What to do...

Last week I had some events occur that can be hard to deal with when you’re a freelancer, especially if you work by yourself.  Life happens.  It’s important to think about your personal policies on how to deal with sick days, and other events in life that can sneak up on you.  I’ve been dealing with some sinus problems, and anyone that suffers from sinus problems understands that when the pressure is bad it can be almost impossible to sit in front of a computer screen.  Now, that is not even the worst thing that can happen in life.  My grandma died last week, and the thing that kills me is that I missed saying goodbye to her because they were not really sure how long it would be, so I tried to get some work done.  At first, it seemed like it might take some time, but that wasn't the case.  It took me longer to do the work that I did get done because I kept tearing up.  I was very close to my grandma, and it hit hard.  I missed her by less than an hour.  I think that it’s important to take the time to set these types of policies for yourself.  I contacted my clients and explained the situation.  Some are a little more understanding than others, but I came to the realization that although customer service is highly important, regretting parts of your life is not acceptable either.  I’ve always said that finding a work/life balance can be even more difficult when you work from home, and these two weeks truly showed me that.  It’s hard to say no to a client, especially one that has been loyal, but sometimes saying no is the right thing to do.  When your head is not in the game because of something big like a life changing event or little like a sinus infection, it’s important to evaluate if you will be able to provide your best services as no client should receive sub-par work.