Live In the Moment, Plan for the Future
You get up every morning and you go to work each day
Been doing the same damn job for ten long years this May
You’ve been working and saving for your Jamaican dream
Paradise is waiting across the sea
But when your plane lands Montego turns to monsoon
You’ve got the island blues
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You’ll encounter many challenges in your business, from slow periods to problems with projects and clients. Such is the nature of freelancing. It’s either feast or famine. When times are good, they’re very good. When they’re bad, they suck.
How you deal with those challenges determines your success or failure.
Some weeks, business is booming and you have more work than you can handle. The phone hasn’t stopped ringing, and the emails never seem to end. You’re scrambling to meet deadlines and keep business on track. And then-
Silence.
The quiet feels good. You catch up on your workload, and you can breathe now. You might take your time for a few days to relax a little.
Two days of silence turns into three, then five, then seven. The flood of work reduced to a dangerously slow trickle. What happened? Where is everyone? Did the world suddenly shut down? Free time is great, but this is ridiculous!
Get Off Your Butt!
Turn your downtime into your most productive time. Don’t waste your time worrying, because that’s almost as bad as procrastinating. Don’t sit in a corner whining. Don’t allow yourself to be paralyzed with fear.
More jobs will come. They’re out there. It’s only a matter of time (and maybe some effort on your part to go get them.)
Look at your downtime as prime time to complete projects you let fall to the wayside. Take them up again and give them a second look. Most of the time, these projects are ones for passive income or for increasing your site or business appeal – but you didn’t have time to focus on them while working so hard.
Now you do. Start on that e-book, launch that new blog, work on that novel collecting dust. The possibilities are endless. Take advantage of them.
Managing Time and Money
Living in the moment is great, but you also have to keep an eye on the future. When money comes in steadily and your days are busy, it’s very easy to believe the good times will last forever.
That’s when you have to be extra careful.
Mind your schedule. Pay attention to your daily tasks, but also your weekly and monthly agenda. You might not feel like saying yes to work now because you’re too busy, but what about offering to pencil the job in two weeks down the road?
Avoid the tax yo-yo syndrome, too. If you want to get ahead, have the discipline and foresight to put money aside to cover expenses later on. If you don’t, you’ll constantly find yourself scrambling when you need cash the most.
A lull in work isn’t a reason for panic. Use those periods to improve yourself or your business in some way. Stave off the worries by staying busy and being proactive to make something happen. You may not be able to say when the work will start coming in again, but it’s just a matter of time.
14 Responses to “Live In the Moment, Plan for the Future”
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Great post! (The tax yo-yo article is a great one, too. It made me take a good hard look when I first read it.)
During quiet time, don’t forget:
Plan that next self-promotion you never get around to when you’re up to your neck in work. Use it to get back in touch with old clients and ask for referrals or new business, or to reach out to potential clients with a high need for your services. Plan a schedule for promotions so it isn’t just an activity for quiet times anymore, then those quiet times won’t sneak up quite as often. Sort of like “pay yourself first.”
Audit your graphic materials (web and paper)—make sure they’re all sending a consistent message and portraying you the way you want to be seen. (Sleek or silly? Cheap or luxury? Cutting-edge or old-fashioned? Of-the-moment or timeless? As long as the message is intentional, it’s up to you.) Do a little elementary SEO on your website. If you don’t have at least a business card and stationery for invoices, etc. get them now—and leave your business card with everyone!
Really look at what you do and how valuable it is to your clients. What do they come to you alone for, and what do they rave about most? Is that working for you, or have you taken on too many projects that are far from what you wanted to be doing? How long has it been since you thought out your Vision and how to explain it so your excitement rubs off on others? You’ve got a lull, this is a great time!
Ooh, and read something great like Never Eat Alone (Keith Ferrazzi). It’ll shake you right out of your seat.
Regards,
Kelly
Okay,
So you caught me in mid-winter mode, dozing away.
I also liked Kelly’s comment, too.
Already I feel the blood running back to you-know-where.
Cheers,
Kim
@Kelly: Lulls are the perfect time for re-evaluating your business. I like the points you made about getting in touch with clients. When we sent out our Christmas cards, we sent them to clients we hadn’t heard from since their projects closed earlier in the year. They got in contact with us again and ordered more work. Sometimes all people need is a little reminder you’re still around and still want their business.
@Kim: Still hibernating, huh? Out here in the desert I’ve noticed the days are getting a tad longer, so spring is just around the corner. If you’re slow, take advantage of it before the pace picks up again!
Hi again,
This is a great time of the year. You know, just chilling and waiting for the groundhog to come out (Tomorrow).
It’s the pay-off for the “Great Race” that begins on the Tuesday after the Labor Day weekend and ends January 2nd: school, kids’ schedules, fall events, Halloween events, Christmas presents, fall concerts, Thanksgiving, Christmas concerts, Christmas events, Christmas visitors, Christmas, New Years . . . Those of you with kids will understand!
Oddly, it was IttyBiz’s post this morning that reminded me of this:
http://aplawrence.com/foo-self-employed/one-foot.html
but it fits with your post also..
Thanks for this – you covered everything I have been feeling. I really need a friendly shove today, but I also need time to revitalize. And then I start to wrestle with guilt.
To Kim: Buried in snow in Michigan. The groundhog comes tomorrow? I would like to start gardening again.
@Kim: Even without kids, I understand
@Tony: Thanks for the link!
@Ellen: Everyone needs a little nudge once in a while. Glad I could help.
@ Ellen – Buried deeper in snow in Quebec. Gardening comes around July, I hear…
You really never have to have downtime. Have an organized list of projects / tasks you need to “get to” and when you have a chunk of time magically present itself, don’t “wonder what to do” – just check the list and hammer on something.
& you don’t have to finish a whole project … just taking a step is valuable stuff.
@Dave: I think your magic chunk of time and what I call downtime are one in the same. I already have a list on the side for when I have that golden opportunity to work on them. Usually I hammer through most of them before things start to pick up again. And like you said, if the project doesn’t get finished, it’s one step closer to being so.
@ Dave – That reminds me of a friend who quit smoking recently. He chews Nicorette to help, and he said the easiest part of quitting was reorganizing his thinking. “I think I’ll have a smoke,” he says, and then he pops in a piece of gum. His body gets the nicotene, his brain is happy because he’s “smoking”, and he’s quit his two-pack a day habit overnight just by changing his perspective.
So yeah, all that to say, maybe we shouldn’t say “downtime.” Find the magic word to replace that one with something more productive!
@James: Ah, but to me the word downtime is productive. It represents the ability to work without distractions.
Downtime reminds me of slow molasses on a January morning. Dooooowwwntime.
Exactly. You can work at a slower pace and enjoy what you’re doing without the pressure of rushing to meet a deadline.