Don’t let the trials and tribulations of freelancing ruin your personal life.
Building a business requires plenty of hard work, especially in the early stages. It’s so easy to get caught up in all of the day-to-day goings on and lose sight of the fact that your business isn’t serving you. In fact, the very reasons why you chose to “go freelance” in the first place could be far from the reality of the situation.
Fortunately, there are ways in which you can take stock of things and implement—either proactively or reactively—new ways to keep your personal life in check so that you don’t have to choose between thriving professionally or otherwise.
1. Keep your finances in check.
There will naturally be ebbs and flows in your income, and you won’t break even right away. Budget for any investments you plan to make, so that nothing catches you off-guard, and give yourself a realistic timeline to start turning a profit. For freelance medical writers, this is usually 3–6 months, when there’s adequate support and/or experience. Keep in mind that earning potential will be much higher when you’ve been through a comprehensive training or mentorship program, like The ‘Thriving & Free’ Medical Writer Program™, so you have to weigh up the short-term investment with the long-term gains.
While it’s okay to take longer with setting up and launching your business, you may want to keep a full-time or part-time job in place until you start securing high-paying clients because a sustained drop in income isn’t viable for many people. On the flip side, it’s much more difficult to secure high-paying, long-term clients while juggling another job. Prospective clients can tell right away that your priorities are elsewhere, and you won’t be able to give them your full attention and meet turn turnaround times properly. Having savings to support you during the launch phase tends to be the smartest and most viable approach.
2. Separate your self-worth from your successes.
Your identity will, and should, change a lot when you embark on an entrepreneurial journey. This will be a lot more noticeable if you’re fast-tracking your career transition or being very self-aware and reflective as your business evolves. Prospologers are frequently taken aback when they realize that our metrics for success are not simply how many clients they’re able to get, or how much money they can make in the shortest possible time-frame—we actually want them to feel happy and fulfilled along the way! Even before they take on clients, they’re able to feel proud of their personal accomplishments and good about themselves. This makes them considerably more approachable, having a positive effect on their relationships and overall wellbeing. This recent quote illustrates the sentiment well: “I really appreciated that the program wasn’t just focused on technical learning but also on personal growth. I wasn’t expecting that, but it’s been huge for me. Even to the point where other people in my life have noticed a transformation without me even telling them what I was doing.” – Stephanie P.
In essence, find a way to recognize the greatness in yourself irrespective of how your business is doing at any given point in time. This is so important.
3. Make time for beloved relationships.
Speaking of relationships, it’s no use being more approachable and fulfilled if you’re just going to shut everyone out and focus on your business all the time anyway. While building a personal brand takes a lot of time and energy, especially without adequate support, you must try to find a healthy balance between people and productivity.
Strained or neglected relationships not only create a slippery slope that can lead to future stress, loss, and isolation, and all the fun stuff that comes with that; it can also make your life 10x more difficult in the short-term. What if that important proposal that’s due by 5pm coincides with an emotional outburst from your spouse who just can’t take another “I’ll get to it later” remark about not dealing with the pile up of dirty dishes in the sink? You can kiss goodbye to that $10k dream project because your brain will probably be all over the place at that point. Short-term focus is extremely difficult to achieve when you’re in a toxic environment, or coming home to one shortly. Try a little more of a “give and take” approach by carving out time for loved ones wherever possible, and clearly communicating when there are going to be times of focus required.
4. Join a community of like-minded people.
Another way to ensure you’re not siloing yourself off and losing touch with reality is to combine work and pleasure more effectively. I’m talking about joining a group of people who are also highly motivated, dedicated to their business, and focused on achieving a freedom-focused lifestyle, just like you. I’ve lost count of the number of times Prospologers have told me that their favourite aspect of The ‘Thriving & Free’ Medical Writer Program™ is our fantastic, nurturing Community. That’s not a coincidence. Launching a business can be a very isolating and challenging time, and most people in your inner (and outer) circle won’t “get it.”
This quote explains what I’m getting at perfectly: “Prospologers aren’t the “business as usual” type. Each member of the Community shares a unique blend of drive, passion, and a touch of rebel spirit. There’s something special about being surrounded by people who are on the same wavelength, and it made a big difference to my overall experience.” – Jules R. Notice how the nuances of the group are what made it so special? When looking for “your people,” always be sure to keep in mind their background, common interests, shared values, and what the leadership style of the moderator(s) is before requesting to join.
5. Preserve your physical health.
I am certainly guilty of neglecting my physical health for the sake of my business, so there’s no judgement here. But this article would be incomplete without giving it a mention. I’m talking about:
- skipping meals,
- sacrificing sleep,
- avoiding exercise,
- bad posture, etc.
There are definitely going to be times when making such sacrifices are necessary for the growth of your business. In fact, it’s a sign of resiliency, dedication, and grit—all highly correlated with entrepreneurial success. But don’t misinterpret hard work and neglect as being evidence of success. Self-sacrifice is nothing to be proud of when it’s making you sick, grouchy, or incapacitated for the foreseeable future. It’s unsustainable and not going to give you the lifestyle of your dreams. Try to build comfort and workout breaks into your routine to make everything more sustainable and enjoyable for your employees (you!).
6. Give your mental health the attention it deserves.
Entrepreneurship comes with a lot of pressure and uncertainty. While it sounds so easy to “stop whining and just get on with it,” talking to ourselves in this manner can easily lead to a downward spiral of depression and anxiety that’s very difficult to emerge from. And if these spirals occur on a regular basis, you may be tempted to give up on your dreams altogether and blame your business for “making you” feel this way (not true but, in fact, a chosen interpretation).
First off, pressure and poor mental health don’t have to co-exist. Recognizing that is an important first step. Secondly, we can use the fear of failure and success to help drive us during tough times. A great coach will help you identify when this is occurring and help you get back out there. Thirdly, everyone has a different opinion of what mental health support looks like and what works for them. Some of our students need help quietening down “the noise” so they can connect more deeply with themselves and process negative emotions. Others get caught up in a limiting belief that they don’t even realize they have, like “I’m not good enough if I don’t meet my income goals,” which stops them in their tracks if not addressed. Figure out what mental health support looks like to you and seek it out.
7. Find a healthy outlet for stress.
On that note, there’s no way to completely eliminate stress and hardships from life. Knowing that, you must find a way to coexist with stress that:
1) acknowledges its presence and all of the challenges that it entails, and
2) still allows you to function in your business as needed.
This one has been particularly challenging for me over the years, as someone who’s extremely driven and ambitious. Now, I have a pretty great work-life balance because I’ve chosen to make it a priority for the past 4 years or so. I swim 3x per week, dance 2–3x per week, and have friends and mentors who I can talk to when things get too much. Instead of letting things build up throughout the day, I try to take a break in the middle of the day to either swim or talk things through with someone, and I put aside longer periods of recovery time at the weekend when I don’t have so many meetings or obligations to tend to.
If you haven’t already found a couple of healthy outlets for your own stress, I highly recommend doing so. It will (counterintuitively) increase your productivity, as well as increase the amount of joy and fulfillment that you get from work and life in general. I can hardly remember what life looked like before!
Rank these 7 factors in order of how much attention you’re currently giving them. Then, come up with 1–3 action items to help you improve your work-life balance.
Need help solidifying, optimizing, or streamlining your business model? Not in love with your personal brand or service offering? Let’s discuss 1:1 coaching options: sophie@prospology.com
