For the first time in I’m not sure when, I did absolutely no work this weekend. And it was so wonderful! Last week the kids were home for spring break, so I’d lightened my workload anyway. Once upon a time I always kept weekends work free, but an overabundance of client projects has had me working most weekends for the past few months. Yes, the money was great, but my quality of life suffered. For me, freelancing is as much about being the master of my own schedule as it is about the freedom of being self-employed.
I spent Saturday working on my container garden and reading a book a (something I haven’t done in months!) good friend sent me – “Night Circus,” by Erin Morgenstern while listening to Esperanza Spalding. Sunday we prepared a huge brunch and later that afternoon flew kites. In the evening, once the kids were in bed, hubby and I just chilled, watched movies and enjoyed mango sorbet. All in all an extremely relaxing weekend.
Today I’ll be handling quite a bit of administrative stuff – returning emails, invoicing clients, blog maintenance and working on an ebook project. While tallying my numbers for March, I earned more than the previous month, and definitely made more than this time last year. The client I no longer work with accounts for a significant chunk of my March earnings. While I’m sad to see it go, it’s for the best and I have no doubt that I will be able to replace that income source with something better. I’m already negotiating with a client on a new project this morning, so it’s all good.
After attending Lori Widmer and Anne Wayman’s Trade Writing Webinar a couple of weeks agao, I’m so ready to start querying some trade pubs that have been on my radar. I haven’t written for a magazine in nearly two years, although that’s how I started freelancing. I miss it quite a bit and look forward to diving back in. I don't know if they'll be offering it again, but if you're interested in freelancing for magazines, I highly recommend it.
How was your weekend, and how’s your work week shaping up so far?
2 comments:
Hello Monday, and hello Kimberly.
I am so glad I found your blog.
I have been out of work since last summer, I started getting serious about freelance writing over the winter. It is indeed very much about freedom. Not having a wack-a-doodle boss and setting your own schedule. For me, I have a hobby farm, so it also allows me to be home when needed (lambing - we have a couple of bottle babies so its ore work). I enjoy it but a person must have a good work ethic because working from home can be distracting...
Great blog enjoyed.
@Knoji Freelancing: Thanks so much for your kind comment. You hobby farm sounds interesting. I love animals, and my grandfather was a farmer in rural Alabama, so I know how much work dealing with young animals can be!
You're so right about the distractions involved with working at home. I battle them constantly. A peek at my monthly bills quickly gets me back on track though. ;)
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