just one before saying Screw it! and getting out of the shower. More often than not I look disheveled during the work/school week. And I’m hella grumpy. Sometimes I have time to be social with friends and other times, I just want to lay in bed and read comic books with Professor Boyfriend.

I don’t blog as frequently as I used to because one blog post means that I could have been working on research for the WGST department. Or working on my novel. Or reading. Or doing homework. Or catching up/getting ahead of next week. Or napping. (I have appallingly bad health habits – I don’t get enough sleep, I have knots in my back the size of cats, and I drink way, way too much coffee. And Red Bull.)

My Inner Miss Bossy Pants has lately taken to following me around, throwing her hands up in the air, and shouting,

WHAT ARE YOU DOING WITH YOUR LIFE?

This is just funny. Admit it.

I think what this boils down to is -

My job is holding me back. Well, I say that but what I really mean is I am tired of working for the man. And doing something unrelated to my degree and what I really, really want to do which is be creative for a living. And let’s get real – there really isn’t a niche for creativity in a hospital laboratory. Sorry, but decorating the department for the upcoming holiday just isn’t cutting it. 

I am planning for the next phase of my life. That includes graduating in August and grad school in the fall. But I have decided that that is all well and fancy. But I’m also gearing up for this:

I plan on quitting my job and pursuing a career in freelance editing and copyediting.

Now before y’all get your panties in a big ol’ bunch, know this – I’m not stupid. I’m not quitting my job today. Or even the next month. But I am doing a lot of research and reading on what it takes to get going when working for yourself. I’m not an impulsive person (wellll…..) and I know a lot of pennies are going to have to be pinched and that not everything works out the way it should (even if you do make fifteen spreadsheets that are color coded and have the title MY LIFE PLAN). I am giving myself the next six months to prepare and get going.

My go-to book on this has been My So Called Freelance Life by Michelle Goodman, who is the author of another book (that I AM DYING TO READ) titled The Anti 9 to 5 Guide. I have also found a bevy of other resources as well. So I’m getting my corkboard ready.

Also, the cats have been banned from my office.

Yup.

This is serious business.