August is always a strange month in freelancer-land. Clients can be hard to get hold of as they head off on holiday. The kids are off school, which if you’re a freelancing parent means even more juggling than usual. The hot weather tempts us outside, away from our desks, but if it rains we grumble about “great British summertime”. Particularly this year, with foreign holidays largely off the cards and some COVID measures still lingering, August feels like a bit of a period of limbo. Perhaps that’s why a lot of our blogs this month have focused on taking action: positive action like staking out a freelancing routine that suits you, taking control of your finances and getting ready for what September holds. Read on for our round-up of what’s been on our minds in August and all the news that freelancers need to catch up with from this month.
Loss of routine
If the holidays have sent your body clock and routine out of whack, it’s time for a reset. On the blog this month, we took a look at how to work with your instincts and preferences to create the perfect freelancing routine that makes the most of the time you have available. If you struggle with procrastination, prioritisation or haven’t yet found your freelancing groove, the article is full of useful tips for making the most of your day.
And, speaking of disruptions to routine, for freelancing parents, it’s time to stop spending your breakfast time playing “the floor is lava”, eating Coco Pops on the sofa and watching Bluey – it’s nearly back to school time. That means getting prepared and setting a new routine so that everyone in the family is where they need to be on time each morning. We’ve got some top tips for back to school readiness on the blog – for you and the kids!
Mental health check-in: are you suffering from imposter syndrome?
From real-life imposters to imagined ones, this month on the blog we also delved into the phenomenon of imposter syndrome, an affliction that affects many freelancers, who may on the outside appear successful and settled, but on the inside worry that they aren’t good enough and don’t deserve their successes. Imposter syndrome isn’t a pleasant thing to experience, but reassuringly it’s pretty common and there are techniques that can make it easier to deal with. We’ve tried to tackle the problem with some helpful ways to reframe your self-esteem. Warning: contains positive thinking and may involve buying yourself a little present or two.
Fifth (and final) SEISS grant scheme closing soon
We really hope that the easing of restrictions has meant that freelancers whose businesses were impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic are seeing things gradually return to something like a normal level. However, if your turnover is still being impacted, there is still help available, but you have to act fast. Applications for the fifth round of the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme (SEISS) grant are now open, for self-employed people whose businesses have been affected between 1st May and 30th Sept 2021. The rules for this grant are slightly different to previous grants, and to claim them you may need to provide turnover figures, so we’d advise crunching the numbers now if you’re intending to make a claim, and not leaving it until the last minute. If you’re not eligible for the grant, but are still finding times a little tight, we’ve also put together a short, snappy guide this month on how freelancers can save money post-lockdown.
As Taylor Swift might say, August slipped away like a moment in time, and here we find ourselves almost in September again. For parents and kids, a time of new beginnings, shiny shoes and freshly sharpened pencils. For freelancers and clients a return to routine, refreshed by whatever rest we’ve managed to grab in this strange summer. If you haven’t yet booked a holiday, September and October are going to be great times to get away this year, with quieter beaches, more breathing space, and – for the double-jabbed – no threat of getting pinged and having to self-isolate.
If you do take a break, remember Dinghy customers can put their insurance into holiday mode to save themselves money while they’re not working. Just one of the ways in which our flexible business insurance tries to reflect the realities of freelance life. To find out more head to our website or give our friendly team a call on 0116 380 5654.
