There’s a crucial investment missing from your freelance blogging plans, despite the fact that it’s the most valuable and critical asset of your freelance business.
It’s something too many freelancers neglect and don’t account for… and end up paying for in the long run. Some pay with their lives.
What is this invaluable freelance asset?
You.
Without you, your business won’t happen. Now forgive me for stating the obvious, but here’s why I’m pointing this out:
If you don’t take care of this critical asset, you’re doing your business harm.
Statistically speaking, 1 out of every 6 small businesses fail because of personal reasons such as divorce or illness.
That’s a staggering statistic. But if you think about it, it makes sense. In fact it may be even more of an issue when you’re an itsy bitsy solopreneur freelance blogging business. When something comes up that keeps you from working, no one’s there to pick up the slack.
My friend, a freelance writer, experienced this first-hand. She’d built up a nice online business. And she was doing well enough to take an early retirement from her day job and move with her husband to the condo of their dreams.
However, her business hit some rough waters. She spent more and more time at her computer trying to salvage things. But the time spent working on her business came at the expense of exercising and even spending time with her family. As she confided, she didn’t even have enough time to swim laps in the beautiful condo pool she was so excited to use when they moved in.
Exhaustion Creeps Up On You
Just as my friend felt she was close to finally getting her business back in the black, her body said enough.
She developed a painful autoimmune disorder. She could barely work at all. She struggled to keep up the pace she knew she needed to maintain to get back on her feet financially, but couldn’t manage it.
Eventually she had to declare bankruptcy. She was so embarrassed about that, she didn’t even tell her adult children for months.
My friend’s not alone. Just this week, I heard from another colleague struggling to keep his business going while dealing with debilitating back pain.
Taking Care of Your Health Is NOT an Optional Luxury
If you’re a solo freelancing blogger, it’s a necessity. When you take care of your health,
- You have more energy so you can be more productive each day. An article in the Psychological Bulletin reviewed 70 studies on exercise involving data from at least 6800 people. The research reviewers found that a whopping 90% of the various studies participants reported feeling more energy after exercising. This included people of all ages, abilities and health status.
- You ensure your business’ longevity. Life is not a sprint, it’s a marathon. While there are times when you have to push hard in building your freelance business, ultimately the bloggers who succeed are the ones who keep at it. I’m in my tenth year as a freelance writer. And while I no longer send out hundreds of unanswered queries and make dozens of cold calls, I still have to keep up with my full workload. If I’d burned out a few years after starting up, I’d miss the lovely experience of having prospective clients call me up out of the blue, having found me by my reputation. I can choose my clients, demand higher fees and book work as much as 4 months in advance. But that’s because I’ve been doing this long enough, and I continue to do my work well enough, to sustain this reputation. And this all boils down to having the energy, alertness—the good health—to keep going at a solid pace.
- You can overcome hurdles, rebound from failure and keep going. Good health gives you both physical and mental endurance. Freelance work is filled with ups and downs. Like many a freelancer, I’ve hit plenty of “failures”. In fact, one of my very first clients cut the project short after seeing the proposed headlines and told me, “Maybe you’re not cut out for this.” But I kept going. You need the energy to get beyond a rejection, propose new projects, and seek out new clients. Don’t count on riding a wave of successes.
- You gain confidence. Overcoming failure requires not just energy, but confidence. One of the secret ingredients for building confidence and dispelling fear is exercise. Atlanta researchers set up a daily exercise program for overweight children. After just 30 days, well before the children saw physical changes from the workouts, they consistently reported feeling better about themselves. One colleague of mine shares that simply by standing up (a great mini-workout) during a phone call she feels more authoritative.
- You can enjoy the sweetness of your success. In my book, the bitterest experience must be to work hard to accomplish something and then not be able to enjoy it. I’ve known “successful” people who gave their all to their work and ended up struggling with diabetes, debilitating digestive disorders and heart disease. Others end up divorced or estranged from their children. Success experienced under these circumstances is anything but sweet. In contrast, when you pace yourself and invest in your health at the same time as your work, you’ll be able to enjoy your growing bank balance and the glorious freedom of freelancing.
So as you plan your freelance business goals, plan to invest in yourself.
- Take the time to prepare nourishing food that fuels you and your business. And take time to savor it.
- Work activity into your day—whether it’s a short workout in the morning or a bike ride after lunch.
- Make your relationships your priority. Build your business around your family, not the reverse.
Stop thinking of these as optional indulgences for when you have an opening in your schedule. Consider them central to your business.
By investing in your energy, brain power and overall vitality, you’re investing in the most important element of a successful blogging business: You.
