Tag: schedule

Taking Breaks in Your Business

blog post Taking Breaks in your Business

It is vital that we take breaks in the daily routine of our freelance business.

How long you break for depends on your concentration levels, work commitments and deadlines.

Tall Tartan Talks here … Taking breaks is an act of self-care to recharge and feel refreshed.

We get so bogged down in how much we need to achieve in a certain time – leading to feelings of overwhelm – that we forget to listen to our body. We ignore our feelings.

Our brains need breaks to rest and refocus. By taking short, deliberate breaks away from your computer screen throughout your day, you give your mental muscles a chance to relax.

How do we incorporate these breaks into our freelance flow? I’ve categorised break activities into periods of time. How much time have you got for a break?

Taking a break for five minutes

I embrace the Pomodoro method (see my mention in this post One Day in My Life as a Proofreader). In short, work for 25 minutes, then have a 5-minute break. As a proofreader this timing works well for me. Five minutes is enough time to rest my eyes.

Tweak this method to include the 20 / 20 / 20 concept. That is, every 20 minutes look away from your screen for 20 seconds to a distance of 20 metres (e.g. out of the window). Set a timer to ensure that you stop and stretch. This break has the effect of resetting your eye muscles, pausing to refresh thinking, and ensuring self-care.

Think of other movement breaks that can be completed in five minutes – you’ll have your favourites.

Taking a break for 30 minutes

Is it time for refreshment break or a meal? Sitting for long periods is not only bad for your posture, but it can also lead to sluggishness. Move around. Make lunch. How about a brisk walk? Do that quick garden job.

In other words, sustenance, movement, fresh air and exercise will clear your head and revitalise your brain.

Taking a break for one hour

I feel most alert first thing so a typical morning means that I will proofread for up to four hours using short break bursts. By the afternoon I often lack energy and feel the need to go into a lower gear.

I take an hour’s break by doing household tasks in small chunks, listening to a podcast, or even picking up a book. Turning off email notifications helps me relax. Try doing nothing without feeling guilty.

Taking a break for a half day

When it’s hard to get started, perhaps on a Monday morning or a rainy Saturday, focus on your business rather than in your business.

Try some CPD – have you got a training module that’s waiting for your attention? Try to engage meaningfully on social media. Post some content. Market your business. Resist the temptation to scroll for hours.

How about switching off completely for a couple of hours? Spend time with others, e.g. arrange to meet someone for coffee in a café. You may even have a hobby (note to self).

Taking a break for one day

When I have finished a particularly intensive project, I timetable a day off before the next project starts. That’s right, I make sure the break is scheduled in my diary so that it does happen. I know!

That date with myself is treated as being as important as any other appointment.

Taking a break for one week

Now for breaks that are longer …

I read a post on LinkedIn where they were expecting a project to be emailed. They were frustrated and disappointed when the client said to expect a delay. It was too late to reschedule another project in that gap. They pondered what could be fitted into their unexpectedly acquired week’s break. Decorating came to mind.

After one week of DIY, they realised how refreshed they felt. It hadn’t dawned on them how much they had needed this break, this recharge, until it was forced on them. Doing something completely different, they admitted was a valuable lesson.

Taking a holiday would have the same effect …

Taking a break for one month

A more serious tone now … When clients are quiet or projects are delayed for a month or more, this is a break with more serious consequences and not of your choosing. It is probably time to review your cash flow.

After one month without work, it may be time to let repeat clients know that you are available or send cold emails to prospective new clients. Here’s a post I wrote about Marketing Mindset. It includes a guide to cold emailing.

Taking a break for two months

When I had a very quiet spell in the winter, I scheduled an ‘important but not urgent’ task – to write an eBook. By following a process of self-publishing my collection of blog posts, my time was spent creatively and proactively.

Consider other sources of income to maintain finances, e.g. I tutor primary children as a reliable source of income to top up my income from proofreading.

Consider ways to protect yourself by reviewing your expenditure, e.g. buy what you need rather than what you want; cancel subscriptions that don’t bring value.

Embracing the breaks

Instead of panicking, think how to be in control of expected and unexpected breaks in your schedule. Be creative. Remember, taking breaks isn’t a sign of weakness – it’s a sign of strength and intention.

As a freelancer with my own business I try to thrive not just survive by booking breaks for self-care as well as booking clients as part of my schedule.

When was the last time you felt refreshed and renewed?

Sprinkling publishing confidence,

Annie

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Other reading

Another blog post on a related theme: Summer of Study

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One Day in My Life as a Proofreader

One Day in my Life as a Proofreader blog

We all need a routine and a structure.  Here I describe one day in my life as a proofreader, editor and primary tutor.

Having a business mindset will help structure your daily routine.

Tall Tartan Talks here … Think of yourself as a business owner rather than a freelancer. Knowing your value and worth will help.

Morning schedule

In winter, my routine starts at 7 am; in summer it starts at 6 am. I used to be an owl and stay up late. As I hit middle age I turned into a lark with my day starting earlier and earlier.

It also depends on when my husband gets up. He sits at the dining table eating breakfast and reading a book. I mix a mug of hot water and lemon juice, sit at the other end of the table (that end is my ‘office’), and switch on my laptop.

