Can you sleep? Can you really?
Exploring the sleepless nature of freelancing, how I learned what helps me sleep at night – and maybe how you can, too.
Despite spending the first eighteen years of my life surrounded by wheat, cattle and sheep, water and I have always been friends.
Down by the creek pulling out craw bobs with the local boys. Sailing on the dam in a catamaran with my Dad. Stealing summer holidays at the beach in South West Rocks. These are the highlights of my childhood.
It makes perfect sense I now live in a tiny suburb surrounded by a lake and a beach in a coastline town pushed hard by mountains to the sea.
Water clears my head. By the lake, at the dog beach – even in the inflatable spa in my backyard. These are my clarifying places.
In the shower with the water coming down hard, I often do my best thinking. If the problem seems insurmountable, my desk feels like an enemy, or my brain is sticking on the flypaper of obsession, off to the shower I go. Needled and thrummed by the heat and the pre-safety water pressure, I can’t even hear my thoughts.
And it is here that I recently realised something about the Freelance Jungle.
Beyond ending isolation or promoting self-care, knowledge sharing or even advocacy, it has one goal in mind.
It exists so you, dear freelancer, can sleep at night. Understanding that helps me sleep, too.
Sleeping on it
Days afterwards after a particularly good sleep (a rarity for me these days), I realised the day previous had been the gift to my insomniac brain.
I had freelanced in such a way that I could sleep at night. None of this broken sleep over four tortuous hours of resenting the ceiling crapiness. I slept with all the solid, happy joy of six hours uninterrupted sleep. The drool on my pillow was thick. The crinkles of bedding decorating my skin.
And finally, the true meaning of the Freelance Jungle had revealed itself.
I bring people together who freelance so they can sleep at night. Huzzah!
It’s only taken nigh on ten years. 😉
That called for examining that magical day before the sleeping night in detail.
I worked on something that was the right level of challenge. I wasn’t running late or scratching around for things to do. I took my breaks in the sunshine gladly but was also excited to get back to work. People contacted me to explore with and enjoy me instead of simply tug at me with demands. I was so inspired. I wrote down creative and art ideas for myself on my scratch pad as I worked on client things. The house didn’t bother me, calling with chores. Facebook and other social media didn’t have a siren’s distracting call. I exercised later by walking to the lake and back. I wrote a happy to do list in bed, eager to face the next day. I felt accomplished and valued. I didn’t even write down 3 challenges from the day in my journal. I was positively bulletproof.
At the risk of telling you far more productivity-begats-sleepiness wunderkins how to make the bed perfectly, being able to sleep at night when you are a freelancer is oh so important.
It means (but is certainly not limited to):
· You’ve connected with the work and the client in a meaningful way
· You are not chasing late invoices
· The feedback you have received on the work buoys you up to bring you’re A Game
· You aren’t conflicted about the value of the work you are about to undertake
· Knowing you can get all the work done without having to crush yourself
· There aren’t bald spots in your timetable that haunt you
But mainly, a freelancer is able to sleep at night when we:
· Are challenged but not stressed (find flow)
· Don’t hear the static of money problems as we work (value ourselves)
· Can live with the choices we make (maintain personal integrity)
· Are respected in terms of payment and payment terms (feel valued)
· Feel supported and welcome (connect well)
· Are a part of something bigger than ourselves (create community)
We can sleep safe and sound in the knowledge we did our best. No emotional overflow spills out into the expanse of night. No worries waiting under the bed to get us. We can give those proverbial babies a run for their sleeping money.
You and your values
Teaching the Marketing for Introverts recently, I explained a very simple thing about marketing:
If you sound like your competitors, you are not marketing your business or your approach. You are marketing your industry. You are literally saying to clients that who they choose doesn’t matter.
And if it doesn’t matter, why should they choose you?
But it does matter. Oh, it so does. Even if we do what every other bloody freelancer can do.
And here’s why:
Not everyone drinks at the same pub. Some of us want to sit in the maximalist bar in dark, moody corners when everywhere else is a cacophony of open plan concrete and steel.
Not everyone likes the jazz hands sales approach. If salesy marketing leaves you cold, you want clients that share that sentiment, too.
If it helps you sleep at night, it’s what is meant for you.
