The last few weeks have seen the end of two contracts and I’m finally entering a lighter period of work. It’s a great time to really think through how to make the best use of this time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I think a big thing here is about acceptance. Having spoken to a number of other freelancers, they almost all talk about the feast or famine nature of self-employment. It\u2019s a huge help to know that it\u2019s a natural part of working for yourself and attempt to be more comfortable in an uncomfortable space. Accepting it also means I\u2019m trying not to fight it, or panic about it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Another angle is having faith. If you\u2019d asked me two years ago whether I would be able to secure a year\u2019s worth of freelance work, I would have said absolutely not and yet I\u2019ve done it. And because I\u2019ve done it for a year already, logic dictates there\u2019s a strong chance I\u2019ll be able to keep doing it. Work magically appeared for my first year, so why should I not believe it\u2019ll also be there for the next year? A skill you definitely need as a freelancer is the ability to hold your nerve.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I\u2019ve had way too much work on in the last 4 months and my self-care has definitely suffered. I\u2019m well over a year overdue on a haircut, I\u2019ve got a Christmas voucher for a massage I haven\u2019t used yet and I can\u2019t remember the last time I had a whole day just to myself. Every holiday for the last 9 months seems to have been plagued by illness, I have a list of people I want to catch up with and a life admin job list as long as your arm. So when I first realised I might have an actual day off available, self-care was my first thought. And I followed through with that haircut and a caf\u00e9 stop to start writing my annual letters to my kids. It feels wrong to take that time, but committing to holidays is tough when you\u2019re self-employed so actually celebrating lighter periods of work as holiday makes complete sense for me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Two things I\u2019ve wanted to do for a while have come to fruition now I have the time \u2013 one is business coaching and the other is training. I\u2019m trialling a 6-session package of coaching to explore whether it is a good fit and helps to clarify my thinking and goals for my work. I\u2019ve also taken the plunge and invested in a training course I\u2019ve loved for a while now. It feels scary to invest in training out of your own pocket, and really makes you consider return on investment. However, two sessions in, I can see the huge value in being connected in to an international network of facilitators who all bring different knowledge, skills and approaches and I\u2019ve already learnt a lot I can apply in work I do. It\u2019s another block of time you\u2019re in danger of feeling guilty about, but investing in your professional development not only keeps you relevant, it helps you feel inspired, motivated and connected.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Over the last year I\u2019ve also collected a huge range of articles, training courses, blogs and resources I\u2019d love to explore. So far they\u2019ve gone an almost \u201csometime never\u201d folder because I\u2019ve barely been able to look so far. But I\u2019m genuinely excited to be able to take some time and work out which ones to follow up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I mean, it had to make the list. I have annual renewals coming up for insurance, domain hosting and other things. I need to do my self-assessment, finally install Office 11 (I know, I know!), I need to archive some files, update my website and a whole host of other things that are important but haven\u2019t made it to the top of the list recently.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As with professional development, there\u2019s a list of people I want to meet up with \u2013 previous colleagues, other freelance contacts, as well as braving a specific networking event. It\u2019s partly personal in order to catch up on news and updates, but from a professional development angle it\u2019s also about keeping up-to-date with sector developments, building your network and keeping your name out there for potential opportunities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Another one of my commitments in this time is to expand my options for finding work. On the recommendation of an ex-colleague, I\u2019ve signed up to a local authority tendering portal and I\u2019ve submitted a CV to a charity that holds a bank of experts they call on regularly. Next up I\u2019m planning to register with a number of recruitment agencies that specialise in interim roles and investigate registering with some specific freelance platforms. I want to maximise the opportunity for finding the right work next and there\u2019s some different routes to explore to see which is the best fit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Finally, and the hardest of all, I\u2019m trying to relax. While the default is to worry about less work, I\u2019ve planned for this and have a financial buffer ready. More than that, I could argue I\u2019ve earnt this. Juggling 3 and then briefly 4 clients in the last 4 months has been incredibly stressful and actually banking all that extra work is effectively just balancing this period of time out now. So although I doubt I\u2019ll ever manage it, I\u2019m going to tell myself I deserve it and maybe attempt a bath and a box-set in celebration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Photo by JM Piqu\u00e9<\/a> on Unsplash<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The last few weeks have seen the end of two contracts and I’m finally entering a lighter period of work. It’s a great time to really think through how to make the best use of this time. Acceptance I think a big thing here is about acceptance. Having spoken to a number of…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":378,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[38],"tags":[13,11,12,21,25,10],"class_list":["post-377","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-business-development","tag-charity","tag-consultant","tag-freelance","tag-non-profit","tag-self-employment","tag-start-up-2"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t