with Britt Reints
Forget the 9 to 5; Full Time, All the Time is a blog about the mobile working life - when you have the freedom to work from anywhere and the responsibility of always having your smartphone turned on. Britt Reints works as a freelance writer while traveling fulltime in an RV with her husband and two kids. She explores balancing real-life bills with an unconventional work life, and finding time to maintain relationships with family and friends.
You can also find Britt at InPursuitOfHappiness.net.
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I said once that business travel sounds a lot more glamorous than it is in real life. I lamented the early morning flights and the time away from family. Business travel, I said, is often time spent in a hotel room rather than time spent traveling.
Tomorrow afternoon I’m getting on an airplane for a business trip. To the beach. I received my itinerary by email and discovered that I’ll be enjoying a private tour of a nearby zoo and zip line facility. My beach-front condo is going to be stocked with food and drink so I can enjoy breakfast in my room before heading out to spend time at a sand castle competition.
This part of my job is, to be frank, awesome.
We talk a lot about finding ways to juggle the things we have to do, spending less time doing the things we don’t want to do, and coping with the things we wish we never had to do again.
But ideally, we all have something we love about our jobs. After all, there are lots of things we could do for the money. Don’t we choose our work based on more than money - based on delightful perks like being sent to a beautiful beach for a weekend?
What keeps you coming back? What makes the conference calls and the late nights and the daily juggle worth it?
What do you love about your job?
I love the freedom I have with my job and with answering to no one. Which is, of course, not entirely true because in the end, any good employer answers to his or her employees.
Avitable | September 22nd, 2010 at 5:22 am
I love the freedom and autonomy I have in both of my jobs. I make my own schedule (generally) and take off when I need to with no hassle.
I also like that my “regular” job is not full-time. I get antsy if I have to be in an office for 8 hours a day.
Finn | September 22nd, 2010 at 6:54 am
I love being able to work at home most of the time, and being able to avoid most of the “professional social” stuff and marketing stuff that most folks in my profession have to put up with. I love working on various teams of true professionals to accomplish something important. I love that once something is done, it’s done, dammit, and we’re on to something else. And I love learning.
I love that my company has worked out a flexible plan for my kids’ daycare.
I love the complete lack of competition among my collegues in the company. No back-stabbing, no taking credit for others’ work. Of course, this is possible only because we’re small and selective. (And maybe because all the top people are women who were friends before going into business.)
There are plenty of things I don’t’ like about my job, but the things I do like are pretty significant.
SKL | September 22nd, 2010 at 8:47 am
The reality that what I’m doing on daily basis really does matter on a global scale.
Also, the flexibility offered and some pretty hilarious coworkers.
Kerri Anne | September 22nd, 2010 at 11:30 am
There are so many things I love about my job, which is a blessing!
In general, I enjoy the power and the rush of tackling projects and excelling. I like the feeling of accomplishment I get when I’ve spent all day either on the phone or answering e-mails, and close up for the day knowing most everything on my to-do list is done because of my efficiency. I like the challenge of taking on new projects, learning my way, and moving up the ladder.
I also appreciate the way working breaks my day into reasonable chunks of time.
Erin | September 22nd, 2010 at 12:07 pm
The thing I love about my job is the people I work with. They really respect my work and tell me they appreciate having me around consistently. I can say that I make a difference on a daily basis. I imagine when my son grows up he will regard me as a successful woman and that matters to me.
XhabuMom | September 23rd, 2010 at 9:48 am
I love the flexibility and understanding I get from working for a family business…my bosses have had 4 kids (now grown) and they remember what it is like to be juggling it all.
I love the dynamic of working with guys in the office….I’ve always been a guys girl instead of a girly girl and enjoy the easygoing atmosphere.
I love that I get to do a variety of things…from filing, payroll, bookeeping, reception to construction billing, assistant project management, website design and maintenance, collections…and whatever else I find myself doing.
MamaLisa | September 23rd, 2010 at 12:30 pm
- I love working from home (or a coffee shop… or the zoo… or wherever!)
- I love that business casual can mean pajamas any day
- I love the freedom to go work out in the middle of the day, or take a day off to go snowboarding
- I love meeting new challenges and stretching into new things (really, I do… I do… this is my mantra)
- I love being paid to do what I LOVE, even if it means occasionally writing a blog post about plumbing, metal fabrication, or something equally meaningful
Rachel Heath | September 23rd, 2010 at 5:02 pm
I am the primary (and sometimes sole) breadwinner for my family. I love the satisfaction of knowing that I can pay the mortgage, make sure we’ve got plenty of grocery money, keep my family’s health insurance current.
I like being of service in the world — I believe that I can make a difference in people’s lives by doing my job well. Even if it’s just a small difference, in a few people’s lives, it gives me great satisfaction.
I’m in a rapidly-changing field, and the organization where I work is also changing rapidly. I love the opportunities this gives me to learn new things, stretch my skills, keep growing.
Jennifer | September 27th, 2010 at 7:51 am