A New Way of Working – Freelancing in a Post COVID-19 World

Freelancers have been disproportionately affected by the lockdown restrictions surrounding COVID-19.  Now that some restrictions are slowy being  lifted, the world is going to continue to be a different place on the other side of the pandemic.  

The freelance community will have to try and adapt as best it can to these new circumstances. 

 

Follow social distancing guidelines

There are likely to be a lot of rules around hygiene and physical contact for many months.  Prepare your self by making sure your have everything you might need such as antibacterial hand gel, facemask and anti-bacterial wipes for furniture.  Make sure it’s from a reputable supplier such as Premier Hygiene as there have been many scams out there. 

 

Find ways to connect

Lockdown has left freelancers extremely isolated, especially if their workload has dried up.  Conversations with clients will have tailed off or be done mostly via email.  It’s a slightly different situation to other workers who have found themselves working from home.  Many have been keeping connected with their colleagues via Zoom meetings and virtual happy hours.  There are lots of freelancers who have become even more isolated. 

Make sure that you are still connecting with friends and family whenever possible and reach out to people to see if they are ok.  Looking after your mental health and wellbeing is a delicate balancce at the best of times and the recent situation has caused many people to experience anxiety and depression. 

 

Look after yourself

We’ve already mentioned how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected people’s mental health.  A quick glance at social media will tell you that people are either using lockdown to exercise and eat healthily or find themselves on the other end of the spectrum, binge-watching TV and eating junk food. If you find yourself in the latter category, maybe it’s time to start thinking about your health while it’s relatively easy to reverse.  

If you’re lucky enough to still be working with clients and picking up business, try and schedule your day so that you don’t get sidetracked and eat into your social or family time.  

Take a lunch break and stop working at a reasonable time. 

Support other freelancers

Whenever possible, use the services of a freelancer and keep the industry going by supporting it.  The freelance community has certainly banded together during this time and keeping this going can only help lift freelancers back up. 

Help others

If you find yourself with more time on your hands while you’re waiting pick up more clients, thiink about volunteering.  There are still many people who will not be able to resume normal activities due to ill health and they need help with groceries or errands.  

Help yourself

If you’re struggling, don’t be afraid to reach out for help. If you don’t feel like you can talk to friends and family then there are many helplines and services that can offer you advice or be there to just listen.