‘9 to 5’ Is So Last Century:
Make Time Work For You!
Written by Stephanie
January 30, 2023
Perhaps you’ve heard these song words before:
“Workin’ 9 to 5
What a way to make a livin’
Barely gettin’ by
It’s all takin’ and no givin’”
Those lyrics were the refrain to the hit song ‘9 to 5’ by Dolly Parton from the 1980 comedy film of the same name. The words “It’s all takin’ and no givin’?” may ring quite true for some readers! After all, being part of the daily ‘9 to 5’ grind is something millions of people worldwide have to endure just to get a pay-check. And too often it can feel like you’re getting little in return.
Well, the good news is that there is more to life than a dreary, soul-sapping 9 to 5 existence! We’ll explore two ways you can overcome this by either (1) doing your own thing as a freelancer or (2) making the best of your time when employed.
Let’s start off by ripping into the ‘9 to 5 culture’ itself, okay!
9 to 5 Is So Last Century!
Many workers today still have their work week defined by a strict schedule of a set number of hours, i.e. of the 9 to 5 variety. However, the global COVID-19 pandemic suddenly made millions of workers (and their managers) realize that they can work as well, or even better, with remote/flexible work.
Tsedal Neeley, a Harvard Business School professor had this to say: “Companies have to profoundly rethink what it means to be part of a modern work structure. This idea of 9-to-5 or face-time culture is actually not helpful for a digitally advanced economy.” Makes sense!
Concepts of work are clearly changing dramatically. The New York Times even wrote in March 2022 that employers worldwide, including Kickstarter and the government of Iceland, are adopting a four-day week with reduced hours. In modern work theory, the old saying that ‘less is more’ is being applied to even how many hours people work. That’s toppling the whole ‘9 to 5’ thing on its head!
Say Goodbye to the Rat Race, Be A Freelancer!
One way to say adios to being a nine-to-fiver is to do your own thing. Doing that can admittedly be quite scary but there are so many advantages to being a freelancer. First and foremost, you are indeed the master of your own destiny. You decide what your career path will be. You can decide what work to take on – or not. You only answer to yourself in the end. That is tremendously liberating!
Other benefits of being a freelancer include
- Greater time flexibility since your time is yours
- A better chance at a good work-life balance
- More time to be healthy
- More time to explore your hobbies
- More time with your loved ones
You can choose to convert all your knowledge and skills by becoming an online tutor and become a ‘Yiper’ on Yip. Being on the Yip platform means not having to stress about issues such as self-marketing, invoicing clients, having professional teaching technology, and the like.
Stay Where You Are, But Make Plans Anyway!
However, becoming a freelancer is not for everyone. You may have very good reasons for remaining an employee. That’s cool. However, that shouldn’t mean that prospects are closed to you. You can choose to become a ‘Yipee’ on Yip and take an online class to learn skills that can help you in the future or give you other options. Or just take a class to have fun or learn something you’ve always wanted to!
Remember: learning has intrinsic value. For example, learning new skills is really good for your brain. It’s what Harvard Health calls ‘Prep Your Brain,’ in which signing up for a class can do wonders for your mental agility and brain’s elasticity.
There are so many other reasons why learning new skills is so valuable:
- It reduces stress
- Allows you to aim for new goals
- Helps you gain confidence in yourself
- It can be a welcome distraction from the stresses of work and life
- You can meet new people (and online that means people from all over the world!)
Make Technology Work For You
It’s well-known that we are living in a digital age. Technology is all around us. That’s why there’s no reason not to use technology when making your career choices or how you manage your time. Joining a learning platform like Yip is an excellent way of doing just that, whether as a freelance tutor or student.
You should also learn how to harness search engine optimisation, or SEO. This is especially true if you’re intent on becoming an online freelancer or are already one. SEO is the way in which traffic (i.e. potential customers) get to find out about your online presence or website. This is achieved via organic searches done on search engines such as Google.
The great news is that you can even teach yourself SEO. It’s really not that complicated once you get the hang of it! Social media can also certainly be a boon for an online freelancer, such as a tutor. Instagram, Youtube and TikTok can do wonders for your ‘how-to’ video clips, for example. Don’t be a slave to social media, though!
Your being a freelancer or choosing to learn new skills while still an employee is all about choice. Your choice. Your happiness, self-fulfilment and even time management skills could be the winners. There’s never been a better time.
Ultimately, the world of work is a-changing, including 9 to 5. The aforementioned New York Times article ran with this title: ‘The 9-to-5 Schedule Should Be the Next Pillar of Work to Fall’. We think that sounds like a very good idea!
