Handling Life’s Curveballs

When you work as a solo professional, your business depends on you constantly looking for work, doing the work, or following up on the work. When things go well, it all works like a finely-oiled machine.

But when “hiccups” occur, sometimes it seems like the whole system breaks down. Nothing goes right and it’s hard to get anything done. My colleague and virtual business manager, Belinda Wasser shared just such an experience in her recent newsletter. She gave me permission to reprint it below.

Her advice helped me to “get back to work” after some family health “curveballs,” and I hope it helps you too.

Recently, life threw me several big curveballs – AND they all came at the same time. I was juggling an 18^th birthday party for my daughter, her high school graduation and party, and a family reunion, all in the span of three weeks. I was way out of my comfort zone and I was having trouble concentrating on my work.

Happily, I’m on the other side of it. Today I share my tips on getting work done when the curveballs come your way!

Here are 5 ideas I suggest when this happens to you:

1. Prioritize your to do list. Touching base with my clients is always on my list. But since that is more about suggesting new project ideas to them, I moved it to a later date. I made sure to pay attention first to the time-sensitive work.

2. Settle into your work. When there’s a lot on my mind and I need to get going, I start with easy, familiar work. That gives me a feeling of completion. When I have trouble focusing I take a lap around the inside of the house and then sit back down. And I make sure my favorite music is playing on Pandora!

3. Stick with your routine. Although I was less productive during this stressful time, I still sat at my desk and kept going. I made a list of what needed to get done so I could move to the next job as soon as I finished the last. This helped make life feel more normal.

4. Communicate with clients. There were a few deadlines that I needed to move during this time, but for those that were at risk, I let my clients know well in advance. They were appreciative and we worked out new timelines that worked for both of us. The worst – worst! – thing you can do is wait to tell a client about a missed deadline until it is due.

5. Keep it to yourself. While our clients may love us, they don’t always want to know the details of our personal lives – especially when there is less than fabulous news. They may also respond by wanting to “take care of you,” a feeling which can translate into not sending you work. That’s the LAST thing you want. So keep your personal challenges private with clients.

RocketGirl is me, Belinda Wasser.

I solve one big problem for my solo and small business clients: I keep their businesses running smoothly.

When you work on your own, it’s all up to you. My role is to handle all the details and all the minutiae – the things you hate doing – so that you can get back to work.

Learn more about my services here.

Schedule a Free 30-Minute Consult With Me Here.