Freelance work is not easy, sometimes you have to reward yourself. I’m not sure what your day is like, but I get pulled in many different directions. As a parent of two kids, though I have the flexibility and can make my own schedule, there are many demands. I’m an on-call lost item finder, personal shopper, chef, squabble squasher, and chauffeur that’s terrible with directions.
I’ve even accused doctors’ offices of moving buildings without telling me. When it comes to my business, my title is writer and podcast guest booker, but in reality, I’m a connector, email addict, invoice fiend, and word grinder and I mostly point people in the right direction.
Here are three tips that allow me to incorporate time for myself while meeting all of these demands.
1. Squeeze in More Me Time in between Freelance Work
We often forget to take care of ourselves. While we all might love to get a massage or zone out in a sauna on a regular basis, it just isn’t practical and can take too much time out of our work schedule.
Figure out small ways to infuse daily breaks or random acts of self-care on a regular basis.
- Hop on a Skype call with an old friend
- Meditate
- Listen to a favorite song
- Jump on the treadmill
- Watch a funny video
You’ll get a mental break and recharge your batteries.
2. Avoid Reading Time to Reward Yourself
If you wish you had more time to read, but can’t manage to fit it in with your freelance work piling up, listen to articles instead. Stay up in your field or catch up on interests entirely unrelated to work like sports, how to play the ukulele, or get information about putting your pooch in competitive dog grooming. The New Reader App will allow you to convert text to articles.
I heard about this while listening to the Youpreneur episode entitled 5 Simple Steps to Instantly Become More Productive. If you enter a website URL or any form of text, the app converts it to speech. Load up articles you’ve been meaning to read in your spare time. You can later listen in transit, on your lunch break, or while cleaning the garage.
3. Reward Yourself by Giving Yourself a Tip
Sometimes we do a great job, and it goes unnoticed. Maybe you pulled an all-nighter to finish a project. Perhaps you went out of your way to help a colleague meet a deadline. Though it makes you a quality worker, it can feel a little thankless. At times, the approval seeker in us wants some form of acknowledgment such as a compliment, a thoughtful email, or maybe a small reward.
Instead of waiting around for that to happen, take matters into your own hands. The Tip Yourself app allows you to reward yourself. Send some spare change from your checking account over to your virtual tip jar for practicing good behavior you’d like to repeat such as skipping dessert at a restaurant or something unrelated to money like running a lap. You can share your wins both big and small with a community of users for added encouragement for everyone involved or journal privately. Write a few sentences sharing your accomplishments as if it’s a mini-journal. It adds meaning and shows your progress.
