September: time for a fresh start
Deciding what work is the right work
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Most of us at FFJ headquarters have been working longer than we were ever at school but we still love that September feeling of starting over. New stationery, new diary (yes we love our academic year planners) and new motivation.
Time to wipe the slate clean and start again or at least reflect on what we could do differently. So for this newsletter, it’s over to FFJ co-founder Emma who has been making decisions about what work she wants to do, most importantly what she doesn’t want to do and how to fit it all in.
Despite my best intentions since the start of 2022, work had begun to take over again. Now all the kids are at school, I don’t want to be slaving away at my desk on evenings and weekends if I can possibly help it and I would also like time to exercise, meet friends and make the most of the fact I work for myself. By June, it was clear that this was a problem I needed to address after an exhausting week working until 10pm or later every night.
I have taken some big chunks of time off over the summer (planned and saved for) and this has given me the perfect opportunity to hit the reset button. I want September to have that new term, new intentions feeling and to get a better handle on my work-life balance.
My tendency to overwork all stems from the fact I love my job and still get excited by it. I have regular clients who are nice to work for and I make a decent living. This is a privileged position to be in but it has come after 15 years of freelancing and 20 years of journalism. Yet I also have that fear we all have about saying no to work despite my best intentions since we recorded our podcast on this very topic.
Last week, after a few requests for shifts, features or investigations started to come in from lovely editors who knew I would be back in September, I realised I had to sit down and seriously consider what I wanted to keep and what I wanted to say no to. And most importantly I had to leave time to be able to take up new opportunities or pitch ideas to publications I haven’t worked for before. Otherwise it just becomes the hamster wheel that I’m trying to get away from.
Having gone through this process, I already feel a weight has lifted and I feel less overwhelmed. So here are my top tips for a September reset.
Be honest with yourself about what you really enjoy
I had some regular well-paying work that wasn’t really journalism but was using my journalism skills. Yet I didn’t really enjoy it. I would always start it with a heavy sigh telling myself to think of the money. But in reality taking on that work stops me pitching new ideas or saying yes to more interesting commissions that may come my way. I had cut down how much I was doing already but I had fallen into a rut of not being able to let it go because it was a regular income and the client was lovely to work for. It’s time to admit it wasn’t really for me.
Don’t be afraid to negotiate
I realised when I sat down and worked it out, my diary was completely filled every week with regular work. That meant when an interesting commission came along or an idea came to mind for a pitch, the only time I had to do that was on top of my already full plate. I didn’t want to scrap that regular work - which might be a news shift a week or a monthly write up - because that makes for a nice rhythm to the week but I needed to free up a lot of time. So I cut down. I discussed with my editors what room there was for changing our arrangement and I am now down to two and a bit days taken up every week which feels like the right balance for me.
Keep doors open
I felt it was important to communicate any changes to regular clients as soon as possible so they could find another freelancer and so I didn’t leave them in the lurch. My goal here is not to annoy anyone I have worked for and of course you never know when I might want to work for them again. I was polite, explained that I could no longer commit to the work, and said I would be available for one-off commissions if needed. I’m pleased to report I only had positive responses in return. Burning bridges is rarely helpful.
Consider new working patterns
One thing I realised as I trudged towards the summer break was that I was always exhausted by Friday. The day would be a write off. After four very full-on hectic days juggling multiple stories and deadlines this is not entirely surprising. My partner works a four-day week and loves it so I’m going to experiment. I’m not moving completely to Mon-Thurs working but I’m going to start by keeping Fridays clear. A sort of overflow day but one that gives me space to meet friends or go for a run as well as finishing off any loose odds and ends so that I can hopefully start the weekend with nothing hanging over me.
Take time to reflect
I have done this now because I had the time to think about what I want from freelancing and a bit of distance to consider what aspects of my work I really enjoy. You don’t have to do this in September or at the start of a new year just because everyone else is. You should do it whenever you feel something is not working. It’s all too easy to lose sight of why we’re freelance in the first place. Our podcast episode on doing a freelance appraisal might help if you don’t know where to begin.
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Triumph of the week
Getting September work all booked up already.
That feeling when
You’re trying to find a corner of a farm park for a quiet serious interview and there’s nowhere without children screaming in the background.
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Bye for now!
Just in time for my already full plate! thank you so much for writing this