Creating Support Systems As A Freelance Writer and WAHM

You don’t have to do it all alone

People have an idyllic impression of what a Freelance Work-At-Home-Mum (WAHM) is all about.

Some people believe it is easy work. Staying in your pyjamas until lunchtime with your children playing nicely whilst you tap away at your computer. Or drinking coffee whilst working at a café after school drop off.

The reality is far from this. Or at least it is for me!

It is children vying for my attention whilst working to deadlines. Takeaway for dinner more often than I would like to admit. Piles of laundry waiting to be washed or folded. And constantly reprioritizing and shuffling my schedule to suit everyone else.

Most WAHMs will suffer burnout in the first 12 months of trying to start their business from home.

Why?

Because during that first year you are trying to juggle ALL THE THINGS!

It is easy to become overwhelmed as you struggle to create a balance between work and home, all whilst getting your fledgling business off the ground.

The most valuable thing I have learnt on this journey as a writer mum is to reach out and build support systems.

Create support systems to make your life (and work) easier!

The last thing we want as freelancers and parents is to suffer from burnout. No one has time for that!

By creating support systems we alleviate some of the stress and workload so we are better able to manage our time and balance work and home life.

The best and most obvious support system is your partner!

Personally, I would not be able to do what I do without the support and encouragement of my partner.

Yes, there are times where he does not get what I do, where he sees it as a waste of time (especially right in the beginning when I wasn’t earning much money).

However, I found that as long as I was honest and upfront he generally maintains his status as my biggest support system.

At the moment we are too busy during the week and I am so exhausted by the end of the day that I have not been able to complete as much work as I would like on weekdays.

This leaves our valuable weekend time.

My partner entertains the kids for a few hours so I can get some work done. He understands that working weekends is not the norm and will not be forever. But for the time being it is the only window I have to be productive. Without his support and help, I would not be able to get any work done.

TOP TIP: Have an open discussion with your partner and work with them to create a schedule that will allow you time to build your business whilst balancing home life.

Remember BALANCE IS KEY!

If that means it will take twice as long to build your business to a point you are happy with, then so be it. There is no point pushing so hard that you burn out. You will lose all joy and passion for your writing business. Not to mention it will be a struggle to be present as a parent and partner when you are so exhausted and overwhelmed.

Use Childcare, a Nanny/Babysitter or Occasional Care.

My eldest child just started school this year. Whilst you would think this frees up more time, it really doesn’t. I feel like I just do all the drop-offs and it is time to do pick-ups!

With my son attending school 5 days a week, my daughter at kinder 1 day and child care 2 days I have at least 1 full day plus some extra hours before or after nursing shifts to work on my writing business uninterrupted.

Some people do not like the idea of sending their children to childcare when they are home. Trust me though, if you want to be productive try to send them at least one day a week. You will appreciate the uninterrupted working time!

If you don’t want (or cannot afford) childcare, look into nannies and babysitters or occasional care. Sometimes they are more cost-effective than childcare and still give you precious uninterrupted hours to focus on your business.

Ask family to help.

We are not lucky enough to have family who lives close by who are able to babysit on a regular basis. If we did, you can be damn sure I would use that to my advantage!

If you are lucky enough to have family or friends you trust close enough to take care of your children on a regular basis, I say do it! Even if it is only a couple of hours a week. It is still valuable time that you can focus solely on your business.

Hire help around the house.

There are so many pesky and time-consuming household chores you can outsource. If you have the budget for it, hire them out to others!

Even if you believe you cannot afford it, think about it this way. If you hire a cleaner for 2 hours a week, that is 2 hours of time you can dedicate to your business. In that limited time, you could punch out an article that sells for $300 (or more). You could cold pitch 20 times, which may lead to several new clients.

Ka-Ching!

See how quickly that 2 hours pay for itself.

So rather than thinking of the cost involved in hiring a cleaner, think of it as an investment in your business.

Feel free to use that line to convince your partner! ;)

What else can you outsource?

• Cleaner.
• Housekeeper (think cooking and day-to-day tidying up).
• Gardener.
• Personal Shopper.

The all time-consuming grocery shopping!

I find that one of my most time-consuming tasks is grocery shopping.

It is not just the actual shopping but trying to get there.

You all know what I mean…fighting with a toddler who doesn’t want to change into clothes. Timing it around naps and mealtimes. Parking. Temper tantrums in the aisles. The constant nagging and complaining as you drag them around the shops.

Agh! I hate it. Even thinking about it gets my stress levels up.

My biggest time-saver (and headache preventative) is either doing a grocery delivery or a “click and collect”. You simply order online and a personal shopper packs it all up for you. You then just have to go pick it up (or get hubby to do it on his way home from work)!

The added bonus of shopping online is it forces me to stick to our grocery budget as you can see the total before even getting to the checkout.

Ask for help with drop off and pick-ups.

One other time-consuming job is childcare, kindergarten or schools drops offs and pickups. You can create a schedule for you and some fellow parents or friends to help! It will save you so much time a week which you can then spend on…you guessed it…your business!

Other parents and especially working mums are such great supports to utilise. They are someone who understands the difficulty of balancing everything, and how isolating it can be working from home. Make sure you tap into this valuable resource.

What support systems do you have in place to ensure your days run smoothly and you are as productive as possible?

Rachel Maree is a writer, mum and registered nurse. Bringing you the real truth to parenting, nursing and writing (even when it is downright ugly). You can read more articles or hire her to write amazing content for you — Rachel Maree.

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