Do you have to work hard to go 1099?

by Dale Davidson

I’ve always thought of myself as a somewhat lazy person.

  • I procrastinate on things I don’t want to do at work or just not do them unless forced to.
  • If I can outsource something at a reasonable cost I will do it (e.g. I pay for a lawn mowing service).
  • Instead of going out to socialize with friends I’ll often choose to stay at home and watch Netflix while eating BonChon chicken wings.

So yea, lazy.

But, I also

  • Work out 6 days per week at 6:30 AM
  • Write this newsletter
  • Work on promoting my book
  • Do stuff to grow my government consulting business
  • Spend a lot of time with my toddler

The thing is the non-lazy things I do don’t feel like work. It can be hard, but in general I enjoy working on them and it feels rewarding because there is some sort of payoff or potential payoff.

The act of going 1099 shouldn’t really feel like hard work. Yes, you might have to do some things you would rather not be doing, but you don’t have to force yourself to do it. The payoff is tangible and potentially within reach.

Once you’ve been working as a 1099 for a while, you may find that you end up doing more “work” like that, work you enjoy and are energized by.

Working a W2 job tends to favor grinders. You know who they are. They can work really hard on stuff even if they hate it. They were straight A students in school and tend to favor prestigious careers.

If you’re a grinder you may find going 1099 quite disorienting. It’s more ambiguous and you’re often not working on anything.

If you’re “lazy” like me, you’ll find going 1099 quite liberating. You may also discover that you’re not so lazy after all and that in fact, you were just in the wrong environment for your personality.

So no, you don’t have to “work hard” to go 1099. You have to work, but it should feel natural and energizing, not forced and draining.

Want the full playbook? Check out Going 1099.

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