Matt's job log: 16

Fully part time

 

The story so far...

Matt Atkins' hum-drum stop-gap job was driving him crazy, but at last he has the solution.

I haven’t been in work today thank God; it’s the first day of my part-time bonanza. The transition to a shorter week went smoother than expected, involving me handing in my notice, and then agreeing to work part-time, haggling over hours and finally withdrawing my decision to leave. So now I still work in the physiotherapy department but only on Mondays, Thursdays and Fridays. It’s no less frustrating, but I figure I can manage three days. Just about. I suppose we’ll see.

To be fair, the first day didn’t begin in a particularly productive manner. A ten o’ clock lie-in meant the morning was almost spent when I finally rolled out from under the covers, though I don’t really consider it a lie-in. I’m from the school of thinking that if you’re going commit to the sleeping, you really need to put in the hours. Any time past twelve is good. Early afternoon is a little amateurish but a fair effort but when you’re pushing three o’clock, that’s when your dedication shows.

Despite my late start, I’ve been fairly productive. I’ve applied for three jobs (two editorial assistant, and a research position), done two loads of washing and made the journey across the road to pay my rent. I’ve also checked my emails to discover one from my old tutor and my PhD discussion has been rearranged for October. I’d sort of forgotten about that, but I am still kicking the idea of eventually going for further study around, so a chat about my options is welcome. 

Budget cuts

My lack of a full week’s wage has led to a system of penny pinching that’d make Gordon Brown smile smugly. What with the credit crunch and all, I like to think I’m doing my bit to help the economy. While I can’t really do anything to bring down my rent or credit card bills and as I’m tied into a mobile phone contract, I’ve begun to attack the slow decline of funds on the two fronts where I can make a difference. Namely; food and booze.

Now, to scrimp when it comes to nutrition would be a mistake. I’m not really a three meals a day type but I remember that lethargic near-starving sensation from my early university days and it’s not really a place I want to go back to. So, my priority isn’t on cutting out food to save a buck, rather getting as much as humanly possible for as little cash as I can. I now shop in the evening, as close to closing as I can. This means I can capitalise on ‘reduce to clear’ deals and avoid the hordes of pensioners. I’ve also switched to using the greengrocers for fruit and veg which saves a ton and means I get to support local business. Bless my little cotton socks.

More importantly, I’ve found a way around the alcohol situation. It’s called a hip flask. Compact, slim and reasonably easy to hide from bouncers it means I get passed ridiculous drink prices by providing my own, making purchased soft drinks more…erm…interesting. It also means I drink less, which can’t be a bad thing.

I’m quite impressed with myself. I’ve managed to avoid the temptation to sit around playing videogames all day and done something to further my career plans. The truth is that I really can’t afford not to be productive. Even with all the budgeting in the world I can’t make my meagre resources last indefinitely. I’ll probably have to go back to full time around Christmas time if nothing comes of the next few months, and there’s no way I want to let that happen.

• See Matt's previous job logs.

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