Ask yourself:
1. What does it look like when someone else tries to pull my business off track?
2. How can I make it so that my values shine through?
3. How do I want my clients to feel as a result of working with me?
4. Even if we don’t achieve the client’s goal with a given project, how can I inspire them to keep going regardless?
5. How can we both sleep at night while we work our way through to completion?
Things you should check out
Speaking about things that help you sleep better at night, the Reinvent your Working Life is in full swing. It’s free, thanks to Good2Give and Facebook Australia. So, dig into seminars. The main Facebook event can help you keep track. All events are in Sydney time.
LIVE EVENTS
Why freelance life is perfect for teachers with Melissa Gerke
Do you feel stuck in the teaching profession and need a change? Create your own path with freelancing. Melissa Gerke will tell you why freelancing is the perfect career move for ex-teachers.
Thu, Sep 30, 2021, 10:30 AM - https://www.crowdcast.io/e/life%20after%20teaching
Yes, you can freelance outside of the city with Ellenor Day
If you've been wanting to escape Sydney or Melbourne for a while, Ellenor has great news for you. You can run a successful freelance business without needing to be in a big city. Find out how.
Tue, Oct 5, 2021, 2:00 PM - https://www.crowdcast.io/e/regional%20freelancing
How to get over the redundancy heartbreak with Rebekah Lambert
Redundancy may hurt. But you can use it to reshape your workplace relationships into something far healthier as a result. This is a very real story about how someone said goodbye to a beloved career and never fell quite so hard (or unhappily) again.
Fri, Oct 15, 2021, 10:00 AM - https://www.crowdcast.io/e/redundancy-heartbreak
Where to find freelance leads (it’s not where you think!) with Kate O’Mealley
Kate O’Mealley is a writer, content specialist and coach who knows a thing or two about snuffling out a great lead. She’s joining you to help create networks and opportunities instead of chasing leads.
Wed, Oct 20, 2021, 10:00 AM https://www.crowdcast.io/e/freelance-lead-gen
Starting your freelance finances off in the right direction
Want to start your freelance adventure on the right financial footing? Have we got a presentation for you! Join accountant Holly Shoebridge for a presentation on how to set yourself up for success and avoid common mistakes freelancers make in the process.
Wed, Oct 27, 2021, 11:00 AM https://www.crowdcast.io/e/freelance-finances
Why leadership is a big part of freelance success (for yourself and others) with Rach Smith
Rachel Smith has turned her connections in journalism to not only a viable career for herself but also a sought-out resource for others. Let Rachel explain why you need to grab the mantle with freelancing with both hands and lead, baby, lead.
Wed, Oct 27, 2021, 1:00 PM https://www.crowdcast.io/e/freelance_leadership
ACTION REPLAYS
Life after the uni sector and redundancy with Joh Kohler, How to keep the balance with you and a side hustle with journalist Nance Haxton, and Working on government contracts with Nicole Leedham.
ABOUT THIS PROGRAM:
The Freelance Jungle redundancy program has been made possible through the generosity of Good2Give and Facebook Australia. As part of a grant, this program aims to provide people affected by COVID, the bushfires and the economic downturn within Australia to transition from employment to freelancing. It includes the opportunity to learn from people who have already faced redundancy as well as those flourishing in their fields.
A final lullaby
No matter what you do in this world, always remember that you matter. We tend to get caught up in all things shiny and visible these days. But the things that define us are not what others can see or hear. It’s how we make them feel that matters.
A feeling check:
· How do you want your fellow freelancers to feel about the standards you set with clients? Or the standard of work you produce? Or when they collaborate with you?
· How do you want those closest to you feel about your freelance career? Are they admiring you and your bravery? Are they inspired to follow a path less travelled? Are they glad you are there for them when it really matters?
As Fleetwood Mac once sang about dreams, “play it the way you feel it…”
Feeling sleepy yet?
Love and other words for that warm feeling that helps us sleep,
Rebekah
About the Freelance Jungle:
The Freelance Jungle is an award-winning grassroots community that helps Australian freelancers navigate working for yourself in real terms. We focus on ending the isolation inherent in freelancing, reminding you stress has a productivity cost, raising the knowledge bar and advocacy. We are the 2019 winners of the Wayahead NSW Mental Health Matters Workplace Wellbeing award. We offer a regular educational roster of free and Patreon subsidised interviews, courses and presentations. Our virtual networking offers regular stress downs, dress up lunches and crafternoons. And (when we’re not doing the COVID dance) we’ve run over 100 in person events in Sydney, Wollongong, Newcastle, Melbourne, Brisbane, Cairns, Adelaide and Perth. Find out more at our website
https://freelancejungle.com.au/