After a day and a half of not being anywhere near halfway done a job that should have taken me a day at most, I finally conceded that I needed to get more serious about finding a temporary work station in my casita.
At first, I tried the kitchen table. It’s a round one with a pedestal base and legs that extend outward. There was no way to place my foot pedal that would allow me to sit naturally. I tried to sit with the table next to me, keyboard in my lap, feet extended. That was fine except for the crick in my neck from having to turn to see the screen!
The next setup was much better, but did not make me feel professional and therefore was not conducive to productivity. I dragged an end table into the living room from the second bedroom and set up my computer on it. I put the pedal inside the table so that it could be at a comfortable distance for my feet and sat on the couch. This was actually not horrible, but the computer screen was far away and the setup just felt messy and, again, unprofessional.
What I really needed was a set up like at the hotels I stayed at with a straight back chair and square table. And then I realised that I’d been staring out the door for more than a day at my square patio table!
I brought it in and tried to get it into the back bedroom, but the hallway was too narrow and the table legs did not come off. Dang. Next best place for it was under the window in the kitchen. I set up all my basics and success! I’ll be able to work here even though I would much prefer to be in the back room without all the distractions from the street.
I’m glad I have all this sorted out. My best client is on holidays this month and even though I was told I’d have work, I haven’t heard from her yet and am therefore having to assume that I won’t get anything. So I’m going to let my lesser paying clients know that I can take absolutely as much as they have to give me.
So instead of six to eight hour days five to six days a week, I have to be ready to work twelve-plus hour days at least six days a week for the rest of November (provided clients have that much work for me…) to be on a good footing for December. Not a great position to be in in, especially in a foreign country, but I still think I’m better off here in that situation than I would be in an RV in SK since my expenses are now stabilized and I’ll have a pretty straightforward budget all winter, no worries about fluctuating electricity and propane costs.
