“It’s okay to…” A letter to fellow freelancers
The last few days I’ve been chatting to a lot of freelancers and self-employed folk, hearing their stories and experiences of working life during these extraordinary times
There is a lot of anxiety in the air. People are worried about when they can send their next invoice, how to stay afloat in these tough times, how they are going to pay the rent/mortgage.
I thought the blog post published by the Co-op Digital team “It’s okay to …” last week was spot on. It’s a list of acceptable behaviour and ways of working for their team to keep.
Inspired by Co-op Digital’s list, and in response to some of the challenges being experienced by my fellow freelancers, one-person businesses and self-employed people, here’s my version.
It’s okay to:
Grieve. A freelance friend of mine said on a call last week this felt like grief. Grieving for the absent family members who did not make it back to the UK in time, grieving for the lost revenues, the lost freedom. And I think she’s right. Let’s label it as such. We wouldn't expect to do our best work when we’re grieving. We must acknowledge what we are all going through and allow ourselves to feel what we feel.
Be vulnerable. I had a good call with John last week and he gave me some good advice. To be ‘raw and real.’ To share with others what I’m thinking and feeling. After that call I hit ‘record’ on my phone and shot this little video. I felt better being honest about what I’m going through right now. If being honest helps one other person in the same situation, then it’s worth putting out there how you feel.
Have a glass of wine at lunchtime on a Monday (or whatever it is you need). Amelia runs a small business. I loved her Monday lunchtime tweet, asking if it was okay for her to have a small glass of wine with her lunch. We’ve got the stresses of trying to keep our businesses afloat. We’re running our companies from the shared kitchen table where our children are trying to do their school work. We’re needing to look after our mental health despite being allowed out only once a day. So we have to be kind to ourselves. It’s got to be a case of “do whatever works for you”. Let’s do whatever it takes to get nourished.
Take your foot off the gas. My revenue stream has turned into a trickle. But I’m still working as hard, and keeping the same office hours. I’m sure we are all doing whatever we can to pull the rabbit out of the hat, to win projects and business in uncertain times. But let’s not get busy being busy (and that’s a note to self too) - take some downtime too. Yesterday morning at 11:30 I went out for a bike ride with my son for his scheduled Games lesson/ my daily exercise quota. I’m going to do more of that. It’s important you give yourself permission to pursue creative side projects - or any project/ hobby - during the working day. Start writing that novel, get that canvas out of the store cupboard, get on the floor and play Lego with the kids. Or just take time out. It’s really OK.
Pause and reflect. Amidst the instability and worry - and I’m not under-estimating what that looks like for each of you - we do also have a rare opportunity. Maybe one that we won’t have again. To stand back and reflect. To think about what really matters. To think about our ‘what next?’ Let’s use it wisely. This is a valuable opportunity for reflection.
Take things day by day. When things have been changing near-daily, I’m asking myself if there’s any point in having a plan? I’m reminded of this E.L. Doctorow quote, “Writing is like driving at night in the fog. You can only see as far as your headlights, but you can make the whole trip that way.” All we can do right now is take it one day at a time.
Ask for help. Phone a friend. Find a freelance buddy. Now is the time to be honest about what we’re dealing with and to ask for help. Nevermore than now have we had a community of people all pretty much in the same position to share thoughts and feelings.
Hang in there.
If you are a freelancer who is struggling and could do with an outsider perspective, I’m offering a handful of free calls to help. There are no magic wands on offer, but spending half an hour chatting through a problem with an outsider can help. Email about your situation to hello@iansanders.com and I’ll ping you my questionnaire back.*
Take care
* first come first served! (Update at April 7th 2020: these sessions have now all gone. Thank you!)
