In this pandemic world, working from home has become the norm for many. Because thousands of people lost their jobs during the COVID-19 pandemic, many turned to freelancing as a source of income.
The Tiresome Side of Freelance Writing
There are many aspects to freelance writing, and to be honest it can have its tiresome side. This is not a rant (okay, maybe a little), and I hope you will find some useful nuggets of information in today’s post.
How Are You Taking Care of Your Mental Health These Days?
The other day, I shared an article about my experiences with writing through tough times and what I do to keep on going. Obviously, things haven’t changed much since then, and I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s the same with you.
One of the buzzwords in the past year or is mental health. Given what we are dealing with, this comes as no surprise.
So, my question to you today is this: How are you taking care of your mental health these days?
Improving Your Mental Health as a Freelancer
It’s estimated that over 1 billion freelancers are working around the globe, with millions of them working from home. The popularity and continued growth of freelancing shouldn’t come as a surprise. After all, there are plenty of benefits.
Freelancing typically allows for more flexibility. It allows you to be your own boss, work with specific clients, and have a better handle on your work-life balance. [Read more…]
Breathing Exercises to Help De-stress
Is it just me or workload recently has significantly increased because everyone is forced to stay home? It feels like time flies by so fast because of the number of tasks I’ve finished this week. Just relieving all of them feels tiring. I can clearly recall how I take deep breaths every time I feel the frustration or anxiety.
As a writer, I stopped for a moment and gave things a think – are there right and wrong ways to do breathing exercises to help de-stress? I was happy to learn that there are a few routines that can help one feel lighter and calmer after a stress-inducing activity.
Signs You Need to Find Another Workspace at Home
This global pandemic has forced us to do or study a lot of things we only told ourselves to learn once life permits us. With all the time on our hands now, there’s an option to squeeze in a masterclass or finish a book while also working remotely. However, you may have been noticing that you aren’t as productive as compared to the last few weeks. The distractions in your house might be telling you to find another workspace at home. [Read more…]
How to Fix Your Body Clock
Just when we thought we already got the hang of working from home, here comes a new test to conquer. Because of the ongoing pandemic, we are all advised to stay indoors and observing social distancing. The idea of not going outside should be easy since we’re almost always at home, hustling virtually. However, new challenges reveal themselves as each day goes by – one of them is how to fix your body clock. [Read more…]
Simple Exercises You Can Do During Short Breaks
Feeling sluggish with a hint of lower back pain during work hours lately? You may want to double-check your current routine. Working in front of your laptop or desktop for at least six hours a day may develop short-term and long-term negative consequences. According to studies conducted by the World Health Organization (WHO), the absence of physical movement is a key risk factor for noncommunicable diseases such as cardiovascular diseases, cancer, and diabetes. But fret not, we know a few simple exercises to help you kick-off that active lifestyle in no time. [Read more…]
Are You Rocking the Freelance Lifestyle or Are You Merely Getting By?
The freelance lifestyle is envied by those who work a traditional nine to five job, but it is rife with myths and misconceptions. In this post, we look at the realities of the freelance lifestyle.
The idea for this post came to me when I got a Google Calendar notification that it was my “last day” at my former company. That was almost a decade ago that I dove into freelancing full-time.
For some reason, I haven’t gotten around to deleting that entry. I suppose it serves as a reminder to take a step back and do think about what has happened between then and now.
Today, the question I have is whether I am rocking the freelance lifestyle or if I’m merely getting by – and I pose the same question to you.
Are You Rocking the Freelance Lifestyle or Are You Merely Getting By? Click To TweetHave You Assessed Your Work-Life Balance Lately?
The topic of work-life balance is a real problem, for both regular employees and freelancers. It is such a huge issue that countless studies have been done about it.
It’s easy enough to say that a freelancer can achieve a good work-life balance better than those who have day jobs, but that may not be the case. Due to the flexibility that freelancers have, the line between work and personal life becomes blurred. Some people may have problems working too much, while others become too lax when it comes to work.
Usually, however, the problem is that the imbalance is due to spending more time on work and neglecting personal life. As you may have experienced, this can have disastrous results.
What are some adverse effect of work-life imbalance?
- Health issues. You get more stressed as the workload piles up, and stress has been known to have negative effects on your body, your mind, and behavior. This will only lead to more problems.
- Absence. This can be physical and/or emotional. You may become the “flake” in your social and family circles, always being absent during get-togethers. Being disconnected may also result in relationship breakdowns. Many a psychologist or divorce attorney will tell you that absence is one of the most common reasons for serious relationship rifts.
- Financial problems. You may think that working longer and harder benefits your business, but if you get physically sick, then your finances will suffer. If you lose friends, you may go down the path of depression.
These three points are umbrella effects that can be broken down into so many other problems that point to one thing: there is nothing positive about having work-life imbalance.
How do you know if your work-life balance is askew?
Asking yourself a few questions can help you determine your situation.
- Do you have trouble sleeping at night because you keep thinking of the work that needs to be done?
- Do you wake up in the morning dreading the day because of your workload?
- Are you more irritable than usual, with little things ticking you off?
- Do you feel like you little or no control over your life?
- Do you see your life as “wash, rinse, repeat”?
If your answer to these questions is yes, then your work-life balance needs some fixing.
You can also ask the people closest to you what they think. They have an outsider’s point of view, which can discern behaviors that you may not realize.
What can you do?
Short answer: work less.
But it’s never that easy, is it? You need to come up with a plan with a specific goal and concrete actions to reach that goal.
Here are some ideas.
- Set boundaries. You can do this by:
- Tracking your time. Set how much time you spend on tasks and how much time you spend on personal activities.
- Take note of social activities. By this, I mean writing them down in you calendar and make sure you go. Clear your schedule ahead of time so you have no excuses not to go.
- Say no. It’s tempting to keep taking on work from your clients. It will make them happy. You’ll get more money. But that’s bound to lead to imbalance, so learn to say no.
- Love yourself. This means taking care of yourself by:
- Paying yourself. Set aside some money to do what you love, whether it’s going to a spa, getting your hair done, or buying something nice.
- Get enough sleep. Different people have different needs, but here’s a good resource from the National Sleep Foundation that will help you determine the best number of hours for you.
- Make more effort to connect. Whether it’s spending more time with your partner and children or going out once in a while with friends, engaging in face-to-face human interaction will do wonders for you.
- Seek help if necessary. Sometimes, we can reach a point where everything seems to be totally out of your control. If you think you cannot cope anymore, don’t hesitate to seek help – from a friend, a family member, or even a professional.
So, have you assessed your work-life balance lately? How is it?
You may also find this useful: Have you Hit the Wall of Freelance Writer Burnout? How to Deal with It
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