Life
6 Things Every Freelancer Should Do On Sunday
Being a freelancer means you have to be what they call a "self-starter." That basically means fighting the urge to procrastinate all day watching repeats of Friends and picking at ingrown hairs. Some days are harder than others. It also means motivating yourself to work despite being un-showered and still in your pajamas at 4 p.m., which is not what I do, I swear. Freelancing can be hard for the opposite reason, too: you don't have clearly defined work hours, so work can be near constant. As someone who has worked through many a weekend, simply because as a freelancer, you can, I can't tell you enough it's as important to set boundaries as it is to motivate yourself to work.
None of this means Mondays are any less terrible for freelancers than everyone else. Mondays still stink, even if we don't have to go to an office. Mondays are always hectic, figuring out what's going to unfold in the week, and what needs to get done, as well as responding to all the post-weekend/morning emails. Add to that mentally dealing with the fact that there's five full days before the weekend, and freelancers feel just like anyone else on a Monday. Here's what you should do on Sunday (or even Saturday, if you have big Sunday Funday plans) if you're a freelancer:
1. Do Your Groceries Or Other Life Admin
I like to have Monday's breakfast and lunch, or at least items to make both meals, in the fridge before Monday starts. Mondays are always unpredictable for a freelancer, so I don't want to find myself super busy and with an empty fridge. Ordering in can get expensive! Likewise, if there are life admin tasks you have to do, like laundry or paying bills, use your Sunday to get some of that stuff done so it doesn't bog you down during the week.
2. Get Your Body Moving
Finding time to exercise can be hard when you freelance. When you have office hours, you know when work will be, so you can plan around it. When you freelance, you can plan the gym or a nice walk around the neighborhood, only to have your editor send you an assignment as you're about to walk out the door. Sunday is a great day to real work up a sweat, or at least stretch out all those muscles you usually have hunched over your work.
3. Clean Your Space
There's nothing worse than starting the week in a physical mess. Clean your desk! A clean work space is so much less daunting to wake up to on Monday morning that one that's covered in old mugs of half finished tea and casually strewn notebooks.
4. Make A List
Lists are your friends. If you get stressed on Sundays, that's totally normal. I get stressed every Sunday evening like clock-work. A sure-fire way to cure that stress is to sit down and make a list of everything you have due in the coming week. It will help you put your time versus work into perspective, and you'll be able to plan better for the week ahead.
5. Get A Jump On The Week
If I know I'm going to have a particularly difficult/busy week, I'll try and get a head start on Sunday. The great thing about being freelance is the freedom to do that. If I can knock out some work over a few hours on Sunday, I can start the week off on the right foot.
6. Relax
Most importantly, take a load off! It's the weekend. The freakin' weekend, if you will. Take some time on Sunday to do whatever it is you do to unwind, and try to do something for yourself before the week begins.
