11 Self-Care Tips for Freelancers
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There are many misconceptions about people who freelance. One of those misconceptions is that we can do whatever we want, when we want. The truth is that many freelancers and independent contractors work longer, more intense hours then their regular 9-to-5 counterparts.
The reason for this is simple, a great majority of freelancers are project-based workers. This means that they get paid for completing a project. They don’t get paid a weekly salary and because of this, many times, freelancers work beyond normal hours and don’t leave themselves time for self-care.
However, as a freelancer, it’s up to you to make sure that you are attending to your proper self-care. Without taking care of yourself, you won’t be able to take care of your family, no less earn a living. Those things need a person who is vibrant, healthy, energetic, and motivated.
So, without further ado, Here are 11 self-care tips that every freelancer needs to follow.
Schedule Your Work Hours
This is one that many people lose sight of the minute they leave their 9-to-5 job and start freelancing. It’s also one that can start you down a road of burnout and frustration.
We, as freelancers, tend to look at work with a project-based mindset. We have a project that we’re working on from a client and the goal is to finish said project and get paid. Understandable. However, having this mindset can and will for most people lead to long nights and weekends as well as an exhausted freelancer.
The key is to schedule your work hours just like you would if you still had that corporate job working 8 hours a day. Pick a schedule that works for you and stick with it. It doesn’t matter if those hours are in the middle of the night, 9-to-5, or broken into two 4-hour time slots. Choose the hours that you want to work and make those your work hours. When those hours are done for the day, pack it up, shut it down, and move on to the other parts of your life.
Now, I understand that sometimes you might have a project that requires intense, long work hours in order to complete it. However, make those projects the exception, not the rule. It’s too easy to become a workaholic when you’re a freelancer. Take control and stick with it. This also means letting those that might be in your household as well as friends and relatives know that you’re working during that time.
Don’t Bite Off More Than You Can Chew
I have been guilty of this one more than you’ll ever know. When you’re starting out and trying to pay bills, taking every job that comes along is tempting but you can only do that for so long. Eventually, you’ll be completely burned out, sick, and unmotivated.
Take it from someone with first-hand experience. For years, I would take every single job that came along and spent many a time working through the night while my partner slept. This gave me an incredible reputation with my clients (one of whom I still have to this day after 16 years of working for them) of someone who could get anything done, any time, and with extremely high standards. The money was pouring in, I was able to buy myself a luxury car, pay for my own health insurance, and live on the beach.
It also created a life where I not only worked through the night but I also always seemed to have a cold and I never got to enjoy the beach that was just steps away from my door. I did this for years until I realized that A, I wasn’t getting any younger and B, I would never get a chance to relax and take care of myself unless I made it happen myself.
Now, I am definitely older and a bit wiser. I still take as many clients and projects as I can but I have rules for myself. I must space the deadlines out so they allow me to have some rest or ‘me time’ throughout the project. If I start to feel under-the-weather or just tired and needing a break, I politely decline new assignments for a few days or a week. Although, I love rush or overnight projects because they pay a lot more, I don’t always take them because they create a lot of stress and disruption on my day-to-day life.
Biting off more than you can chew when it comes to freelancing can and eventually will create an unhealthy situation for you and your family. Work hard but don’t forget that you can’t be your best if you’re constantly tired, stressed, and overwhelmed. Give yourself a break and space your projects and deadlines out in a way that benefits you first, your clients second. I know that sounds backwards but your best work will come from a healthy you and that’s what your clients want. Remember, you are in charge of your own life. That’s why you freelance…to be in charge. So, be kind to yourself.
Take Frequent Breaks
Next is another one that I’ve had to remind myself of on many occasions though I’ve gotten better in recent years. Throughout your daily work day, it’s vital that you take frequent breaks away from your computer and office. It’s easy to get sucked into your workload but again, in order to be at your best you need to take a few minutes every hour or so to decompress.
Get away from your desk and walk around, get something to eat or drink, read a chapter or two in a book, watch a 30-minute show, get outside for a half hour or so, tick a few things off your household to-do list, workout, listen to some music or, better yet, go play guitar or whatever instrument you play. Do something other than work for a few minutes every few hours.
