{"id":41364,"date":"2021-12-14T06:00:00","date_gmt":"2021-12-14T11:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/thewritelife.com\/?p=6900"},"modified":"2022-10-28T15:09:18","modified_gmt":"2022-10-28T19:09:18","slug":"4-ways-to-manage-freelance-writing-during-the-holidays-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thewritelife.com\/?p=41364","title":{"rendered":"4 Ways to Manage Freelance Writing During the Holidays"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Who else takes freelance work home over the holidays? <\/span>How do you manage freelance writing during the holidays?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since freelancers can <\/span>work from anywhere<\/span><\/a>, it often means that we have the luxury of spending more holiday time with family than our traditionally-employed peers who have to be back at work on Monday morning. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Of course, we usually have to work on Monday morning too. <\/span>Family members don\u2019t always understand that<\/b> just because you\u2019re home for the holidays doesn\u2019t mean you\u2019re on vacation.<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n

How do you manage these expectations and ensure that your work gets done while keeping both clients <\/span>and<\/span><\/i> extended family happy? <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019m coming up on my fourth year of holiday freelancing, so here\u2019s my guide to getting it all done while also catching up with family and friends.<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n

4 ways to manage freelance writing during the holidays<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

1. Start with communication<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The easiest way to manage expectations is to communicate them. Tell your family members that you\u2019re excited to see them this holiday season, and that you\u2019re going to be spending part of your time working. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Present this as a positive: Because you\u2019re a freelancer, you have the opportunity to earn money and maintain your client relationships while still getting to see family for the holidays. Other people in the workforce don\u2019t have this luxury.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Once you\u2019ve established that you\u2019re going to work during part of your holiday visit, it\u2019s time to <\/span>communicate the boundaries of your workday<\/b>. I often say, \u201cI need to check in with clients in the morning, and I need to answer emails and turn in a few pieces. I\u2019ll be available for holiday and family stuff after lunch.\u201d You might also say something like \u201cI need to spend most of Thursday working on freelance stuff, but I\u2019ll be available to visit Grandma with you on Thursday evening, and I\u2019ll also be available all day Friday.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Make these <\/span>boundaries<\/span><\/a> known early. Let your family know as soon as possible when you plan to be focusing on work along with which periods of time you\u2019ve reserved for them. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

By communicating early, everyone can prepare for temporary schedule changes.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. Batch your workload<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

If your typical freelance workday includes a lot of puttering around and chatting on social networks between writing pieces, it\u2019s time to <\/span>hunker down and focus<\/span><\/a>. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Try to batch your workload into small, distinct time blocks: 8 a.m. to noon on weekdays, for example.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

You need to avoid as much procrastination as possible to get your work done in a pre-defined time block.<\/b> If you like to take 20-minute breaks between writing sprints, for example, you may need to cut that down to five-minute breaks. You don\u2019t want to hear a disappointed family member say \u201cI thought you were <\/span>working<\/span><\/i>!\u201d when they catch you watching YouTube.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you can\u2019t get all of your work done during the time blocks you\u2019ve set for yourself, consider working a few extra hours after everyone else has gone to bed or before they wake up. I\u2019ve gotten a lot of work done on family trips by staying up late or setting my alarm a little early. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pay attention to your family\u2019s schedule to<\/b> find<\/b> the optimum time to work.<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Is your family the kind that likes to spend an hour or two after lunch relaxing in front of the TV? That might be your ideal work time. Have a parent who likes to spend the hour before dinner cooking up an elaborate meal? Grab your laptop and answer emails from the kitchen island. It\u2019s like you\u2019re getting work done together!<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

3. When you\u2019re not working, be present<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

We all know you\u2019re not going to turn your phone off when your freelance work is done. You could, however, put it in your pocket — or at least turn off email notifications.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

When you tell your family that you\u2019ll be available for certain activities,<\/b> be present.<\/b> I\u2019ll be the first to admit it\u2019s hard. I have definitely been the person sending emails during a family hike because something came up with one of my clients. But do your best to work when you\u2019re supposed to work, and put work away when you\u2019re not working.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Consider it the other side of the \u201cI thought you were <\/span>working<\/span><\/i>!\u201d argument. Try to avoid the distractions of the Internet when you\u2019re getting work done — and then avoid the distractions of the Internet when you\u2019re with your family!<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

4. You don\u2019t have to do everything<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Family and clients often come with similar pressures: You have to do <\/span>everything<\/span><\/i>, or else you\u2019re not part of the team. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s OK to say no, <\/b>to both your family members and to your clients. It\u2019s OK to tell your family that you can\u2019t play Monopoly after dinner because you have to finish a freelance assignment, or that you\u2019d like to get some work done while they pick out the Christmas tree\u2014but you\u2019ll be ready to help them decorate it!<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s also OK to tell a client that you can\u2019t take on a specific assignment because you\u2019ll be visiting your family. Or, you can ask for a deadline that falls after the holidays. <\/span>You are not required to be available at all times.<\/b> Many freelancers forget this, including me. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Setting boundaries with yourself, your family and your clients\u2014and then taking the time to communicate those boundaries — is the key to having a happy holiday while also getting your freelance work done. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Remember, you are an adult with a <\/b>real job<\/b><\/a>, and you have the right and the responsibility to manage that job effectively during the holiday season. <\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then enjoy that extra piece of pie, because you\u2019ve earned it. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

How do you manage your freelance writing during the holidays? Do you have tips for setting expectations with both clients and family?<\/b><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

You\u2019re going home for the holidays! Here\u2019s how to handle your family\u2019s expectations during your visit.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":117,"featured_media":6901,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[418,208,172,492],"class_list":["post-41364","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-freelancing","tag-freelance-writer","tag-freelance-writing","tag-holidays","tag-work-life-balance"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thewritelife.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41364","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thewritelife.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thewritelife.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thewritelife.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/117"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thewritelife.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=41364"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/thewritelife.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41364\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thewritelife.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/6901"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thewritelife.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=41364"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thewritelife.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=41364"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thewritelife.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=41364"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}