Interesting perspective. I have to wonder if it’s worth it in the end though, I mean how good can the pay be with these types of jobs? Is it worth the effort of showing up on time and paying for the commute? Time that in my opinion might have been better spent? Let’s say you get up in the morning to go to one of these jobs. Takes you 30 min drive to get there. Well you also spent another 30 min doing all the things you need to do to get ready. Then you arrive at the job. You spend another hour or so doing what you’re supposed to do, before you can finally get settled and start your freelance work. That’s at minimum 2 hours gone, when you could have been getting things done at home. In addition, what about having some moment of this awesome creative inspiration suddenly smacked out of you because your job required you to get up and go take care of something? All the interruptions and the hassle of having your priority forced to be elsewhere, it just doesn’t seem worth it. But that’s just me, I’m glad it works for you!

@Eric: There are plenty of reasons to put-up with the “hassle” of an empty job:

1) benefits: the biggest one, by far.
2) free broadband
3) (sometimes) free coffee
4) socialization (freelancing can be pretty damn isolating)
5) source of ideas, if your empty job happens to be directly or tangentially related to your freelancing

I have a job like that. I work at a book store cafe. It doesn’t pay much, but I like it becasue it gives me a chance to be around other people. I don’t really get to do that if I’m working from home. Also I get benefits, merch discounts and all the books I can read on my downtime. And there is plenty of downtime since this particular store doesn’t get too much traffic. My schedule is super flexible as I can request time off when I need it.
I think that if it works, than why not do it? Having a part-time “empty job” creates a nice balance between a social environment where I interact with people and solo environment where can focus on the things I am passionate about. It prevents me from getting burned out on doing the same thing day after day.

I’m curious how you handle freelance-related phone calls, such as interviews or calls with editors, when you’re at your empty job. It would be easy enough with a night job — you could just do your calls during the day when you’re home, and not sleeping. But when your empty job involves answering your company’s incoming calls, do you put your interviewee or editor on hold to answer the job-related call?

Many of us freelancers work in creative fields… marketing, advertising, programming, where if you have a day job, you really need to be careful about the perception of conflict of interest. Also, these industries seem to be “small”… everyone knows everyone.

I’ve got a day job and I freelance over 6 figures of side work at the same time. I took a day job as I am bad with a non-scheduled day… I was getting diabetic and overweight from the long sedentary hours and going stir crazy from the isolation. When I took the day job i was transparent that I was working on some large freelance projects. My company was up front and transparent as well… don’t so much as steal a paperclip, sign this conflict of interest statement, and do not use any company resources… make sure you have your own software, cell phone, everything. Keep it 100% clean.

So I do. I tote around 2 laptops… mine and theirs. I have a EVDO card so that I never even touch their wireless. I have all my own software licenses. I have an ActiveCollab workspace that I can hit with my iPhone to keep up on my e-mail and project status. I am up front with my freelance contracts that I have a day job, and that there will be no one-day turnaround and that I will do most of my work on the weekends. And I subcontract more than I need to. Particularly a project manager, so that I can know that nothing will blow up on me during the day that I won’t know about or that someone can’t handle.

It costs a lot more. My margins suffer, but I’d rather take 60% of six figures in freelance on top of a good day job than drop the freelance work. It does get taxing sometimes… I never seem to have a weekend. And it doesn’t work for every client, I had two ask me to reassign my contracts to another full time freelancer without a day job.

But when you’ve got a reputation in a field and can get some latitude, people will seek you out for the big important contracts, instead of the piddly ones. You can be very selective, and you learn to quickly sniff out those projects that just aren’t worth it very quickly.

But in the end, it only really works for a) workaholics or b) extremely organized people. I know that I’m the former, and not the latter. I keep hoping that I can get to the point at which I can land that one client that can catapult me from double dipper to someone who is ready to launch his own agency and hire up a staff, and merge my freelance and day job into one.

