Making your way in the (gig) world today takes everything you’ve got!
By Sue J. Ashford
September 7, 2021
I love this first line from the theme song to an ancient TV show called Cheers; but I think it really applies to gig workers who operate on their own outside of organizations. Sure, they have their freedom and they avoid the frustrations of having a boss and a system to which they need to comply. But they also operate without a stable sense of place, a firm identity, a set of colleagues and even someone to blame if things go wrong. What can we learn from those who handle this independence best?
Independent workers were able to maintain a vital sense of self and a stable identity as a professional if they could maintain four different connections:
A connection to other people: whether it’s your editor you talk to once a week, the gallery owner you stop by to visit, your spouse, or others who do the work you do, having contact with other people makes a difference. It helps independent workers to stay on track in all their freedom and elevates their aspirations. Other people’s encouragement helps them to aim higher and their questions and comments help them to achieve focus.
A connection to place: The most successful independent workers we interviewed had a place where they typically did their work (for some it was a room in the house, for others a space at a particular library) and the place had some meaning for them. One writer populated the bulletin board in her workspace with every accolade she had ever received to keep her spirits up when the going got tough. Another said he worked in a 6’ x 8’ shack on his property because anything bigger than that, he lost focus.
A connection to routines: Successful independent workers find that, as one writer commented, “routines are the wardens of accomplishment.” They use routines to get into their workday and to transition out of it at the end of the day. Routines help them either getting the right headspace or simply get to work altogether. Routines bring focus and get them a way to get back to work when they lose a sense of where they were going.
A connection to purpose: As cliché as it has become, understanding and being in touch with why you’re doing the work you’re doing makes a difference. If you can see your work on a bigger canvas, it can help your motivation. Getting specific about your purpose is in the independent work you’re doing also enables you to attract certain work and turn down other work that doesn’t fit as well.
We titled our research: “Agony and Ecstasy in the Gig Economy ” and our workers certainly reported both feelings [1]. But those who were able to maintain these four connections expressed more of the ecstasy and also felt that they could use the moments of agony to enrich their work and their sense of a life well lived.
[1] Petriglieri, G., Ashford, S. J., & Wrzesniewski, A. (2019). Agony and ecstasy in the gig economy: Cultivating holding environments for precarious and personalized work identities. Administrative Science Quarterly, 64(1), 124-170.