Image: Rutger de Moddertukker
I’m so happy to finally read a post that focuses on the
true engines that drive a writer’s business – the good
health of the writers themselves!
I have congestive heart failure, so monitoring
daily sodium intake is the key element in my
health regimen. Most people tend to forget that
manufacturers of so-called “diet foods” remove
sugar calories and often replace them with salt.
Excess sodium leads to retention of body fluid,
and the extra pounds can result in elevated
blood pressure, sluggishness and a reluctance
to exercise regularly. You just feel “yucky.”
In my case, too much body fluid can back up or
“congest” around the heart, which is potentially
life-threatening if not treated properly with
medications like Lasix or Bumex (I take Bumex).
So what can YOU do? 1) Try and limit your
sodium intake to 1,800-2,000 mg per day.
2) Exercise 20-30 minutes a day three to
four times a week. Whole body activities like
walking, hiking, swimming and skiing foot the
bill quite nicely. 3) When you shop for groceries,
reading the nutrition label helps you select foods
that are low in sodium.
Also, eat as many “one ingredient” foods as possible.
Fresh fruits, locally grown vegetables, lean meats,
seeds and nuts fall into this category.
A few words about sugar intake you may not know:
The Glycemic Index measures how quickly your body
converts what you eat into sugar. A rating of 100 is the
same as eating pure sugar, while a 0 score has no sugar.
Check the link at the end of my post for a sample list of
everyday foods on the Glycemic Index, courtesy of
health expert Dr. Al Sears. You’ll also learn about the
Glycemic Load (GL), which measures the amount of
carbs in each serving of food.
You’ll be surprised to discover that ice cream (GI 38)
rates lower than white potatoes (GI 104). All proteins
and almost all nuts contain no sugar, so fueling your
body with these foods shouldn’t pose a problem for
most people unless you are allergic to them.
Thanks so much for a great post, Sarah. It’s really
hard to live the writer’s life if you don’t have the
good health and energy to enjoy it. Well done!
Link for Glycemic Index and Glycemic Load:
http://www.alsearsmd.com/glycemic-index/
Michael,
Great to hear about the changes you’ve made and the advice you have to offer. So glad you figured out how to invest in your most important asset! Sounds like you’re planning a business for the long haul. Keep it up!
I appreciate the kind words, Sarah. 🙂
When it comes to health, most people know what
to do. They simply don’t do it. My CHF keeps me
extra motivated, but the simplest things have the
biggest impact – if only we’d give them a chance.
And now that people realize ice cream spikes blood
sugar way less than spuds, it’s time for folks to
unleash their inner Chunky Monkey, don’t you think??!! 🙂
I hope Sophie invites you back soon, Sarah.
You’re doing a great job. Thanks again!
Too true – it’s not as much about not knowing what to do. But making it a priority. That’s why I wrote it since it’s sometimes easier to commit if you see it as part of your biz success!
I feel for you. It’s a hard road having any long term illness. I’ve worked with people who have catastrophic or chronic illness in a mind/body setting for over 10 yrs. I have since had an illness that lasted 2yrs myself. One thing I learned from that is that your diet is essential. I turned vegan, then vegetarian and now eat some meat as well. What I found is that organic food is essential to our well being. Things I thought I was allergic to in normal food turned out to be not allergic at all if they were organic. I think it would benefit you to be eating an all organic diet. People think it’s too expensive, but when you eliminate manufactured food your overall grocery bill is the same or less. Fortunately, we can find more organic food in regular grocery stores. Don’t forget farmer’s markets though. And a lot of on line stores carry organic. It takes a little investigation and some adjustment on your part (like not buying everything you eat in a grocery store, maybe cooking a bit more). It’s certainly do-able and very worthwhile. You’ll feel healthier overall, and find that some things that troubled you in the past just go away. Hope this helps. Happy to answer any questions.
Great advice, Joyce. Good nutrition really is a good investment. My family grows most of our food (veggies, fruit and meat) for just the reasons you cite. And true, processing adds a lot of costs. We couldn’t afford to buy free range meat a few years ago so we started raising our own. One of the best moves we made! Thanks for commenting.
“You’ll be surprised to discover that ice cream (GI 38)
rates lower than white potatoes (GI 104).”
As if I need ANOTHER EXCUSE to love ice cream, lol. Seriously though, I do watch my GI intake to an extent. I’m not diabetic yet but it runs in my family. I’m also at an age where my body just can’t handle as much sugar as I was gorging.
