Well, today is one of *those* days. The ones where you have to admit defeat before lunchtime and say to yourself ‘it’s just not happening today’. A combination of a night out on Friday night, coming down with a sore throat and slight cold afterward, and this morning waking up with the arrival of Aunt Irma (that one’s for fans of the IT Crowd) has left me feeling pretty tired out and unwell.

As I sat on the sofa this morning, mainlining tea and trying to bring myself out of the stupour I was in, thinking of all I had to do today, I suddenly thought “No, I’m not putting myself through it” and so, logged on to the virtual office I share with my colleagues, let them know I was doing the essential, bare minimum to make sure I wasn’t behind – did it and logged off. Je ne regrette rien. Sort of.

The guilt has of course kicked in now. I should be doing this, I should be doing that, I’m dropping my colleagues in it… etc. However, in the entire time I’ve been freelancing (eight years) I’ve taken precisely one and a half day’s sick leave, and had the subtotal of ten days annual leave. That’s in eight years. EIGHT. COCKING. YEARS. Why do I feel guilty? WHY?

So, I’m pulling that face right now and giving myself a talking to. I don’t get sick pay, I don’t get holiday pay, so I have to keep going. But that doesn’t mean that I can’t sometimes say ‘enough is enough’. Last year, I worked through three quite bad winter colds and one bout of what we now think was whooping cough. Little wonder when Spring sprung I couldn’t be arsed.

I’m not keen on the phrase ‘self care’ but it seems to be the trendy in thing to describe what any ordinary Joe would call ‘looking after yourself’. So as we head properly into 2020, what can freelancers do to improve their self care?

Don’t work till you can feel your eyeballs leaking out of your head. This year, set your own office hours and stick to them. It’s easier said than done, but anyone who works in an office, or freelances/hotdesks will (as far as possible) work 9 to 5. Why are we any different? If you have to do overtime, do it, but make sure you note how long you’ve spent and take it off in lieu some other time.

“Yeah, I like fitness. Fitness whole pizza in my mouth”. Don’t pressure yourself to join a gym. You’re a freelancer. Where are you going to get the fees, for a kick off? Instead, simply pledge to take fifteen minutes every day away from the desk to do something physical. Hoover the floor. Zip up your pac-a-mac and walk to the shop. Run up and down the stairs a few times so you’re out of breath. Exercise doesn’t need to mean donning lycra and crying on a running machine next to someone who doesn’t know the meaning of the word ‘lard’. Housework counts. Walking to get a pint of milk counts. Lifting a bag of Kettle Chips on the sofa whilst watching Hey Duggee doesn’t, sadly.

Say “No”. It’s a complete sentence. Don’t feel you have to say “yes” to everything. Saying yes to everything is the reason I’m my own worst enemy at times. Learning to say “No” is hugely, hugely liberating. “No, I can’t do that”, “No, I won’t be able to”, “No, I’m terribly sorry, I’m planning to give myself a lobotomy that day” are all valid. Maybe not the last one, but…sometimes just simply “No” is enough. No reason needed. You can then feel free to cuss under your breath “No, because you smell of poo”. Mature.

Drink enough. And no, I don’t mean gin, though that’s very tempting at times. Keep properly hydrated through the day. I know. I’m boring myself now. The simple act of getting a glass of water, or filling the kettle to make a cup of tea not only gets you away from the desk for a few moments, but means you’re keeping your mind sharp and tiredness and fatigue at bay. Not drinking enough water during the day is one of the biggest causes of the little known condition ‘Freelancer’s Brain’. That’s the one where you realise you’ve been sitting in the same cardigan, at the same desk, doing the same work for the last three weeks and you’ve only wee’d once. Keep hydrated. Boring, but necessary.

Treat thyself, Amen. Go mad. When was the last time you had anything new? Freelancers don’t tend to treat themselves very often, because they worry about money. When we have it, we save it ‘just in case’. Can I briefly divert to tell you about a brilliant app I’ve found called Plum? I’m not being paid by them, or getting any money from anywhere else to advertise, but I’ve found this little app to be a brilliant help in putting small sums of money away each day without me having to do anything. That haircut you don’t think you can afford? You can with this. In no time at all you’ll have enough saved for that red lippy you’ve been coveting. Tools like this make a very worthwile addition to any freelancer’s self care arsenal. Knowing you have a small amount of money put aside for a treat can go a long way to making you feel a bit less like Mistress Ploppy.