The ATA Chronicle - March/April 2021 - 19

provider or family member

to prepare your freelance

be an option anymore. But

who more or less willingly,

business for this absence.

that's a good thing. Working

and at a higher or lower cost,

You can train an assistant to

in small pockets of time

accepts the responsibility

take over some of your tasks,

will help you stay more

to entertain your offspring.

or refer clients to a trusted

productive and focus on what

Somewhat discouraged, you

colleague during the time

finally realize that going

you can't work, or even hire

really matters. Your work

back to work isn't going to

a sitter for your business

be as smooth a process as

(yes, that's a real thing!).

you thought, which causes

Whether or not you're

you to question your ability

planning to take a parental

to combine parenthood with

break, you should always

freelancing altogether. So,

have a reasonable financial

what's the way out?

buffer. In the ideal scenario,

Prepare for the Change:
When I was pregnant, I
decided that once I survived
the first year as a mother,
I would share my story
of juggling motherhood
with freelancing and find
other women with similar
experiences. When my
daughter turned 14 months,
I contacted 15 women
from six continents across
nine industries with this
question: " What is the
best approach to balance
motherhood with running
a freelance business? "
Through extensive interviews
concerning their freelancing
lives before, during, and after
pregnancy, I learned about
their struggles, rewards,
plans, and strategies. Based
on these stories and my
experience, I wrote a book
called You've Got This: How
to Continue Your Freelance
Career When You Become a

your financial cushion
should cover your expenses
for at least six months.
This buffer will help you
through unexpected events,
such as a sudden loss of
clients, late payments,
or health problems. You
could also use this buffer
to take a longer leave of
absence or supplement the
maternity allowance some

time will finally be the time
for work, not for mindless
scrolling through social
media or never-ending chats
with friends.
If you decide to work
only during your baby's
naptime, you'll need to
switch to a super productive
mode. Forget about taking
on every project, limit your
networking time, or cut down
on other activities you don't
consider profitable enough.
Learn to take advantage of
short, random moments
during your day and get used
to working in small chunks
of time. For example, for

governments offer to self-

the first six months of my

employed citizens.

daughter's life, I worked

Another approach is to

only when she was sleeping.

make sure your business

This often meant I had only

can generate passive income

about 40 minutes of work

so you can make money

time before switching back to

even when you don't work.

parenting mode. Or-because

(More on this in a bit.) It's

my baby could only sleep

always great to diversify

next to me-I had to type

your income streams and

on my laptop and hold her

find ways to make a profit

at the same time. Of course,

without an active effort.
Of course, this is a good
strategy to apply any
time, not just when you're
planning a parental leave.

I missed the comfort of my
office with two large screens
and an ergonomic keyboard,
but I didn't want to abandon
my daughter for too long
when she was awake. There's

Mother.1 During this process,

Change Your Perspective:

I realized that although

The second step to a smooth

there's no one-size-fits-all

transition into your life as

recipe for success, there are

a parent and freelancer is

a few simple steps you can

to get ready to change your

take to transition smoothly

expectations. As a freelancing

into the life of a freelancing

parent, you'll often have

parent. And the first one is to

to adapt your work to your

about two other essential

prepare for the change.

baby's routine. Starting each

steps: taking care of yourself

day in front of the computer

and building a resilient

planning to take a longer

and working for 12 hours

business model, which is also

parental leave, you'll need

without a break might not

crucial in the next two phases.

How? Well, if you're

www.ata-chronicle.online

It's not easy to stay
calm, focused, and
resourceful when you
have to constantly deal
with new challenges
and limitations.

always something you can
adapt or reorganize in your
daily life to focus on what
really matters.
But all these changes can't
be successful if you forget

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