"You quit the 9-to-5 to have more control over your time. You wanted flexibility, autonomy, and the freedom to structure your days around your life instead of someone else's schedule. Yet here you are, apologizing to a client for not responding to a message immediately. Feeling guilty on a Tuesday afternoon when you've only worked for four hours that day. Checking Slack at 9:00 PM because that's been your routine for most of your working career."
"Corporate habits are deeply ingrained. We've worked that way for so long that they just feel like "how work is supposed to be done." For me, it was the instant email (or Slack) response. In my corporate job, quick replies signaled that I was on top of things, engaged, and reliable. When I started freelancing, I brought that habit with me. If a client sent me an email, I'd reply immediately - even if I was in the middle of the grocery store."
Many solopreneurs recreate corporate life by carrying ingrained habits into freelance work. They trade a single demanding boss for multiple demanding clients and replace mandatory meetings with back-to-back Zoom calls. Instant email and Slack responses persist because they once signaled engagement and reliability in a corporate role. Those habits undermine the flexibility and autonomy that motivated the move away from 9-to-5 work. Recognizing specific corporate workday habits is the first step toward reclaiming time. Experimenting with spontaneous time off can reveal client expectations and show which habits require conscious change.
Read at Fast Company
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