Sarah, this is an excellent post. I know of too many writers, especially content mill writers, who push themselves to the brink. They become hermits, they skip sleep, they type their fingers to the nub trying to make money. Of course, they find out the hard way that this lifestyle isn’t sustainable. Frankly, it’s also depressing. This is why (Of course) there are people like Sophie and others to help people escape the penny mills, so that they can get paid well to enjoy the type of writing that would bring joy to their lives while honoring their health.
I know what it’s like to struggle in this way. I developed Fibromyalgia. I didn’t develop it from content mill writing but I endured so much high stress for so long, much like your friend, my body said “Enough!”. And you know, the body does say “Enough!” after a time.
Because of the Fibro and my age, I’m finding that exercise isn’t an option anymore. This isn’t to say that I exercise as much as I should. But I must say that I see it’s importance and when I fall off the wagon, I get back on it. I’ve started beginners yoga and I’m getting back into Pilates. I have an indoor walking DVD that I need to keep up with.
I’m also very much into eating well (Mostly). I believe (Now) in learning about yummy veggie recipes, along with eating lean meats, fruits, etc. The great thing is, eating in this way doesn’t have to be expensive. Filling half my plate with roasted veggie mix, a bit of meat and wheat pasta or Asian rice is cheap and tasty.
Tonight as a matter of fact, I’m making roasted zucchini, eggplant tossed with Thai peanut sauce. I’m adding bits of chicken and a side of rice. Seriously, this is a cheap recipe and I had most of the ingredients anyway. I can’t even explain how good my kitchen smells as I roast everything while I type (Tee hee). Trust me, I haven’t always been Top Chef. I’m just addicted to foodie blogs (HA!) and I subscribe to foodie blogs that offer up healthy, cheap, practical and easy to assemble meals. Yes, there’s always space in my life for ice cream and a good slice of pie. But they’ve become 10 percent of my intake instead of like, 50 percent and up!
Terr,
Glad you liked the post. And yes, great to have strategists like Sophie leading you to saner forms of making a living writing.
Have you checked out Dr. J. Teitelbaum’s book, From Fatigued To Fantastic? He has CFFS and has done extensive research on it and helped many people. Speaking of glycemic index and sugars, one thing he recommends is the sugar d-ribose and magnesium since much of the aches and pains of Fibromyalgia is linked to poor energy metabolism. Worth checking it out.
Thank you for this. It’s so easy for me to get sucked into the work. When I’m on a roll, I can and do sit for 6 or more hours at a time, and all that moves is my finger tips. Food becomes whatever I can eat at my desk. No wonder I’m stiff and exhausted at the end of the day.
When I work at home, I have animals around that need attention. That helps. When I’m on a corporate gig, I need to make a point of taking breaks, going for walks, maybe even eating lunch (!)
I hear you, Sharon! The sedentary lifestyle can take some getting used to… But we can’t get SO “used to” it that we never move around. haha. It’s a fine line.
I use my cat as an excuse to get up and about too. He’s very rambunctious (he’s 4.5 and still has a lot of his kitten energy) and gets moody if I don’t take play breaks.
I also find that setting alarms helps me remember the little things (like eating, exercising, etc.).
I gained just shy of 50 pounds when my freelancing career started to take off. And I’m only JUST losing it. And it’s largely because I’ve started taking breaks!
Anyway…enough about me! THANK YOU FOR READING. And I hope you’re no longer “stiff and exhausted” and have remembered the lessons from Sarah’s awesome post. 😉
I’m a vegetarian (30 years) and have reasonably good energy, not exhausted, reasonably fit, etc so most of this post didn’t apply to me. But I have started to get arthritis in my fingers. Medications as needed and sometimes I use voice software but I don’t find it too effective. Half the time I look back at what typed up and have to make changes or I’m thinking WTF is that? I’m sure other writers have even worse debilitating conditions where no amount of exercise or good nutrition is going to assist them in feeling well enough to write or get through the day.
Cheryl,
Arthritis is a tough one. However, exercise can make a huge difference. Esp. strength training. Intense exercise causes your body to release anti-inflammatory immune communication molecules called cytokines. I know people with rheumatoid arthritis who have gotten great relief through weight-training. Also, when you strength train, it builds up a muscular architecture that takes the pressure off your joints in movement. I’ve had problems with my wrists and do curls and push ups to strengthen them. It’s worth looking into seeing if grip-it balls would help build your hand strength and offer relief over the long term.
Just started walking a mile with my friend every morning for the past week, and even with that little amount of exercise I feel far more focused and aware!
Bree, that’s excellent! It’s true – a little exercise – even 10 minutes – is better than coffee in the morning, I say.
Such a needed post. I allowed illness to get me off my exercise routine a month back and I’m totally feeling it. I’ve got to get back into the groove.
