Freelancing and children
Today I would like to write a blog post about something super personal.
I have two lovely kids, and it is a real blessing. But sometimes it can be pretty difficult to combine family and work life, particularly if you work from home. That is why I want to share with you tips on how to survive as a freelancer (especially in software development) with young children.
My seven months and two and a half years old sweethearts. Emily and Artur:)
Life before children
It was so easy to be a freelancer. Whenever I was too busy, I carried on at the weekend, and I still had plenty of time to study as well as for a vibrant social and cultural life. Besides, my mindset regarding money and insurance was pretty relaxed. I did not think about any coverage, and I had my financial plans extended only to a short period of time.
My approach to work and my productivity were also sort of free-spirit. I felt there was always an abundance of time. Therefore I did not need to focus on deep work so much. Each time I was approaching a deadline, which I would have possibly missed, I could burn the midnight oil to meet the goal. But that easy life was going to change. :)
Life with one child
After the birth of my son, I began experiencing an occasional shortage of time. But it was not as evident as might be expected. Looking backward, I have to admit that life with only one child was pretty easy too. My time devoted to working was limited, but there was still plenty of time at my disposal.
However, one crucial change occurred during that period. First, I started thinking about insurance and my overall financial situation. I made myself familiar with the basics of insurance and financial tools to be able to provide some income for my family in case of any unexpected events. I was forced to become more responsible in my financial planning. Maybe it was the first lesson which I received from my son. :)
However, I appreciate the experience because a better awareness of finance had a positive impact on my everyday business.
Life with two children
According to my experience with my son, I didn’t expect any significant difference when our little girl joined us. But I couldn’t have been more wrong.
It was very surprising for me, but having two children was a real change or, more precisely, a challenge :) Suddenly, my free time has completely disappeared. I had to adjust my working routine even more strictly than with one child. Therefore, the rest of this blogpost going to describe how I have been dealing with this puzzle.
Theory of constraint
I am a firm believer in the theory of constraints (TOC).
TOC is a management paradigm that views any manageable system as being limited in achieving more of its goals by a minimal number of constraints.
I use the theory as a simple mental model for improving anything in my life. Considering that, I take my limited time as an opportunity to improve my productivity.
I assume that being a genuinely productive software developer requires to have enough time and focus entirely on getting as much work done as possible.
The crucial thing is to get into a “flow”. Flow means being so involved in what you are doing that the rest of the world seems to disappear. In this state of mind, you are perfectly concentrated and efficient. If you are keen on learning more about this subject, please read the great book Deep Work by author Cal Newport.
In my case, I already had a peaceful home office place where I could work and stayed in the flow. The only limitation I was struggling with was the number of hours available.
As a result, I was pushed to make some changes in my workday routine in order to improve my productivity:
1) Learning through listening.
The first thing I needed to tackle was the limited time for my learning. I love learning and expanding my horizons, and for my type of job, it is critical stuff to carry it out daily. Considering that, I had to switch to a dramatically different study routine.
From the very beginning, I was determined to help with child care as much as I possibly could. Therefore, I spent a considerable amount of time pushing the baby carriage with my sleeping son. I discovered that for this type of activity, I could take advantage of learning by listening. It was a win-win situation.
I was too occupied to read books, so it was quite convenient for me. I experimented with audiobooks and youtube presentations, but finally, the podcast was the winner. I suppose it was mainly because I discovered an excellent podcast application — Podcast Addict, which is super useful for managing and downloading episodes of your favorite podcasts. I believe it is the best podcast application on the market. By carefully designing my podcast playlist, I am able to study anywhere.
Additionally, I have a few free hours at the weekend, which I can then use to explore or learn things requiring more concentration to digest or involving very technical and challenging content.
2) Focus
Using checklists is a well-known technique for radical improving productivity.
After the birth of my son, I started to use the checklist technique. Suddenly I was better aware of my daily performance peaks. The volume of tasks for every day was strictly limited, and only meticulous planning allowed me to meet my goals. I usually write tasks on my whiteboard in the evening in preparation for my following day’s assignments. I prefer four types of checklists:
a) Daily lists. This includes ordinary work duties required to be accomplished; I try to make a schedule for up to 70% of my capacity — 30% is typically a reserve. The habit of planning only 70% is a lesson learned through by many months of failing in my agenda — I have rarely succeeded in organizing my assignments at 100% capacity. For this reason, the right thing to do is to plan less and keeping a reserve. Allocating tasks to every minute of my workday 100% capacity might be a source of frustration due to regularly missing your daily goals.
b) Weekly plans. These consist of my main goals to achieve in the respective week. The checklist doesn’t solely deal with work stuff but also touches upon basic family activities and arrangements.
c) Monthly turnover plans. This is the place where I keep track of my invoices to send. It is an essential list to help me focus on my financial management. It is truly objective and precisely measurable.
d) Monthly family calendar. It is beneficial to have a timetable for my family where everyone can see my and my wife’s meetings. No matter how weird it might appear, we have found it extremely useful.
Definitely, there are many other types of strategic plans dealing with periods longer than one month. However, I have not seen a format yet that would suit me. But I know several people who use this type of plan extensively and successfully. So maybe one day, I find a useful format for me.
3) Workplaces
Every day I switch between my home desk and my company office. The size of our apartment enabled me to designate one room solely for my business. If you do not have room to work in flow, you should rent an office. Focus and effort are essential, not the time spent at work.
4) Weekends
I used to work at the weekend now and then. To my surprise, having one child still allowed me to work as intensively as before at weekends. With two children, it has gone away.
Actually, I am quite pleased with this new arrangement. I have realized the importance of taking a rest, and I really appreciate it. I have even adjusted my project estimates to increase my time reserve. Nowadays, I am more conservative in my calculations. I assume it is as beneficial to me as to the client. I am grateful for my family weekends, and I have noticed my weekly routine has become more sustainable in the long as well as short run.
5) Sleeping patterns
I have adjusted my sleeping patterns too. I have begun to go to sleep earlier in order to wake up early before my whole family. This has provided me with a nice window of 2–3 hours for deep work.
If you are able to do it the same way, I could not recommend it more.
6) Tools
As for tools, I find it essential to have a habit of reevaluating my tools. These days I am ruthless to any inefficiencies. Automation of everything and everywhere is the key. This calls for extra focus and dedication. Alas, improving tools is something I do not want to do on a daily basis, so this type of task should be planned in advance.
7) Enjoy!
Finally, enjoy the time with your children; they are your treasures, so be playful and relaxed in their company as much as you can. They are my best motivators to improve my productivity and lifestyle to be the best developer, entrepreneur, and father:)