As for me, I usually schedule work for two-three hours in the morning then I stop for some lunch or tea. Later on, after working some more, I’ll get up and fold some laundry, walk around the house to get my steps in, or talk to my mom on the phone for a bit. Then back to work for an hour or two and then stop to walk around again or do a quick 30-minute workout. Am I perfect? Absolutely not but every day I try to create some space throughout the day to have a brief break in my work routine.
Reward Yourself
Now this one might not be something that you do on a daily basis but it’s something that you should do regularly. You work hard at being a freelancer and as a result, you should reward yourself from time to time.
Once a month or maybe even once a week, reward yourself with something that will make you feel special and loved. It could be that you buy yourself that new CD by your favorite artist or even something simple like getting your favorite latte from the local coffee shop.
However, it doesn’t have to be anything that costs money either. I tend to reward myself with one of my favorite meals and a glass of merlot at that end of the week or another favorite of mine is taking a nice long, hot bath at the end of the day (sometimes with a good book and a glass of wine too).
Rewards can be anything that you find enjoyable from planning a night out with the girls (or boys) to taking an afternoon nap to having a few pieces of your favorite chocolate. Find whatever it is that brings you joy as Marie Kondo would say and do that.
Take Time For Yourself
Just because you may work by yourself, doesn’t mean you actually take time for yourself. As I’ve said, it’s easy to fall into the “work-all-the-time” mindset when you’re a freelancer but you need to make sure you get time away as well.
Taking time for yourself may be as simple as scheduling an hour of daily down time to do what you want or it can be as elaborate as scheduling a long-needed vacation away from everything.
Taking time for yourself is doing anything that will allow you to relax for a bit, recharge, and take care of your mental and physical well-being. Sometimes for me, I turn off my computer and take a nap or go outside for a walk. Anytime you start to feel frustrated, tired, or irritable, it’s time to take a moment for yourself.
Have a Self-Care Routine
A great majority of freelancers work from their homes and/or an environment where they don’t physically socialize with others on a regular basis. Sure, there’s the occasional email or phone call but for the most part you can roll out of bed and work all day in your PJs.
However, this doesn’t mean you don’t have to have a self-care routine. A lot can be said for waking up at a regular time every morning and following a personal self-care routine. It creates a sense of well-being and let’s you show yourself some love.
For me, I ask my partner to wake me up when he gets out of the shower in the morning. I then get up and shuffle into the breakfast nook and have tea and some toast or a muffin with him. After I see him off to work, I usually take a shower, get dressed, and head to my office to begin my work. Throughout the day I give myself breaks and stop for snacks and tea. Occasionally, if I feel it’s needed, I’ll take an afternoon nap as well.
I also make sure that we both take our daily supplements, eat a healthful dinner, and make an effort to get to bed by 11 p.m. the latest. Having a set routine makes me feel in control and also ensures that the things that are most important get done every day without fail.
Exercise
This one is a no-brainer yet we all need to be hounded about it from time to time. A freelancer’s life tends to be one with a lot of sitting in front of a computer. It’s important that we all move our bodies daily. According to the Mayo Clinic, it’s optimal for all people to get at least 150 minutes of moderate aerobic activity per week. This roughly translates to 30 minutes of exercise per day 5 days a week.
So, make it a habit to schedule in your workouts daily. It doesn’t have to even be 30 minutes in a row. You can do the 30 minutes in 10 or 15 minute increments throughout the day.
It can be a brisk walk outside in the fresh air, a workout on your elliptical or treadmill, a bike ride, or even walking circles around your house listening to your favorite podcast or music.
Whatever you decide to do, make sure you do it regularly to keep yourself strong and healthy.
Plan Healthful Meals
Some would say what you eat is more important than exercising and I would probably have to agree. You can’t exercise your way out of a bad diet. Eating healthful meals will provide the energy and strength you need to work more intensely and for longer than you would on a diet of doughnuts and sugary foods.
Generally, a diet filled with lots of fruits and vegetables, whole-grains, and lean proteins will provide the nutrition you need to be healthy. There is no one diet that’s perfect for every human being but recent research suggests that the Mediterranean Diet is one of the best for health and longevity. One of my favorite books on the subject is The Complete Mediterranean Cookbook. I also really love all of Dr. Andrew Weil’s books and cookbooks but particularly True Food and Fast Food, Good Food.
Schedule Time for Household and Personal Tasks
One of the things that seems to always get lost in the shuffle when doing freelance work is household and personal tasks. It’s not hard to get so intense on the work you have that you find yourself with no time to get the laundry done or clean the house. Don’t even get me started on the hundreds of personal tasks that need to get done but don’t.
