Prepare Your Family for Your Freelance Writing Business
February 5, 2010 by Bob Younce
Filed under Preparing for Freelancing
If you’re serious about your freelance writing business, you need to know that it’s going to take some serious changes to your life to be successful at it. Whether you’re coming into freelance writing from another career, or whether you’ve been a work-at-home mom or dad, it’s a whole different ballgame.
Not only are you going to need to make some adjustments, so is your family. To make the transition easier on everyone, here are some basic things you can do:
Talk with your family
Let them know what kinds of changes are coming. If freelance writing is, initially, going to reduce your income, let them know that they’re going to have to tighten their belts a bit. If it means schedule changes or if it means that daddy spends Saturday mornings in his office, they need to know that. Let the conversation be a positive thing, and encourage your children to ask questions.
Coordinate your family schedule
My wife and I like to sit down on Sunday nights and go over the week. We have a pretty good idea of what each day entails already, but it’s important to factor in special events. For example, Monday is voice lessons, Tuesday is grocery shopping, etc. By taking 15 minutes on Sunday to project the weekly schedule, you can save all sorts of frustration later.
Be a partner with your spouse
Even if your spouse isn’t involved directly in your business, they’re still your partner. Don’t try to go it alone. Ask your spouse to help pick up the slack here and there, and be upfront about what kinds of things you’ll need from him or her. Listen to your spouse, too, so that you can hear your spouse’s needs.
Make family time sacred
Schedule in regular family time. While the phrase “quality time” is overused, the reason it’s overused is because it’s a darn good idea. Making specific times in your schedule for your family helps them feel valued.
Find ways for your children to help
Your six year-old isn’t going to be writing web copy. I get that. But you might find ways your kids can be involved in your business. For example, we hired my 15 year-old to upload articles to a client’s website. The main thing here is to always double-check their work and to make them feel valued at the same time.
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I pay my 13 year old son to help me out during summer vacation. There are many small tasks I do that he can easily do, like research, finding sources, and searching for technology trends. He works on his computer, keeps a file in Notepad and e-mails it to me when he is done the task. It works great because he learns about what I do, feels that he is being helpful, and he also earns extra spending money. The best part? When I get all my work done a little bit earlier, it leave us with more time to enjoy the summer together!
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