Thankfully, I got cut down with a crummy debilitating illness earlier in the year when I wasn’t as busy! So glad to be back on track.
Willi,
Glad to hear you’re back on track. Yes, I look at keeping up w/ my exercise as just as important as marketing my business. I’ve had a few bouts of illness (nothing major) and a few back problems that slowed me down enough to make sure I refocused.
I can identify with this article completely. I retired from government service in September 2012 and started freelancing full time. Fortunately, I start each day with exercise and meditation and am in fairly good health for my age, because on July 4, 2013, I fell and broke my right hip. It was complicated by the fact that it was only a minor fracture that didn’t show up on the x-ray in the ER, and wasn’t diagnosed until Aug. 15. I had hip surgery on Aug. 23, and am almost healed. This event, however, still had a significant impact on my work – negatively. I couldn’t sit at the keyboard for long periods, and writing in 20-minute bursts was stifling my creative flow. Having to take strong pain killers every six hours just to get through the day didn’t help either. Not only did the injury hurt my writing, but it interfered with my exercise, except the meditation. I’m just starting to resume some light exercise. Moral of this story is, if I hadn’t been something of an exercise nut before my injury, I would have taken longer to heal and would have been in worse shape. The article’s thesis that YOU are the most important part of your business is absolutely spot on.
Charles, so sorry to hear about your injury. Thank you for sharing your story since it completely epitomizes my point. And yes, your exercise helped tremendously. Probably having some muscles in your hips contributed to it being just a minor fracture – along with speeding up the healing process. Best wishes on your recovery. Take it step by step!
Hi Sarah,
This is such a great reminder post! I’ve been working crazy hours for almost a year and started having a continuous headache/migraine/dizzyness issue (I put slash because it was at least one every day). I took yesterday off business to do some other jobs and was the least ‘head-achy’ I’ve been for a couple of weeks.
So, so important to take care of ourselves. I will definitely be placing a higher priority on my health.
Cheers,
Caylie
Caylie, glad this hit home. Yes, too much time at the computer can lead to eye strain and headaches – not to mention the stress of it all. Remember, success is a long haul endeavor! You also work more efficiently when you take breaks and take care of your health! Keep up the saner pace!
Hey Sarah,
This is a timely post and one that hits home for me! I can relate to so much in this article it’s not funny (especially the back pain – which comes from sitting at a computer all day ironically!).
One thing that I’ve been doing for a while now is setting a weekly and daily schedule and I actually schedule time into my day to go to the gym and exercise. I treat it as if it’s something that I have to do for a client or a project that I’m working on because it is and that’s me!
I’ve found that when I do this, it’s so much easier to take that time out to take care of myself because I’m not worried about how much I’m going to get done that day (or not) – I already know, my hours for the entire week have already been determined (just like a 9-5 job) so there’s no need to stress about it and I feel better too.
Ohhhhhhhhhhh the back pain… An all-too-familiar problem among freelance writers. >_< So glad this post "hit home" for you! Come back soon. 🙂
You wrote on an important issue; many bloggers seriously think about it but keep on deferring it for another time and eventually a time come when their doctor has to take care of their health. The point is very simple. Why we work hard in our business or job; for our well-being and it does include our health so what is the use of well-being without health. A sentence in your post “Life is not sprint but a marathon” is itself a headline for another awesome post. In your health care tips in the end you suggested to do a bike ride after lunch; is it right to do a bike ride with filled belly; I think evening time is best for any physical exertion if one can’t wake up in the morning. Most of the exercises should be taken with empty belly other than a slow walk which you can do any time. Once again thanks a lot for writing on an important issue that really needs attention of all those who are just doing hard work without taking care of their health.
Mi, I agree that you wouldn’t want to bike RIGHT after lunch. However, if you wait an half hour at least, it’s a great time to fight off that lethargy that hits most of us around 2 o’clock. While an evening walk is great, exercise does the most good for you when you integrate it into your whole day. You get a lot more in as well. I provide resources for craftily sneaking exercise in so you can get more activity in each day and enjoy the benefits of a more active day.
Sarah – Often exercise and looking after health (physical and mental) CAN feel like an indulgence. Especially when you’re running a business and there is no direct link between those activities and making money.
It can be the case that when you are truly sick, you then decide to make health a priority. Better to avoid it, right!
Love this post. Looking after yourself is important. Especially to avoid burnout!
– Razwana
“Preventative medicine is the best medicine” as the saying goes. 😉
Thanks for commenting, Razwana!
