I was walking home from an impromptu Dr’s appointment where I felt extremely grateful to be living this self-employed life and I just wanted to share two moment’s in my crazy life that makes running my own business worth it and how extremely grateful I am for the life I’m living and the freedom it gives me to run my business with my chronic illness with just my laptop.

Related: How I started my own business

I have two days I want to share two days in the same week that show how amazingly well running my own business works for me and I’m grateful for the opportunity to be able to own and run a business around my illness and my health-related appointments.

Tuesday 21st August 2018

I ended my previous workday by setting up my out of office to say I was AFK and away from emails for the day. My husband and I had an IVF appointment in Liverpool mid-afternoon which was preplanned so I made sure I was all caught up with emails and client work before I finished my day. We left the house at 11am and didn’t return home until 5:30pm. I didn’t do anything work-related because I’ve either automated it or I’m just not doing it that day.

I don’t touch my laptop for the whole, entire day.

Thursday 23rd August 2018

6:50am

I wake up at 6:50am with stomach pains and I hurt and feel crappy and decide to ring the G.P. when it opens. I’ve been having a few issues over the last month and a half with the new skin that’s healed from the removal of my abscess earlier this year and I just can’t take it anymore so I set my alarm for 7:55am.

7:30am

Kiss my husband goodbye as he’s on an early at work and I go to the bathroom.

7:55am

In the bathroom, as my alarm goes off. It’s no longer a stomach issue but an intestinal one.

8:05am

I’ve booked an appointment for 10am and I don’t have to phone in sick or cancel anything to go to the appointment.

9:45am

I’ve spent the remainder of the morning writing a blog post about a call I had the day before from Kat who’s just passed her A-Levels and has suspected Endometriosis and has gotten into her first choice at University and wanted an idea and plan on how to live away from home and manage University with Endometriosis. I save the post and throw on a dress because it’s a take your knickers off kind of appointment and wearing a dress makes it easier. Then leave the house.

10:30am

The appointment was short and nothing to worry about, I leave with a prescription for some antibiotics and I have to do a swab and hand it back before 4pm and ring them back in 3 days. I pop into town to tell my husband what the Dr said and what I have to do. I then wander to the supermarket and buy some chocolate.

11:30am

I’ve gotten home changed into jeans because I’m now freezing, Britsh summer has definitely arrived, I’ve swabbed the area the Dr wanted me too, quickly posted to Instagram, fed Evie some celery and finally made a cup of lemon and ginger tea in my travel mug to drink while I walk back to the Drs to hand over my swab sample.

12:15am

I’m finally back at home! I sit down with my laptop and check my work emails and respond to clients and do some social media work.

1:05pm

I break for lunch which I eat standing up in the kitchen, listen to the radio and pre-cook the mincemeat for tonight’s tea of shepherds pie because it’s my turn to cook and I know I won’t have much energy left by then.

1:37pm

I sit back down to do some more work and check my emails again. I email 3 clients about their social media. I also message my BFF and see how she is. I research a couple of things for a client too.

2:30pm

I take a 15-minute break, get a drink, take my meds and start this blog post.

2:45pm

I’m taking on a new client and so I go over their in-take form and see what information they’ve given me and write down some ideas and questions that I have. I send an email. Start roughly taking notes and do some brainstorming.

3:45pm

I reply to some emails and then I check my to-do list to see if I missed anything work-related. I have, I need to resend an invoice for a client.

4pm

My calendar bings to remind me it’s the end of my day and to GET OUT. I’m meeting my husband at his work. I close down all my open tabs, why do I always have too many tabs open? I pet Evie who is napping at my feet, put my shoes on, grab my jacket, bag and keys and leave. That’s the end of my work day!

They are both so very different days but both work around my health. That’s the joy and perks of working for myself.