No More House Calls!

It feels good to post again… I haven’t posted anything in quite a while, but not because I didn’t have anything to write about. On the contrary, I almost have too much to write about. I’ve just been swamped, trying to tend to every little PC issue with what seems like an endless stream of end users. I know I’m exaggerating, but some days, it seems like I’m responsible for the smooth operation of half of the PCs in the Chicago area.

There was a time in my life that I enjoyed it, and to some degree I still do, but my life circumstances have radically changed in the past couple of years, and I’m just not “into it” as much as I used to me. I have to focus on getting my home in Chicago sold, an endeavor that has turned into a comedy, or tragedy, depending on my mood. I have a gorgeous new home waiting for me in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and I’m trying to focus more and more on getting there.

It’s quite possible that I’ve attempted this before, and that I failed to heed my own advice. But I am going to make another (very determined) effort to stop making computer and network repair house calls. It’s just become too taxing, time consuming and repetitive. I had one this past weekend that I am hoping is my last. So unless it is a close personal friend in dire straits, I’m putting my foot down.

This has been a long time coming. Call it burn out, malaise or fatigue. I’m sure I’ll get some people that will chide me for turning any kind of work down, especially in this economy. It became a simple matter of balance. It was just too easy to over-schedule myself with gigs, and the money I earned was just not worth the effort. In the end, I’d find myself getting snippy with my loved ones, just because I didn’t have any personal down time to spend with them.

I’m still somewhat willing to fix machines in my home office, and use various remote control tools to tune up and tweak computers across the Internet… But here is what is making me swear off of house calls.

1. They are becoming harder and harder to schedule. The only time I have to do house calls is evenings and weekends (I have a full time corporate IT job), and I need that time for my own personal tasks and relaxation. This is the “balance” concept I mentioned earlier.
2. Related to the above, I have a tendency to undervalue my time, and thus undercharge for my services. This stemmed from a time in my life when I really enjoyed technical challenges, and looked at side gigs less as a serious source of income and more of a hobby with some cash rewards. I don’t look at it like that any more. My spare time is too valuable as just that… MY spare time. One person told me to jack up my hourly rates, but I don’t think anybody is going to pay me $100+/hr to come to their home to set up that new PC and router.
3. Logistics and transportation: My wife and I share one car, and have for years. It’s saved us a TON of money. So when I do take the car for gigs, she’s stranded. Yes, we live in the city and there’s public transit, but that doesn’t cut the mustard in most circumstances. Then there’s parking (many of my customers are in the city of Chicago), the price of gasoline, and the drive times involved. In some cases, I spend almost as much time driving and parking as I do at the client’s home or office.
4. Repetition and burnout: Self explanatory

Again, I’m not really shutting down my PC repair and IT consulting work entirely… not in the least… I’m just giving up one piece of it because of time constraints a need to focus on other aspects of my life and career.