5 Freelancer Questions on Christmas

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FREELANCER TIPS

• 5 Freelancer Questions
• on Christmas
• (and some Answers)

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The winter holidays are right around the corner.
Full-time employees are taking time off, because
their work places are mostly closed anyway. But
as a freelancer, you decide. Depending on your
situation and client variety, Christmas might be
just an extended weekend for you. Freelancers get
paid when they work. That doesnt mean you cant
enjoy a vacation, though. So what is it going to
be? To help you decide how to plan out the last
weeks of December, weve summarized 5 questions
that freelancers ask themselves around that time
of year.
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1. Should I work?
Thats the big one. You have the freedom to
decide what to do on your holidays, unlike the
majority of employees. This questions can be
broken down into three aspects do you want to
work?, can you afford not working? and is
there work for you to do?. I personally find a
healthy balance to be perfect. You work just
enough to not get too rusty and set aside enough
time to enjoy the holidays with friends and
family.
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2. How much work can I really do?
Now even if you want to work, you shouldnt
overestimate how much you will actually be able
to achieve. First and foremost, your clients
might not be working. Do you have a project that
requires a lot of back and forth communication?
Are you constantly looking for smaller tasks?
Such activities will be less likely in the
holiday period. Make sure you plan ahead
according to your decisions. Secondly, dont go
overboard with your estimations no matter how
motivated you are. Festivities and a warm
fireplace have a way of sneaking up on you around
the holidays.
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3. Do I make holiday promotions?
Moving on to a different subject, Christmas Co.
are often described as the time for giving. Does
that mean you should offer some extras for your
clients, too? You can, for example, take 5 of
your freelance fee for December or do some free
maintenance on a site you built. Theres nothing
wrong about it, but you should only do it if its
going to have a positive impact on your business.
Promotions arent about working for cheap,
theyre about nurturing customer relationships.
So maybe only do it for long-term clients. Or be
like Santa and only give to those who were good
throughout the year.
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4. Is contacting all clients worth it?
Similarly, contacting clients is a good idea in
itself, but overdoing it is probably not worth
it. A simple greeting is enough. Just remind them
that you exist and you care about them. Some
articles recommend telling them about how your
business has changed or offering to do further
work for them, but I disagree. They are going to
get hundreds of emails and virtual holiday cards
and will most likely forget or not have time to
consider any offer you send them. Do that in mid
to end January when businesses start picking up
again.
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5. What do I want to do next year?
The winter holidays are also a time where
everybody looks back at the year they had, for
better or worse. As a freelancer, you should
think about your business year and start planning
ahead. Did you meet your goals for 2015? What do
you want to achieve in the next twelve months?
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