I’ve found the only way to approach this so that I don’t lose my sanity is to schedule the time to do these tasks. I either block out a day or two a week to get everything done or schedule in smaller time slots throughout the week where I concentrate on getting these tasks done.
I typically have Saturdays set aside for watering plants and doing the laundry. Other things like unloading the dishwasher, cleaning the bathrooms, vacuuming, etc. I space throughout the week in between work. I might schedule unloading the dishwasher on my first break of the day and vacuuming on Wednesday at noon.
Regardless of when you do these things, it’s important that you schedule them in so that you don’t start feeling like everything is piling up on you. Trust me, when these things don’t get attention and start to multiply, your freelance work performance suffers because these things will distract you mentally and physically. Schedule them in and get them done.
Plan Something Special Weekly
We all need to look forward to something and that’s where this one comes in. When you freelance, it’s easy to get stuck in a rut of constantly working and never leaving the house or office. However, it’s extremely important that you plan something special every week so you have something to motivate you to work hard.
The something special can be anything that lights you up. It could be planning a girl’s or boy’s night out with your best friends or it could be a date night with your special someone. It could be a road trip to see the sights in your state that you’ve never seen before, it could be a concert, or ten thousand other things.
These days (for those reading this years from now…we’re kind of in the middle of a pandemic at the moment…COVID-19, etc.) some of the things we would like to do like going to concerts or eating out at a restaurant might be difficult and not quite totally safe yet. However, use your imagination and create a special moment. A few months ago, my partner created a special dinner “at the beach” for the two of us because we were bumming about not being able to go. He put down beach towels in the living room and found a video on YouTube with scenes and sounds of the beach on it and we ate dinner “at the beach”. We have also had pizza nights and Starbuck’s afternoons in our home where we made pizza and lattes at home.
Other things you can do during these crazy pandemic times is plan a “girl’s night out” or “happy hour” with your friends or family on Zoom or Skype. You can even watch movies with your friends using apps like Rave and NetFlix. Here’s a great article with more details on how to do this.
Do Nothing!
And lastly, do nothing! Yep! You heard me. I don’t have to tell you that lately things in the world have been crazy. When you add that to your freelance workload, it can seem like there’s never time to just stop and take a breath. That’s why stopping everything is sometimes exactly what you need and you might not even know you need it.
Case and point. I recently found myself not coping with stress that well at all. I live in Dixie Alley, which means tornados this time of year. I’m a New Yorker who doesn’t deal with these things well on a good day. Give me a good old fashion blizzard or Nor’easter and I’m fine. However, I found myself extremely fearful and not able to get my shit together like normal. It was only when my amazing partner, after listening to my tear-filled tirade, said to me, “I think you’re tired too”, that I realized he was right.
I had been going non-stop with projects since November and it was now March. I was exhausted and when you’re exhausted you can’t really handle anything very well. What did I do? I proceeded to finish the job I was working on and took two weeks off from everything. I used the time to sleep in late, clean my house, watch movies with my guy, and generally chill out. The result? Although I’m still not thrilled with Spring in Dixie Alley, I feel a little more myself and able to cope again.
Sometimes you really do need to stop the world and get off for a bit to regain your sanity and health. It’s one of the best ways to show yourself self-care and love. There is absolutely no shame in proclaiming that you need to do nothing for a little bit. It’s good for you, it’s good for your clients, and it’s good for everyone’s mental and physical health.
Conclusion
Taking time and effort for your own self-care is not only wise to do as a freelancer, it’s essential. When you work for yourself, you tend to be a really hard boss to work for sometimes. You need to give yourself a break and really take care of yourself. After all, what’s the sense of being a freelancer or independent contractor if doing so creates more stress, overwhelm, and exhaustion than working at a regular 9-to-5 cubby job?
Veronica Buhl is a freelance social media manager, who has been a writer, editor, proofreader, summary writer, and transcriptionist for some of the top motivational and self-improvement speakers in the world. She has also helped numerous clients develop their websites, blogs, and social media presence in order to promote their businesses, non-profits, and projects. She is the author of the book, Making Your Business A Social Media Superstar, and is co-author of the book, The Massage Disadvantage. Her official website can be found at www.veronicabuhl.com