Interesting to stumble across this. I’ve been working a full time night job for the past six and a half years and freelancing on the side. I often do my design work while “on the job” because I work nights and there’s a lot of down time. I would love to do my design work full time, but that’s a dream that has yet to materialize. I have zero guilt about doing this, and in fact I’m a bit mystified why anyone would feel guilty. I mean, I could see it if you had a really excellent full time job with benefits and a pleasant boss and working environment, but we’re talking reality here.

Jody… that’s near exactly the same I wrote some weeks ago in my site (in Spanish).
It’s the same situation I’m living on for the las 3 years.
My paid job is not boring at all and I spend almost all the time I’m paid for doing what it’s suposed I’ve to do… but my laptop is next me and when I’ve some minutes… yeah… are for my freelance’s projects!!!!
And I’m not feel I’m stealing no one. Do they care what I spend my “empty” time at the office? I think not… if do my job… it could may be different if my work remains undone, but it’s not.

And why I do not go on and jump to be a “fulltime” freelance?? Well… just one important think: money. I care about if some week could not cash enought to pay my mortgage, foot, my doughter’s school…. well you know… my “paid work” is what i name my “money insurance”…

Glad this has worked out for you, but I don’t think I could stand to have a day-job that i didn’t care about.

For me, it would have to be a short-term solution, I think — I like to have my attention completely on my writing, when I’m freelancing.

Having said that, the best “empty job” I’ve ever had was as a teenager: babysitting. I used to do homework back then, once the kids were in bed. If you’re in your teens or twenties, doing some evening babysitting could be a great way to have quiet-time in which to freelance … not to mention free snacks.

That’s a really interesting way of going about things, and strangely enough I don’t know if I’ve heard about it before. I mean, sure people sometimes do personal stuff on work time, but I’ve never heard of someone taking a boring job simply so they can freelance during down time. Not that it’s a bad idea

Unfortunately I am in one of those jobs where you’re supposed to continue “contributing to the company” if you finish all your work… hard to get deep into freelance projects that way.

I disagree somewhat with colinbrowns approach. While I understand what he is saying, i dont think that anyone ever has to have an all or nothing approach. there can be a middle way; so what if you dont have huge corporate clients? everyone should feel free to find a work arrangement that fits *their* needs. I also disagree with the assertion that taking a job that doesnt move your career forward moves it backwards. you need to look at your life as bigger than that: ‘biding my time’ in a simple, easy job with almost no stress was the best thing i could do for myself. Why? Because it meant I had time to focus on the rest of my life: my mental wellbeing, my physical wellbeing, and ultimately my take on the world. I think people who choose this way are not necessarily copping out; why can’t you just live a gentle life? Not everyone needs to be gung ho and become an astounding ’success’. True success is SO much more than what you do for work. I would rather be the person who lived gently, enjoyed her days, did interesting things and didnt kill herself for work than what society tells me is a ’success’.

Ps. If your clients think ill of you for finding your own path, then I agree - drop them. No one should be made to feel ‘unworthy’ because someone else thinks they are not ‘on top of their game’.

I’ve done a similar thing in non peak season. My brain enjoys a rest and I get to get out into the public. I moved my animal business into a writing business and notice being locked in the cabin alone too much can be a hazard!

I enjoyed this post, Jody. While I’ve never sought out a job solely for the amount of downtime I imagined it would give me, I have to admit that, when it got down to it, it was easier for me to get huge chunks of writing done in my office downtime than at home. Less distractions.

Now that I’m a full-time freelancer, I’m struggling to figure out out how to maximize my productivity. I’m thinking of leaving the condo with the laptop, as my mind is constantly being pulled in five different directions at once. Have I paid the bills? Should I maybe cook dinner for later? Should I clean the living room? Just one round of Project Runway reruns wouldn’t hurt, would it? It’s ridiculous.

