July: Coping with freelance curveballs

How a broken ankle has me thinking about self-employed plans...

Jul 1

Hello from me and a broken ankle… if you follow Freelance Feels on Instagram, you’ll know I fell over on a dog walk a few weeks ago. A tiny slip, and then a large cracking sound, and I was in agony. I’d gone out early, as it was going to be a hot day, so I wanted to beat the heat, for the dogs more than anything. Well, dog. Florence wasn’t with me as she had been unwell (she’s fine now). Roger was behaving nicely, I wasn’t on my phone or running, or messing about… and down I went. Instead of spending the day working and then heading to the lido at 5pm, I was soon in an ambulance, heading to A&E, where an X-ray showed I had a bad break.

And, with that, I was experiencing a giant life curveball that, of course, had a big impact on my work, too. From emailing the (new, very lovely) client I’ve been working with to explain what was going on, to messaging contacts who I was due to interview that morning, I had to set about trying to juggle my hospital visit, Entonox (gas and air) and freelance life. Not for me, one phone call to ‘the boss’ to say I was out of action. Instead, I had to navigate a damage-limitation exercise on my own business.

Thankfully, everyone was very understanding. I know, in the past, there are clients I used to work with who wouldn’t have been so kind. Clients who might have worried more about their deadline than my own injury. But hey, that’s why I’ve spent the past 18 months not working with them and finding nice, new ones! I urge you to client purge if there are clients who are not aligning with your values – when the proverbial hits the fan, you need to know they’ll be sympathetic.

Once I found out it was a break, and I’d need a plaster cast, I of course also set to work logging photos for Instagram… I even got a pic of me in the field… I know, such an attention seeker. But once the emails were done, and they gave me a codeine, I began to relax and think about the situation more. We always say you never know what’s around the corner, how you can’t be sure what the day/week/month/life will throw at you. And this showed me how true that is. But, does that mean we shouldn’t ever plan? We shouldn’t dream or set goals?

Freelance curveballs are often more things like a client cancelling, or someone professionally ghosting you, not getting shortlisted for an award you expected to be shortlisted for (ok, I’ll get over it).

Then there are the life things that throw a curveball at our freelancing. The ‘more money than you expected’ MOT, the reaction to the vaccine, the isolated-from-school child… the break up, or the house move, or the boiler that packs up in the dead of winter, the WIFI that decides to play up on the day of the big presentation, or the podcast episode that doesn’t record (happened to me once!).

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But can a curveball be a good thing?

There are the obvious things about an injury which are true, even if they’re clichés. Being forced to slow down, to rest, to take time to ponder on things as you sit with your leg/arm/pride elevated. There’s the discovery of a new Netflix show while doing said slowing down. (I hadn’t watched Modern Family and am now one season in. I also watched more of Superstore, which is ace, and have finished Mare of Easttown on Sky).

A big one for me was reconnecting with people I hadn’t chatted to for a while. Some friends who I would often have a phone call with but hadn’t for a few weeks, and some who I hadn’t chatted to much for years – through my posts on social media, conversations opened up and they brought me a lot of joy.

A curve ball might give us the idea for a piece of work, a fun way to introduce ourselves in a webinar, an intro to a new client - or to cement the relationship we have with current one, as it seems to have done for me. Perhaps the work that doesn’t come while we recover or deal with the curveball can be work that wasn’t going to serve us well. Perhaps we’ll find new friends, or interests, thanks to the ‘problem’.

There’s the ‘keep on working’ side of things, too. Another lady I met in the plaster cast room who had also had a fall walking her dog (yep we swapped details and will go for a stroll when we’re allowed) said she was signed off for six weeks. I said I wasn’t, as I was self-employed, and she lamented how boring it was going to be, as she enjoyed her job. I realised how lucky I am to be freelance and able to keep on working. Sure, we have to sometimes not take the sick days, but if I couldn’t do anything for six weeks, I might just begin to climb the walls. Although, as Caroline, one of the ‘catching up after ages’ friends (she makes lovely cakes and food @The Happy Food Kitchen) reminded me, lockdown is good preparation for being laid up with a broken bone!

Kim, a writer and mum of six who I chatted to on Instagram (find her @permanently_outnumbered) told me she agreed. “I’ve been very poorly for the last week and had a bad reaction to painkillers. If I had a ‘normal’ job I would have been signed off and I would have gone mad with boredom (not even mentioning the fact that SSP is a joke). Because I am freelance, I was able to take 3 days off without affecting my deadlines and have worked as and when I can, working from bed when I needed to. I am now pretty much back to my normal self (fingers crossed) and am loving my job more than ever before.”

So, I’m trying to get used to being in a cast and walking with crutches, while I carry my laptop and notepad around the house in a tote bag, and remember to rest. I’m grateful I have a job I can carry on doing, and I’m grateful to everyone who sent cards and flowers which are livening up my desk (well, the dining table!).

Hopefully next time I write, I’ll be planning another trip to the lido again. Until then, watch out for those curveballs!

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Read: This piece on professional jealousy really struck a chord with me

I’ve also started Stronger by Poorna Bell, which felt fitting while I get used to my muscles waking up using crutches!

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Listen: The Excel against the odds podcast is an unusual and interesting take on entrepreneurship

Subscribe: Out of Office is a lovely newsletter from writer Lizzie Dening. It also has a Facebook group with very positive vibes

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And for any coaches, or those curious about coaching or being a coach, I’ve started a new newsletter! The view from coaching corner will land in inboxes from July 5th