The hardest thing about freelance, for me, is work-life balance. I’ve got the work part nailed. I’m having a bit more challenge with the “balance” part.
It seems that any time not devoted to working is given to my son, and probably rightly so. As the household toddler, his needs reign supreme. But as I crawl into bed at night, reflecting on my day, often the only breaks involve getting him fed and ready in the morning, and getting him fed, bathed and off to bed for the night. The rest of the time is work.
Several weeks ago, I implemented a plan where I had to read for at least 15 minutes every night before falling asleep. This was partly for personal enrichment, and partly because I had developed a nasty habit of waking up in the morning still thinking about what I had been working on just before bed the night before. This meant that I had spent my entire night thinking about security for the wireless LAN, or challenges to adoption of new ischemic stroke therapies, or hospital information systems in Bangkok. I decided that it was about time to carve out some time for myself. As a former boss once said, “It’s just marketing. The world will not fall apart if you take some time off.” I decided to use her words as my mantra and embark on a new plan of balance.
It took weeks of stops and starts, but this is the week where it’s started to stick. My projects are all out with clients for their review. And since I’m in this lull, there is no time like the present to search for balance.
For the last two mornings, I’ve gone to the gym. It’s a guilty pleasure, especially when sneaking it in during “business hours” (what aren’t business hours for me these days?), but I’ve made the leap and done it. My shoulders ache. My biceps are stiff. And yet, I feel so much better than I could have ever hoped for. My mind is clear and I’m happy.
This is a powerful reminder: taking time for myself is a good thing. If a client calls and wants to talk, they can surely wait 60 minutes or less for my class to end. The world won’t end while they wait, and I’ll be better-equipped to help them achieve their goals.