The New Year is upon us and for some freelancers – especially those in fields like finance or health – that means it’s time for the “New Year Rush.”
The “New Year Rush” is the term I use to describe the insanity that comes the first week of the year. Your inbox is exploding, people are ready to get back to work, and, if you’ve played your cards right, people are throwing their money at you.
Earlier this week I was perusing some of my favorite Facebook groups where friends and colleagues were celebrating the amount of work they had waiting for them in their inbox. The New Year Rush truly is a joyous time to be self-employed – but it can also lead to a lot of overwhelm and overextending if you aren’t careful.
Here are some ways you can handle the New Year Rush in a way that gets you paid without getting totally overwhelmed.
Celebrate!
The first step in handling the New Year Rush is to celebrate! Sure, your inbox may be busting and the seams and you may be wondering how you’re going to get it all done – but that’s actually a good problem to have.
Remember what it was like to be a broke freelancer wondering how you were going to pay your bills? It’s not such a good feeling, right? Therefore, it’s important to celebrate the New Year Rush because it means you’re getting paid.
Additionally, many experts agree that by practicing gratitude you attract more opportunities. Call it some New Age woo-woo stuff if you want, but gratitude does go a long way.
Manage The Expectations of Your Clients
While having a lot of work is a good thing, it can also be a problem. It’s like the old saying goes, even too much of a good thing can be bad.
You don’t want to run the risk of overextending yourself and not meeting your obligations. Your reputation as a freelancer is paramount if you want to continue making money. Additionally, as we’ve previously mentioned, you can’t continue making money if you are incapable of taking care of yourself.
The best way to make sure you aren’t overextending yourself during the New Year Rush is to manage the expectations of your clients and plan ahead. I do this by using my planner so I can get a bird’s eye view of what’s going on throughout the week and month.
This allows me to see whether or not I actually have the time to complete a project and give an appropriate delivery date for any projects that I decide to take on.
Save A Lot of Money
January tends to be a good month from a financial standpoint. Like I said, January comes around and some people may want to throw their money at you. There’s something about a new year that brings a new air of abundance with it.
This means you need to be smart with your money. If you’re making more money it’s a time to save more money. Throw a little extra money in your retirement account, beef up the emergency fund or get caught up on your savings for taxes.
The money you save will come in handy later when you experience the downside of the freelancing rollercoaster. We all inevitably have lean months, so make sure to save as much as you can during abundant months.
Final Thoughts
The New Year Rush is an excellent time to make money as a freelancer. Just make sure that you’re enjoying it, properly managing the expectations of your clients and saving all that extra money you’re making.