I’ve been spinning my wheels for months now, Sarah, and at last realize that I manage to do more in the day when I take regular breaks and pull back. I’m still finding it hard to sit watching terrible tv in the evening with hubby but bought a gym ball and fit in some Pilates stretches while I watch. I was diagnosed with iron deficiency and it’s so good to have a reason for the constant tiredness that I am feeling much more energetic! Sophie is always so supportive and suggesting your blog has been a great idea. Thanks both.
Oooh. Iron deficiencies are no fun. I was anemic back in 2004 and I ended up passing out in a parking lot at the local grocery store because I was too weak to push the shopping cart! :O That can be hard to catch–so you’re lucky. (And I’m so glad you’re feeling more energetic!)
Last year I was diagnosed with a Vitamin D deficiency. Which isn’t uncommon in our line of work. (So keep an eye out for that one too!)
And remembering to take breaks is crucial to productivity. I struggle with that one myself (I suffer from “Just one more paragraph…” syndrome), so I really admire that you were able to get that aspect of your career figured out so early on. 🙂
Take care!
All I have to say is that this is excellent advice. I think that people tend to forget about themselves in countless areas of work, not just freelance writing.
‘Tis true – our body is amazing at self-repair. Especially when you consider how much we abuse it. It’s easy to take it for granted until problems are so big that it takes much more work to undo the damage.
I address writers specifically because I’m a writer – but also we have a very sedentary job. Especially when we work at home w/ no commute, no water cooler breaks or even walking to meetings. And that tendency to grab some chips when we hit writer’s block!
We do hard work in blogging or any other venture just to earn wealth but forget an important reality of life that says health is wealth. So we must adopt a balance approach in our struggle by keep due time to us, to our family and our work. Great post Sarah
You’re right, Muhammad. Our most valuable bank account is our health. Millions of dollars can’t really fix heart disease – cobble together a livable solution, perhaps – but not reverse it. Only we can do that with good lifestyle choices.
Sarah, reading your post was refreshing. And comforting.
I spent a whole year battling depression — and left with nothing but a crashed self-esteem and bits of my life and freelance work scattered around — I felt like I failed and it was too late to start all over again.
But I was wrong. I have two wonderful clients who didn’t let me go and a strong will not to let what happened turn into guilt. There’s no guilt and no “lazyness” in debilitating conditions like depression.
I’m starting fresh with ME at the center and your post is a beautiful reminder for it. 🙂 I’ll have to print it out and keep it on my desk as a reminder for the harder times.
Thank you!
~ Luana
I struggle with depression myself. It’s hell.
But, you know what? You only fail if you quit. So long as you can get back up and get back to it–even if you have to start over from scratch–then you’re a winner in my book.
You might enjoy Julie Fast’s book, Get It Done When You’re Depressed. (I keep it on hand for the harder times).
Thanks for commenting, Luana!
You narrated here a bitter reality of life; people work hard for money with a good health but when they achieve wealth they have lost their health to enjoy their life. Here also same situation in blogging. We should not take success as an end but it should be a mean to achieve a higher end of happiness and enjoyment.
It’s important to find that work/health balance. And using success as a way to achieve happiness sounds great.
Thanks for reading, Edson!
Hey Sarah,
Great post, sorry about your friends. I completely agree with everything you said and know that even though I’m young and more resilient to fatigue it’s still important to get up and away from the desk.
I like to start my mornings with a mixture of light yoga and meditation, and take breaks about every hour and a half for a 2-3 minute exercise. Jumping jacks, squats, pushups and stretches! It keeps me feeling great and gives me a chance to rest my eyes, use my body and recharge for the next haul.
Looking forward to reading from you again,
-Brian
So glad you’ve found a routine that works for you, Brian!
So true!
I do occasionally skip working out when I’m worried about a deadline.
It’s a challenge remembering that the time spent on exercise is likely to make me more productive in the time I’m working, rather than just take time away from my day that could be spent working.
That’s a challenge for me to remember too!
We’ll get it right eventually, eh, Kristen? 😉
Love your attitude. Thanks for commenting!
This is something that I talk to people about all the time—both as a writer and as an acquaintance (friend, colleague, whatever). I’m a PhD student, and so I’m often surrounded by people who work themselves just about to death and suffer (physically and mentally) for it. The ability to monitor your internal balance and know when to take a break is a hugely underrated skill!
Absolutely, Daniel. I agree with everything you just said.
Does your website have a contact page? I’m having problems
locating it but, I’d like to shoot you an email.
I’ve got some suggestions for your blog you might be interested in hearing.
Either way, great site and I look forward to
seeing it grow over time.
Here you go: http://beafreelanceblogger.com/contact/
For future reference, the Contact page is nestled under the About page on the navigation bar.