This Date in My History — Thursday, March 14, 2002  10:25pm

On Tuesday, I decided to request AWS (alternate work schedule) at work and be off the 2nd Wed. of the pay period. I will use those days off to visit recording studios, ad agencies, etc. to drop off my demo and a promo item. If I don’t do in-person visits, I can always use the time to make phone calls, work on my web site, etc.

My boss approved it yesterday, so I’ll start this new schedule the week after next. I know it will be hard to get accustomed to working the extra hour, but I think the pay-off will be worth it.

Today’s Take-aways:

1) Even if you have a full-time job, you still can structure your time so that you can take action on your dreams. Ask whether your employer will allow you to change your schedule so that you can get a day off every week or two. Some schedules you could consider:

• Over the course of 2 weeks, work 9 hours a day for 8 days, 8 hours a day for 1 day, and have a day off.
   
  I worked this schedule for the last 9 years of my career in the federal government. I referred to my Wednesdays off as “wonderful Wednesdays”. I always said that being off on Wednesday was like being on vacation in a foreign country since most people are at work that day. Even though I am now a full-time voiceover talent and audiobook narrator, I still schedule my Wednesdays off whenever possible.

• Over the course of 2 weeks, work 8 10-hour days and have 2 days off.
• Work a split shift of time in the mornings and evenings with the middle of the day free.

2) Your experiences will follow your expectation. If you say things like “I know it will be hard to get accustomed to working the extra hour”, it WILL be hard. If you say “It’s just as easy to work 9 hours a day as 8”, it WILL be easy.

3) Set the intention for the usage of your newly-found free time. Follow through with that intention, and watch your dream take flight!

As it turns out, I rarely did in-person visits on my Wednesdays off, but I did LOTS of other marketing activities on those days. I also scheduled voiceover jobs for my wonderful Wednesdays. I told clients that the other weekdays were “booked”, which, of course they were….just not to voiceover clients!

Photo:  iStockPhoto/donskarpo

Karen Commins

Karen Commins is an award-winning, professional audiobook narrator, producer, publisher, writer, and leading curator of information about the audiobook industry. In addition to earning a BA in broadcast journalism and MS in computer information systems, Karen has completed extensive specialized training in voiceover and audiobook narration technique, as well as digital audio production. She's also the chief cartographer of NarratorsRoadmap.com.

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