How to Keep Your Sh*t Together: A Freelancer's Guide
No one ever describes working for yourself as being easy… because it's not! There’s the increased competition, building and maintaining your own schedule, and less resources than an established company would be able to provide for you. Staying motivated and keeping your sh*t together can be a challenge.
Staying motivated occasionally means sitting on the floor and staring at yourself in the mirror.
Throw being a writer into the mix and... yeah, I basically created my own personal storm of both emotional and job-based insecurity.
Don’t get me wrong: I love my new reality as a freelancer. There are so many incredible benefits and opportunities of working for yourself: making and creating work that you’re truly proud of, the whole “working from home” thing, and the sheer flexibility and spontaneity of it all.
My transition from full-time, hard-hustling employee to self-employed writer hasn’t been a walk in the park. While there are many, many factors in play that influenced my lack-of-a-good time while embarking on this new career path, I did manage to find a few coping methods to manage the ups and downs of a new professional normal…
Make a list of all the things you're really good at.
I love making lists – it’s just a passion of mine. So when I’m feeling down in the dumps, I turn over a new page in my notebook and make a list of things I’ve accomplished recently or professional skills I’m really good at. What am I good at today, you ask?
Making lists
Writing effective emails
Organizing things
Meeting new people
Making banana bread
5 things are all you need to start feeling pretty damn good about how you’re doing. What are your 5 things?
Explore your hobbies.
I’ve always been a crafter and, luckily for me, my office happens to occupy the same room as my studio. Now that I need to remind myself to take breaks it works out really well that I can just grab a notebook and my paints and get into a flow. Having an accessible hobby to turn to when you need a break from work is so critical to resetting your brain. Work a hobby into your daily routine and reap the benefits!
Schedule downtime for yourself.
Downtime is so crucial to mental health and productivity. Take a nap, binge-watch The Office for the 5th time (also works great as background noise), or head to the gym for a pleasantly distracting sweat session. Your brain and your body will thank you.
Go outside.
Seriously, go outside. Just go for a walk. Whether you’re working from home, a co-working space, a coffee shop… just get out of there for a bit. Working alone can be trouble for your mental well-being, your physical health (I can’t seem to stop snacking) and might make your brainwaves stagnant. Going outside can help you feel better so you can come back and feel refreshed, open your eyes to a new perspective and more. And yes, after I’m done writing this I am going to go for a walk. Thank you.
Set a goal to sign up – and attend – a set number of networking events each month.
Signing up for networking events is a great way to keep your finger on the pulse of other creatives and freelancers in your area. The hard part about this one is actually making it to the event… but it’s the thought that counts, right? Aside from meeting and connecting with new people, expanding your professional network and maybe even learning a few new skills in the process, you’ll be getting your name out there
Get ahead of yourself.
Since I just started working full-time with private clients, my schedule during the day can get a little sparse despite cold-calling and all the wonderful things freelancers do. I like to spend down time writing and scheduling blog posts so I always have something to talk about online : ) Do you have work you can get done ahead of time? Try creating a day-by-day schedule with goals for yourself!