As little as I miss my office job, perhaps I was better off being stuck in a cube…

Yeah, after read some comments and, of course, the Article, I realized that this not reflects me a bit. I had a fulfilling job and last month I just quit for part time to make part-time freelancing. It just didn’t work out. When I am there I can only see the time I am losing for my own projects. And this month I am gone of there. Its enough.

I cant be this divided. My freelance work has grown too big to me have a day job that I care as much as my freelance work. By the way, I am working directly to my clients, no boss or directors over me.

Freelance work is taught, but more rewarding that full time job, if you have blood of an entrepreneur, if not, stay “in the cubicle” its safer, … or not? In these crisis days, who knows?

I like Jody’s approach and see how it could work for some freelancers, but not others, depending on so many different factors.

I can especially see an empty job being a good transition to full time freelancing, since so many people are confused about when to make that leap.

With the economy being so up-and-down as of late, I think many of us here would agree that Freelance Switch would be performing an invaluable service to have Jody (or others) delineate exactly how you go about finding such “empty jobs”. Clearly, there is widespread appeal for this idea, not to mention many who have also been doing this for a while.

I’m thinking of doing it again, but it’s tough. First, if you ever decide to go back and get a real career type job, explaining away six-month stints at call centers can be tough.

Second, some jobs in which you think will be “empty” turn out to be soul-consuming. I once drove taxicab which I thought was going to be just for a few weeks until something else shook my way. Next thing you know, I was driving for a year. Although I worked a 12-hour shift typically six days a week, I could show up any day I wanted to, and had “downtime” roughly 9 to 10 of those hours. I could even take calls in the car, and had this been in 2008, I would have an iPhone to surf the net or answer email (I did have a Ye Olde’ Ancient Palm that had full digital maps and spreadsheets to track my earnings). Speed is the essence in the cab business. Maybe nowadays with a laptop you could do creative writing or debug code in-between calls, but what are you going to do with the laptop when you have to go into a bar and pull a drunk off the stool to take him home? Better hide it well and hope no one saw the glow.

Call centers are the same. Some days are killer goof days, but with very high-tech call management (and bosses sending you home early on slow times), it got pretty rare near the end. Plus, pit bosses don’t like to see you doing much. We could read books/magazines or play with handheld Nintendo’s, but I don’t think they’d want you bringing in your laptop and toying with Gmail.

I would think some office jobs are as Jody describes, but how could you possibly know upfront? Right before I started my web design business full-time I quit a total cakewalk of a job with a government defense contractor. Why? I have no idea. I didn’t think about the potential of just staying there and milking it. I should have. I’d still be there today. I had one friend who runs a huge gaming clan forum at least four of every eight hours there. They didn’t care. As long as he got his work done.

Would security jobs be another one? With wifi, maybe that would work. Help us out, F/S!

“Some clients, especially the bigger corporates may lose respect for you as a creative professional if they find out you’re working some menial job in order to pay your bills. You have to do your best to ensure the client believes that you are on the top of your game and that you are the only person who really has their best intentions at heart.”

I totally disagree with this. If some big corporation lost respect for me because I’m trying to make a living with a full time job they can kiss my bacon. Are they going to pay my bills? Buy my groceries? Pay my rent? No. Not all of us are fortunate enough to be “on top of our game” which would be easy to do with clients coming out of my wazoo. Unfortunately, no full time design opportunities have come my way, so I have to get by with a regular job.

If some client cannot understand this then they can take a long walk off a short pier.

Dang! Where can I find an “Empty Job” to bring in some extra cash? Any help? Please?

Um.. I realise that lots of people would love big corporate clients. I personally prefer to work on smaller more creatively fulfilling jobs. I am in the lucky position of having a great empty job where I love the people and feel that I am really giving back to society (my empty job allows me to do some socially relevant work). I know not everyone is in this position.

lol I have another cakewalk job I used to do in my early 20s– work for the State gov. I think they were overstaffed. I assisted one researcher - - - ONE doctor—- who was always out in the field. AND he worked from home!! WTF? Who works from a home office with an assistant in a different, real office?