Parenthood changes a lot of things, especially your career.
Your child becomes the focus of your life. That’s the way it should be, but it can be hard to keep your freelance business running while looking after your child’s daily (and hourly) needs.
Your work hours shrink from double digits to singles. You’re exhausted all the time, but you’re not earning any extra. Less, in fact — much less.
This is the same dilemma I faced when my daughter was born. She’s adorable and I love her to bits, but in between tantrums, feedings, chores, and the constant fear that she’d hurt herself right that very second if I didn’t pay attention, there wasn’t much time left for anything else.
I started falling behind with work, and my balance sheets were suffering. If something didn’t change, I was going to have to start choosing which bills to pay and which to leave “for later”.
Once my initial panic settled (it took a while for that to happen, to be honest), I took stock of my situation and realized I had to make some serious changes to the business. Here’s how I made parenting work for me as a freelance blogger.
Enforce Efficiency
If you want to maximize your time, you need to be ruthless about how you spend it.
When your baby’s taking a nap, which would be more valuable to you: working on your client’s website, or watching an episode of The Walking Dead?
I used to waste time puttering around Facebook. Now, I have to make every second count, whether it’s doing research, marketing the business, or —toddler willing— actually writing.
It helps to create to-do lists in advance (whether written or mental) so that you can jump right in the moment you’re free.
I haven’t yet perfected the art of making lists and sticking to them, but I’m making a damned good effort. I’m also using a modified version of the Pomodoro method to help keep myself focused.
Make Bigger Bucks in Less Time
The less time you have, the more valuable it is. That’s why your rates should scale accordingly. You have a family to support, and you can’t do it by sticking to the same dismal fees you were charging before.
As an exercise, figure out how much you need to make in a month to cover your living expenses (and then some), and divide it by the number of hours you can afford to work in a month. That’s a good basis for your new hourly rate.
You should also be pickier about your clients. High-maintenance customers are now a non-starter. I just don’t have the time to hold their hand, and neither should you. The same should apply to clients who low-ball you, or ones that try to sneak in additional work for free.
I’ve also had to shift to low-volume, high-paying article markets instead of high-volume, low-paying ones. One successful article pitch at a decent magazine is worth a dozen “daily drudge” blog posts, can be completed much faster, and is more interesting to write!
And don’t be afraid that you’re not worth it. I had this irrational fear that I couldn’t charge as much for my services as other freelancers with scads of experience. But my child made the decision for me, so I raised my rates —and was surprised that I could actually get away with it. I’m now earning more for fewer hours.
Learn to Say No (To Everything)
As a working parent, you’ll have more things to do than time to do them in. If you want to stay sane and productive, you have to learn how to tell people “no”.
This includes clients, friends, your spouse, and yourself. It’s hard, but it has to be done if you’re going to be effective at both parenting and freelancing. While multitasking might seem like you’re getting a lot of things done, it actually just leads to lots of mistakes.
For myself, I’ve had to learn to compartmentalize my time. This means no smartphones or computers during family time, and no interruptions during work time. Although things bleed over once in a while, I’m still able to focus on whatever I’m supposed to be doing, and the results have been better for it.
The Best of Both Worlds
You can have a viable freelancing career while being a great parent at the same time. The key is knowing just how valuable your time is, and finding clients who know it, too. This is not a pipe dream. It’s totally achievable if you market your business properly and deliver high quality work.
And the beauty of it is that as your child grows more independent and you start getting back more of your time, you can keep your rates at the same high level or maybe even increase them!
Are you a freelance writer and parent? How do you juggle the two responsibilities? I’d love to hear your story in the comments.
Image: Out Of Chicago
‘Enforce efficiency’ — this phrase got me!
Usually I take so much time warming-up before actually starting to write. When I read this on your post, I was struck. I got the same problem. I while away the time, checking emails instead of writing articles or focusing on marketing.
Good points here Patrick.
Keep it up!
Thanks Anthony!
Patrick,
Can I give you an Amen, brother! While I am not a full-time freelancer, I do have a growing freelance business that I work on during the evenings and weekends. However, my experience is a little different in that I have two boys on the Autism Spectrum. I agree with everything you’ve written, and can testify how important each of your points are, because they have helped me and my wife stay sane as we try to build a life.
One thing I have started paying more attention to is diet. I have found that when I don’t have the junk food and eat less, I have more energy in the evening to do my side business work. Just something to consider.
Thanks for a great post. Let me know if I can be of assistance in any way.
That’s a fantastic suggestion, Chris! I have to confess I’ve been ignoring a healthy diet in favor of coffee, softdrinks, and salty snacks to keep me awake. I need to start watching what I eat!
Great post!!
Well put Patrick. Michael Linenberger (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rpjSTPlEDLQ) has a YouTube clip which shows a *To Do List That Works*. You can put all your To Do’s into a word processor file then move them around as you need. I find it simple, and I never forget anything. Combined with the Pomodoro method it could create an efficiency revolution. I will try to combine the two and see how it goes.
Hi Patrick,
Boy, did your article speak to me! I recently resigned (not totally by choice) from my teaching job of 13 years and am adjuncting in the fall at a local college. Cool, but not nearly enough to pay the bills. So I’ve been working on expanding my freelance editing/ writing/ photography work. This week’s focus is finishing my website, and I’m finding it requires much work and focus (and cooperation of my hubby and 3 1/2 yr old). So I’m shutting the door to my office, popping on the headphones, and trying very hard to resist the pull of Facebook and e-mail checks every five minutes.
Just wanted to tell you that I appreciate your words of struggle and advice and agree- lists are King!
All the best wishes!
