It’s Sunday night and I don’t have a single booking till Friday. How has this happened? Where are my clients and my babies? No sweet creature will be with me as I write or pay bills. Daisy? Taz Chaucer? Where are you?
Dogs are a reassurance. They are security. Their presence is an indication that I am doing the right thing.
Six months ago, having a week with no bookings was not this shocking. But after a very busy summer having a packed calendar became my norm.
The world of a freelancer is a lonely and volatile one. How could I forget this?
In mid-August, it looked like I was going to be booked every day in September till early October. A new client wanted me to board his Boston Terrier starting in mid-September till the beginning of October. As I was penciling him in another client, we’ll call Yorkie guy, asked if I could board his dog for a week during that same time period. I told Yorkie guy I had a tentative booking for that period but if there was a cancellation I would reach out. A week later Boston Terrier guy cancels. I reach out to Yorkie guy. He’s made other arrangements. Now there’s a hole in my calendar which I filled with two shorter boarding sessions. Boston Terrier guy reaches out again. Can I still sit with his Boston? Unfortunately no
Fortunately, there are resources to manage all this volatility and loneliness. Please remember I am not a master beaming with a sheen of success. In each of these areas, I have set goals for myself.
A Savings Account
Many years ago I set up an automatic transfer from savings to checking. It is still in place. In my old life, this savings account was the only was my comfort when the quarterly cuts came. In this life, it is my lifeline. But no resource is inexhaustible. And this account has many masters: insurance, taxes, credit card debt and unforeseen catastrophe.
Gig-work/life work goal: Live off of freelancing income and build savings back up.
A diverse set of clients and services
I have over 30 clients. Their professions range from ER doctors to yoga instructors. My services include walking, babysitting, and boarding. Within reason, I make myself available to my clients whenever they need me. This could mean a 6 am drop off or babysitting a chihuahua for the evening while his owners are at the opera. I respond to every inquiry, provide daily in some cases hourly updates and I respond to every review.
Pet-work goals:
- Attract more clients by setting up a network with other sitters in the area.
- Take dog behavioral classes to enhance my sitter profile not to mention calming an occasional out of control Chihuahua.
- Obtain more walking clients.
An OUT-let
I’m sensing an alarming trend. I didn’t leave the apartment yesterday. And I only took the subway twice this week. Is this venture making my life smaller? -my journal entry from this past April.
That isolation is alarming.
Dogs are wonderful friends but there is only so much loneliness they can absorb. With that in mind, I allow myself the luxury of having drinks or dinner with friends once a week. If I’m too broke for that taking the dog out for a long walk can be just the expansive experience I need.
Lifework goals:
- Take exercise classes that range from high to low intensity including yoga and pilates.
Hopefully, this exercise will calm my nerves and increase my energy enough to get some of this stress out. And it will put me in the company of other human beings.
Multiple sources of income.
There is lots of gig-work to be done here. My main source of income is through pet sitting which covers only a fraction of my monthly expenses. And it will be a long time before I will make serious money through writing. I devote a portion of each day to completing surveys online which do not pay very much.
Gig-work goals:
- Develop a portfolio of writing samples to submit to editors.
- Take courses on teaching English as a second language online.
- Complete projects involving pet sitting services and animal shelters.
There is a lot of work to be done. But for all the volatility and loneliness there is also clarity, ownership and most importantly love in this life.
Please stay tuned to for updates on my progress in all of these areas. In the meantime, I would like to hear from you about your resources and goals for managing a freelancing life.
BTW: I only had three days without bookings last week thanks to a last-minute babysitting gig.
petwork/gigwork/lifework 