5 tips for a stress-free summer
Whoa! I blinked and all of a sudden it’s July. Any minute now it’s going to be all ‘school’s out’ blaring all over the place… No? Just me with the 70s hard rock? Alright then…
The summer surprised me - with the contradictions and opposites - it’s hot and sunny, and I’m feeling a lot of pressure to be a FUN SUMMER GIRL but at the same time I am using the client work downtime to get my geek on 🤓 But having these conversation with other freelancers got me thinking - how IS the summer working out for you?
Are you feeling frazzled, spread too thin, wishing like you could just fast-forward to September? Are you too, struggling with the 4:30am sunrise, feeling too hot to think straight? (I may be projecting here, can you tell? 😉)
Here’s my top 5 tips for you then - in hope that they help you alleviate at least a little bit of that overwhelm as you’re juggling childcare, school holidays, your business, somehow trying to go away for a holiday, maybe scrambling for more client work (while planning the time off, naturally)… you get it.
Let’s go!
THE MATRIX
No, you don’t need to be The One, Neo, to put a matrix together - specifically, the Eisenhower Matrix. If you haven’t heard about it before, it’s also called the Urgent-Important Matrix and it’s a simple alternative to a to-do list, if those have become overwhelming and never actually get finished, just rewritten day in, day out. Here’s what to do:
Step 1 - write your to do list.Step 2 - make a 2x2 grid on another piece of paper. Then atop the first column write ‘urgent’, and atop the second column write ‘less urgent’. Call the first row ‘important’ and the 2nd one ‘not important’.
Step 3 - Rewrite your to-do list by putting every single task into one of the 4 squares. Ta-da! Ready!
What this simple matrix does, is help you decide your real priorities, and making it clear what to to, schedule, delegate or bin altogether. Have a look below!
P.S. I also found an app called ‘priority matrix’ which does exactly that, if you’re of a more digital inclination!)
2. PREPARE FOR AUTUMN
I know, I know - I’m always going on about preparation… but it’s the only way to not be running around like a headless chicken, come crunch time. If you have a launch planned for September - don’t leave a month to get it ready. 8-10 weeks is the minimum optimal time to get a worthy strategy together and see some good results*. Whether you do it yourself or outsource, leaving things to last minute (that means with less than a month to go) is asking for trouble, stress, and that awful head-spinny feeling you get when you know the deadline is so so so close but it’s too late to turn around now. Don’t do it to yourself!
*of course you can still achieve a lot with less than that, but you must manage your expectations and be mindful of the size of your project!
3. KNOW YOUR NUMBERS
When’s the last time you’ve ran your numbers? Cost of living changes quarter on quarter nowadays, maybe there’s also something you’d like to budget for - a big event, a treat, or you want to build a financial safety net? Whatever it is, knowing your business numbers is not a one-off - it’s a task I’d love you to make time for once a quarter.
My preference is the expenditure-first way -> I add up all my non-negotiable bills for the month + estimated fuel, food, any credit costs etc = and that’s how much I know I HAVE TO bring in from client work every month. Then for Tier 2, I add how much I’d like to save every month and don’t make it huge - start small, achievable - so £100 a month is a good start. And now that’s my new goal to hit once I hit the first one.
I also do a Tier 3 - minimum disposable income, or a treat pot, no matter how small that is - £50, £100 a month, for example, and that’s my new goal to hit once I hit the first two goals.
Basically bills first, savings second, disposable third. I must hit the first one, I really want to hit the second, and anything else is a bonus; Having the savings means I have a safety net, and having the treat pot means I don’t dip into my savings.
P.S. This is of course a simplified way of looking at finance - but essentially the bills-first approach does show you a clear number you must hit, just remember to include your business expenses in the non-negotiable bills!
4. TAKE TIME OFF / CHANGE IT UP
It may seem nigh impossible, but taking time off doesn’t always mean going away, or huge amount of money being spent. It means not working, and switching up your surroundings. Can you take the opportunity that a quieter summer could provide you (quieter in terms of client work, not necessarily home life, I understand) and do something else? Can you shun your usual daily work routine, just for a week or two, and maybe do your exercise at a different time, or spend a morning just reading a book with a cuppa, rather than playing life admin catch up?
I’m asking you this because time and time again it astounds me what our brains are capable of, if we just LET THEM. Give them some unstimulated quiet. Silence the never-ending PING PING PING of our phones, just for an hour or two - just once a week if that’s all you can do.
For our brains to work at their best, we need to give them time to shut down and reconcile the knowledge and experience - a lot of this happens while we sleep, but let’s not kid ourselves - once we allow the sleep-disruptive effect of sugar, caffeine, alcohol, kids, pets, and our own tendency to binge Netflix until 1am, who actually gets 8 hours a night anyway?! I see you 😉 So give your brain the gift of rest, and it’ll reward you.
Hint - our tech works a similar way so if your laptop has significantly slowed down recently… STOP leaving it on sleep and make sure to turn it off after each day!
5. DELEGATE
Here it is! Finally we’re talking delegating. Yes, I will always advocate delegating - you don’t want to be a jack of all trades, feeling like you must know it all to be running your business - an accountant, a marketer, a teacher, a master-networker. Why?! No expert ever has said ‘I’m an expert of EVERYTHING, pay me’. They all niche, specialise - you should do the same and trust me, you’re already there. Just give yourself a break. And anything that is NOT in your zone of genius, delegate - speak to your network, get advice, maybe do a skillswap to help with costs? Can you pivot an idea into a smaller trial, and gather bigger investment later?
There’s always a way - you know where to find me if you want me to help you break down the GREAT BIG IDEA, and then you can take the actionable steps forward by yourself, or with my help - it’s your call. You’re not alone here!
I know these tips mostly focus on the management part of your business, and there’s a reason for it - a strong foundation build a stronger, more resilient business. Summers pass, it’ll be September and then Christmas before you know it, and we’ll be feeling frazzled and frustrated about January. NO, don’t panic! Breathe and lean in - take on only what you can, even if you make a habit out of just the one of my tips - and with every season, you’ll only get better!
Let me know on my socials if these were useful to you, and stay tuned… I’ll be launching a fortnightly email series soon with my best tips and tricks to share with you, to help you find a little method in that madness!
If you enjoyed reading and think you and your business can benefit from my insights - get in touch!