Thanks Patrick!
I don’t have kids yet, but I do have family obligations that seem to constantly pop up. I’m new to freelancing and trying to find a balance to work and family life and trying to establish good boundaries around each, so I truly appreciate your advice!
You’re welcome Kellie! You may not be a parent yet, but I think a few of these lessons can still apply!
Great advice. My daughter cured me instantly of writer’s block! — I just don’t have the time to bother anymore! I also started a to-do list. I hate lists passionately. But again, I don’t have the time to sit down and putter around wondering what I need to get done. A list puts my tasks front and center so I can jump into work the second I sit at my computer. Quick before I have to get up to deal with poop on the floor or something equally thrilling. 😉
We should compare notes on to do lists. I’ve used everything from fancy project management software to scraps of paper and post-its! Right now I’m trying out a really simple (and free) BlackBerry app called Checklists
I use an iPhone app called Errands! I keep wanting to switch to the built-in Reminders because it syncs with my computer…but it’s just not as robust. 😉
Sounds cool, Lisa. I’m jealous! I love my old Blackberry Bold, but the apps really suck :p
Ha! I guess you’ve been in my house, Lisa. In between writing and packing for a move this week, that’s exactly what I found on the hallway floor…
Hiya Patrick! Great post! I actually have three things to balance – single parenting, working full-time as a licensed therapist and freelance blogging. I have been doing okay so far. I’ve got one steady weekly blogging gig and one pending. In the meantime, I’ve noticed that posting on my website has gone from weekly to biweekly to now monthly. I used to be better when I was busier at a previous job. I had a longer commute (which I used for writing) along with my regular lunch hour. I also used to get up before kiddo to blog. Everything changed in the past year, which has affected my blogging schedule. I need to revamp my schedule and find new ways to get things done. You just reminded me of that. Ps – I used the commute/lunchtime method to finish my last year of undergrad and all three years of grad school while working FT and raising kiddo w/ his father. So I know I can do it. I just need to reassess and jump right in. Thanks so much for the great post! 🙂
Wow, Heiddi. Kudos to you for juggling all that while being a single parent. I have a difficult enough time even with my wife’s support. I couldn’t imagine how tough it’d be to do it alone! Thank you for sharing!
I feel your pain, as only someone whose son is with his grandparents can do 🙂 Your tips are so important! When it was just me, or just me and my husband, it was a lot easier to waste time fiddling around. You make a great point that now it’s so much more important to use my time wisely.
Thanks Shelby! I have to admit, I do still succumb to the temptation once in a while. 😀 But don’t spread that around.
Great post, Patrick!
Constraints boost creativity, effectiveness, and efficiency. 🙂
I’ve to balance blogging with a full-time job.
My best productivity tip is to plan the next day the night before.
And not to let a lapse or two turn into complete collapse.
My meditation teacher starts every session with the words, “Start again.”
Good tip, Rohi. Thanks for reading!
Learn to say no – this rule works everywhere and everytime either you are parent or single; it save us from lot unnecessary burden; so behaving positively we should not say yes to every offer or work or demand whatever; we must make only those committments which we can do without affecting our life
Absolutely, Edson. We need to triage our own schedule otherwise nothing will get done.
Thank you for an informative article. The first thing I did was calculate how much I would ideally like to make per hour. That gives me a guideline to pursue higher paying markets to reach my goal.
Don’t forget, you can always charge per project (in fact, many veteran freelancers swear by it), as long you compute that you’re making enough compensation!
I loved your post. I am a long way passed raising a family so I spend way too much time with e-mail and facebook that usually isn’t very productive. I need to take your advise about the to-do lists regardless of the method we all need to have lists mental or physical to keep us on track.
Keep up the good work.
Thank you Carol!
Great post! I keep a notebook on my tablet to write in while my toddler watches a movie. I can email the pages to myself after I’m finished so I can edit the pages later on.
Smart thinking Kelly!
Outstanding article, Patrick! And not just because of the link to my site (thanks!!).
Your article rings very true, being a parent myself. Love it.
-Rich Polanco
So glad you enjoyed it, Rich! Thanks for stopping by. 🙂
This has been exactly my experience! Before having a child, I lived on the wind, wasting hours at a time doing relatively nothing. Now that my time is much more limited, I am a fireball of action (usually). Great post.
So glad that with the new life you brought into the world, you also brought about a new level of focus & action-taking! 😉
Thanks for commenting, Alexis!
Great post! I’m a parent to two little ones and am a freelance writer.
One thing I’ve found recently that helps me be more productive is to time myself as I work.
This way I can see my equivalent hourly rate per blog post, and any time wasting can be seen reducing my overall rate, right before my eyes. I use the timer in Fresh Books.
If you are prone to checking Facebook or emails during an article, timing it could persuade you not to.
I also used to try and work in a quiet room in the house but that wasn’t very practical. Now I set aside working slots and go to a co-working hot desking place where I can get much more done.
Joe
Congrats on the two little ones, Joe! And your new-found productivity. 🙂
I live next to an airport, two sets of train tracks, and a daycare center. “Quiet” is a rarity here too. haha. But I’m glad you found something that works for you.
Thanks for commenting!
HI Patrick, thanks for your views, I enjoyed visiting your post today! Both of my sons are grown now and live their own lives else where. I share my little lap top with my friend/partner. Sharing time and my computer cuts down my personal time to create and write. But that’s okay he helps around the apartment and he’s good company when I miss my sons. Retired for two years, I am still adjusting. I have started writing as freelance blogger and I enjoy it every chance I can!
Good for you, Darlene! It’s different when you enjoy your work, isn’t it?