Hi Reader,

Happy Friday!

If you're reading this with your first coffee of the day, your third, or maybe something stronger (no judgment here), I hope you're taking a moment to celebrate making it through another week of the freelance rollercoaster.

Quick freelance wisdom before we dive in: Remember that your most valuable asset isn't your portfolio or your client list, it's your energy.

Protect it fiercely.

That means sometimes saying no to projects that drain you, even when the money's good. The best opportunities tend to find you when you're operating from a place of enthusiasm rather than exhaustion.

I'm currently immersing myself in nature for the weekend to get some of my pizzazz back after a very stressful couple of months.

P.S. This week on Instagram, I discussed what it is we're *actually* selling to clients (it might not be what you think!). See what it is here. And don't forget to give me a follow for regular tips and tricks!

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Here's what I've been up to this week work-wise:

👉 I wrote 1 piece for a client (a CPQ tool) because I only worked Tues-Thurs

👉 I refreshed 3 pieces for Shopify

👉 I held an SME interview for an upcoming piece

👉 I ran edits on a huge piece for a client

⏱ Approx hours spent on client work this week: ~16

⏱ Approx hours spent on non-client work: ~3

💰 Total revenue this week: £3,250

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Check out my three practical courses that have helped 500+ people get more clients, earn more money, and create better content.

Friday Freelance Tip​​ ✨ ​

I've been having one of those weeks.

You know the ones—where your usual freelance motivation has packed its bags and gone on holiday without you. Where client work feels impossibly heavy, and you're questioning why you ever thought you could run a business in the first place.

Maybe you're nodding along right now. Because if you've been freelancing for longer than five minutes, you've been here too.

Life happens.

Sometimes it's big stuff—family emergencies, health issues, relationship earthquakes. Sometimes it's just... waves hands vaguely... everything feeling a bit pointless.

Why am I writing this blog post about accounting software when the world is on fire?

So how do we keep going when we're really not feeling it?

I don't have perfect answers, but after 10+ years of freelancing through life's ups and downs, here's what I've learned works:

Lower the bar (seriously, all the way down)

When I'm struggling, I've learned to embrace what I call "bare minimum mode." I'm not talking about delivering subpar work to clients (hooooo no). I'm talking about identifying the absolute essentials and letting everything else go.

What's the smallest possible thing you could do today that would keep your business running? Maybe it's just responding to emails. Maybe it's doing one hour of client work instead of six. Maybe it's simply not cancelling that meeting.

Create a life support system for your business

Whenever I'm going through some sort of life crisis, I've had to find ways to keep my business from collapsing while conserving my energy for non-work things.

Here's what saved me:

• Templates for everything: Client emails, invoices, proposals, social posts. Having these ready meant I could respond to opportunities in minutes, not hours.
• A "crisis schedule": I identified the 2 hours a day when I could get my best work done (8-10am) and protected them fiercely.
• Outsourcing: I brought on fellow freelancers and a VA to keep things ticking over while I dealt with whatever else was happening.

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These systems don't have to be reserved just for emergencies. They're for those random Tuesdays when you wake up and just can't face the world.

Be human about it

Here's something I've learned the hard way: clients are people too. And most people understand that other people have rough patches.

I've often had life things crop up when I have a big project due (isn't that always the way?!). Every time, I've been scared to tell my clients in case they find someone else. But you know what? Every time, their responses have been lovely.

I'm not saying you should overshare with every client when you're having a bad day. But a simple "I'm dealing with some personal matters and need to shift our timeline slightly" is often met with more understanding than we expect.

Find your "despite it all" work

When everything feels trivial, I've found it helps to identify the parts of my work that still matter to me despite whatever's going on.

For me, it's my newsletter (hi, that's this!). Even in my darkest weeks, connecting with other freelancers somehow still feels worthwhile. For you, it might be the client whose mission you truly believe in or the creative work that still brings you joy even when everything else feels meaningless.

Identify that thing, and on the hardest days, make that your focus.

Remember: this isn't forever

The nature of freelancing means we feel everything more intensely. When things are good, they're amazing—freedom! flexibility! no boss! But when things are hard, it can feel like we're failing at everything simultaneously.

The truth is, seasons change. Whatever you're going through—whether it's grief, burnout, anxiety, or just a case of the blahs—it won't last forever. Your capacity to work and create will come back.

Until then, be as gentle with yourself as you would be with a friend going through the same thing.

I'll leave you with this: Yesterday, despite feeling like I was moving through molasses, I managed to get through my to-do list one item at a time. Today, I'm writing this newsletter. Tomorrow, who knows?

Either way, I'm counting it as showing up. And sometimes, that's enough.

How about you? How do you keep going when everything feels heavy?

We need more Freelance Money Diaries entries! If you'd like to share your finances with other freelancers (you can do it anonymously!), I'd love, love, love to hear from you.

As always, happy freelancing :)

Lizzie ✨

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