You may be thinking of starting a family or you may already be pregnant, either way, this is an exciting and unique time in your life! Don't worry, you can continue to grow your freelance business in these changing times. However, when running a small business, you may worry about pregnancy and the early stages of your child's life. These are legitimate concerns, so we'll discuss how to achieve your goals.
Communicating about your pregnancy is a choice
Even if you run a small business, communication is key with every customer. This extends when you communicate if you have symptoms that could interfere with your schedule. Yes, talking about your pregnancy is your choice, but your clients need to know if you're struggling with your current workload. They'll appreciate knowing what's going on and, in many cases, might lower expectations until the symptoms subside.
Practice self-care
Let's face it, we love working independently and we want to do everything we can to grow our businesses. Freelancers are known for working irregular hours, putting in extra time, and burning the candle at both ends. However, when you're pregnant, your health should be your top priority.
That doesn't mean it's okay to miss deadlines or give up on finding new clients. Self-care means:
- Rest when your body tells you to, and if that means rescheduling a phone or video meeting, that's okay.
- Prioritize doctor appointments that conflict with meetings or other dates on the calendar – let your clients know well in advance so they can reschedule or record the session for you.
- Work ahead when you feel good to prepare for days when you couldn't.
Prepare for challenges
Just as no two independent businesses are the same, this also applies to pregnancies. This means that we cannot predict what might change every day. For example, before or during the early stages of pregnancy, you might think you don't have to make any changes. Consider how tiring it can be to go through a pregnancy and then raise a child.
Don't let this diminish your confidence. You can do this, but it will take some tweaking. Keep your confidence in:
- Be honest about your ability and, if it's too much, pass on projects or outsource to other freelancers
- Prepare for shifting priorities during each trimester, from early symptom management to nesting in your third trimester
- Try to reduce your workload, so that you continue to deliver the highest quality work
Djaboo team
Beyond communicating with clients and managing symptoms, you can also stay productive during pregnancy. Here are some tips for doing this while managing the symptoms:
- Block carefully free time : schedule time to read and research pregnancy, labor, and self-care to avoid overwhelming yourself.
- Create an ergonomic workspace: get an ergonomic keyboard and mouse to make your workstation more comfortable. Make sure you have an ergonomic chair, your desk is at the right height and you position your monitor correctly.
- Embrace Automation: From many products are available on djaboo to help freelancers automate their business and save more time. Whether it's posting on your business pages on social networks or responding to customer inquiries, log in to djaboo tools are available for this.
- Make changes to daily schedules: if mornings are tough, consider changing your work schedule to late afternoon or evening when you feel better and more energetic.
- Schedule breaks: you can prevent back pain and fatigue by scheduling frequent breaks. Scheduled breaks allow you to walk around, stretch, and recover after sitting at your desk for long hours.
Conclusion
It's okay to seek help when trying to stay productive during pregnancy. Talk to friends and family about your struggles or lean on other freelancers in your network for help. He doesis not impossible to stay productive and to continue developing your independent business during pregnancy. When you prioritize health, reassess your schedule, and prepare yourself for challenges, you can get through pregnancy without missing a thing!
