How To Boost Your Energy When Running A Freelance Design Business.

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Before you became a freelance designer did you have any idea that the most demanding boss you’d ever meet is the one looking at you in the mirror? Here’s how to optimise your energy so that your freelance design business gives you more time with those you love.

Being a freelance designer makes you way more hard-wired with a ‘must do more’ mindset. You often respond to stress by working longer hours, which eventually takes a toll physically, mentally, and emotionally. Over time your levels of engagement go down, levels of distraction go up and you push yourself harder and harder to keep up.

You cut corners in your relationships and with your kids because there’s no tangible impact from one more hour spent with the family—but you tell yourself that another hour in the studio, or on the laptop could have a huge impact on your freelance design business. “If I just get this one more thing ticked off my to do list”... sound familiar?

Remember, you set out on a journey of leaving behind the corporate gig that demanded more and more from you, so that you could be a freelance designer in charge of your own time and yet you had no idea that your own biggest task master would eventually become YOU!

There’s a limit to how many hours you can work in your freelance design business. Time is a precious resource you just cannot get back. But energy is different and by establishing rituals that are intentionally practised with the goal of making them unconscious and automatic as quickly as possible is the key to maximising your energy. There are four types of energy and here’s how to maximise each one.

Physical Energy

Move your body more, drink less alcohol, get more sleep by having a regular bedtime and wake up. Take this quiz by The Sleep Doctor to find your sleep chronotype and apply your natural rhythm to your freelance design business.

This is really important to consider in midlife since your body and mind are naturally changing; you can’t expect to carry on just as you did 10 years ago.

Emotional Energy

Stepping out of the role of freelance designer and into just being you is key to building emotional energy; spend quality time with friends, going on a date night, creating a pamper evening with candles, music and the biggest bubble bath.

Consider your personal boundaries and create a script to say no to anything that’s not a “Hell Yes!” Practise these scripts and use accordingly with family and friends; if they continually ignore them then it’s time to have a difficult conversation with the culprits that are draining you, before you burn out.

Mental Energy

Restrict checking emails to twice a day (or even just on 2 set days per week if your freelance design business structure allows), read a book or magazine that has nothing to do with work, block out long stretches of time for personal creativity in your calendar.

One word of caution; freelance designers are very good at avoiding the ‘difficult’ things that need to be done to future proof your freelance life; marketing yourself effectively with a well defined marketing message is the number one activity that will ensure you attract better clients that you love.

Spiritual Energy

Spend time in nature, freely write your thoughts onto paper with your favourite pen and journal, yoga, meditate and feel into 3 things you’re grateful for when you wake up.

Try completing this sentence “I am grateful for (X) because it makes me feel (Y).

Quieting your busy creative mind is a skill that can be learnt. Here’s three 5 minute practices that will help you stop overthinking if you regularly take action on them when overwhelm hits.

Energy Audit Exercise; Where Are You Wasting Energy?

STEP ONE

Make a list of all the people, places and things in your life that ENERGISE you. Add to the list any habits or rituals you have that energise you. Make a list of all the people, places and things in your life that DRAIN you of energy. Add to the list any habits you have that exhaust you.

STEP TWO

Once your list is complete, pick one item that drains you of energy. Write it down at the top of a page. First of all, let’s understand one thing; if you are doing it, there’s some kind of benefit for you, even if it doesn’t make sense at first glance. Now take some time out and sit and journal on this…Why do you do it? What advantage does it have for you? What are its benefits?

For Example: You know you want to attract better clients, and you know you can do that by posting regularly to LinkedIn. Yet every time you sit down to write a post it feels hard. You procrastinate on what to write and end up wasting energy on overthinking it. You then create an alternative project such as a website, or a creative course, that really has no direct impact on getting better clients. It’s called ‘creative avoidance’.

Why? That ‘creative avoiding’ project makes you feel busy in your freelance design business and keeps you safe from any possible fear of failure. Because there’s no fear in that project, whereas the thing you know you need to be doing (marketing your freelance design business) feels hard.

STEP THREE

Take some time out and sit and journal on this…What could you do to remove this person, place or habit from the DRAINS of energy list? OR What could you do to turn this person, place or habit into something that FILLS you with energy?

For Example: When you feel like you are avoiding marketing yourself, you make a promise to reach out to a freelance designer friend for a catch up and ask for moral support on how you are feeling about procrastinating on what you know is important to future proof your freelance design business (tip; they are likely feeling the same, or has done in the past). Or research how to get better clients. Hint; I offer a free consultation - apply here.

Be kind to yourself. What would you say if your daughter or son came home worrying about how to do a new maths subject? Would you expect them to just get on with it? Or would you gently encourage and support? Look at yourself in the mirror and give yourself that kindness and encouragement.

Mindset

You are a human and part of nature. We are seasonal beings. I invite you to complete a seasonal energy audit every quarter and re-adjust your boundaries, your sleep, your self care rituals and your daily habits.

It will inspire, educate and energise your freelance design business so that your time is being spent in the most effective way.

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