Thanksgiving and Christmas, two particularly busy times of the year, are almost upon us. During this time, freelance writers not only handle content writing jobs, but also tasks ranging from baking to shopping to picking up loved ones at the airport. Here are some tips that can help you keep up with your work and holiday preparations…and keep your sanity.
Prioritize Your To-Do List
One of the main reasons why holidays are so stressful is that people bite off more than they can chew. One way to avoid this common pitfall is to prioritize your to-do list and only do what you really have to do during this busy time. If your relatives are coming to visit, spending time with them is naturally a priority, as is cooking, minimal clean-up, and caring for kids or pets (if you have them). Your home decor and meals do not necessarily need to be Pinterest-worthy and Christmas shopping can be done online to save both time and money.
Be Realistic About Your Work Schedule
No matter how well you juggle your schedule, you will almost certainly have less writing time during the holidays. Be realistic about how much time you will have on any given day (bearing in mind that it is better to allow too much time rather than not enough) and only take on the orders you can handle. Missing order deadlines can antagonize clients who may opt to find someone else to work with in the future.
Take Full Advantage of “Down Times”
Content writing, like all other types of freelance work, has its ups and downs — sometimes jobs are rolling in and there is plenty to write while, at other times, there will be few or no jobs for several days at a time. Take advantage of these “down times” to do extra cleaning, shopping, and/or spend a bit more time with family members. When the writing picks up again, you will have fewer things on your “to-do list” than you did before and this will allow you more time to write. Additionally, your family will be understanding of your taking extra time to work if you have spent extra time with them when you were able to.
While the holiday season is almost always busier than any other time of year, you do not have to give up writing during this time in order to get to everything you want to do. Chances are you will find that making some simple adjustments to your schedule will enable you to not only handle freelance writing jobs, but also spend time with friends and family members, enjoy good food, shop, and keep your home reasonably clean.
Lori R is a former ESL teacher who presently works as a freelance writer and stay at home mother/personal educator to a high powered, creative five-year-old daughter. Over the last four years, she has written about topics ranging from natural medicine to SEO to finding a good lawyer.