He often spends the day gardening for clients and leaves the house early to cycle to work.

Answering emails

I find that the morning is the best time for me to respond to emails. Mostly I wake up thinking about phrasing a reply to a received email. Or, I have had a lightbulb moment about who to contact for a possible proofreading job.

I leave the emails in my draft folder, making a note to send them at 9am, which is the start of standard business hours.

Freelancers are as varied as the routines and schedules they follow. Flexibility is key as deadlines can determine the hours worked.

Completing tasks

At this time of the day, I may also get on with one of these tasks:

  • work on a proofreading or editing project
  • research facts for a proofreading project or blog post
  • complete a stage of a CPD training course
  • prepare a primary tuition lesson.

9.00 am: By the time Mr D has cycled off to work, I have usually done several sets of the Pomodoro timing method. I have completed a couple of hours of work or admin. I realise that I am hungry and should eat some breakfast. A break and a change of view is needed.

I take my Android tablet through to the living room, to a soft chair, where I can sit at the window and look out into the main street. I peruse the comings and goings outside my house, as well as those onscreen in the online newspaper reviews.

9.30 am: My sons (both in their 20s) have gone about their business. They are old enough to be independent, thank goodness. I get on with the next part of the morning routine.

10.30 am: Oldest son switches on the coffee machine for elevenses. By now, I have usually logged on to the CIEP (Chartered Institute of Editing and Proofreading) forums to view discussions. Since I joined the CIEP in 2017, the forums have become my online staffroom.

Lurking on social media

After coffee, I check social media and may post some content marketing, especially on Linkedin, whether that be freelancer business tips or a blog post.

If you don’t already, search for and follow my hashtags on Linkedin: #TallTartanTips and #TallTartanTalks. Then you won’t miss any of my tips.

Getting on with the day

For the next two hours, my routine continues. I may answer an email proofreading enquiry. The reply conversation goes like this:

  1. Receive an email through the contact form on my website. Currently I am getting enquiries from new, independent children’s authors. They ask if I’m available and how much I charge.
  2. I direct them towards the appropriate page of my website and give them my availability.
  3. I ask them to send the document so I can give a personalised quote. Or send, at the very least,  a 1,000 word sample from the middle of their text so I can judge how long it will take me to proofread. (The beginning and ends of the text are usually much better.)
  4. From that sample I can give them a quote. If the project needs my educational specialism, I will also factor in my 30 years of experience as a teacher. I know the value and knowledge I bring to a project.
  5. If the timing and rate suits them, I book them in by sending them a copy of my Terms & Conditions. (See templates in the Resources on my website). If the job is large (over 15,000 words) and is going to take a few days, I send an invoice for the deposit for them to secure a slot in my schedule.

Afternoon routine

1.00 pm: Lunch – joined by Mr D (if he is having an art day in his garden studio). We have been enjoying some comforting homemade soup. A perk of being freelance means I can take as much or as little time for lunch as needed.

2.00 pm: Desperate for some exercise and fresh air by now, I realise that it is time to take my eyes away from the screen.

For 30 minutes, I either head to the shops in town, or I take a brisk walk in the opposite direction, propelled by my walking poles, towards the nearby countryside.

Break time

3.30 pm: Time for a break to move around after another spell on the laptop, and to make a pot of tea. Fruit is the preferred snack if I’m being good. Cake on a Friday …

4.00 pm: Take part in a Zoom networking meeting. It could be CIEP Cloud Club West, or my accountability group, or another. Or it may be a tuition day when I tutor a primary-age child on Zoom.

5.00 pm: Time to wind down. I consider the achievements and the work I haven’t fitted in today. Notes are made for tomorrow, added to the e-list on my smartphone. I like the Evernote app.

Next, cooking the family dinner is a welcome distraction.

Changing habits from the past

When I was teaching primary children full-time (I Ieft the classroom in 2016), I left home at 7:30 am to be at school to prepare my classroom.

I left school each day at 6pm with a trolley-box full of the workbooks I hadn’t had time to mark after 3.15 pm.

I would continue to mark for at least a couple of hours in the evening. It became relentless after doing it for 30 years. I didn’t see much of my own children while I was busy educating the children of others.

Being the boss

When you own your business, you are your own boss. The responsibility is on you to do everything. This will either terrify you or excite you.

You and you alone are in charge of tasks like email admin, IT support (computer and website, and knowing what to do if something goes wrong or know who to ask); accounting (keeping track of income and expenses). Remember to plan time for networking, CPD and marketing. It helps if you know what to do if something goes wrong, or you know who to ask.

But I get a thrill from running my business efficiently and by doing some of the required tasks each day.

If chores get too overwhelming, break down each element of your big task into smaller chunks.

Relaxing in the evening

7.30 pm: I have a last check of my emails and social media. Notifications get switched off and I turn to something different. Maybe a book. As I got up so early in the morning, I’m usually running out of steam by this point.

I only work in the evenings or weekends if I have an urgent deadline or there is a rush job. I charge accordingly for working overtime.

After decades of working an infinite number of unsociable hours, I realise the major importance of having a work–life balance. It is vital for me to have a sense of my self-worth.

Here is the link to my blog page if you want to catch up with previous posts.

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