Oooh, look at this. Another post about good business habits. 😒

It can be hard to find advice that’s actually helpful around the topic of business plans for 2022. And by that, I mean: stuff that won’t make your life a living hell once you’ve put it into practice.

So I made this for you (based on my own promises to myself). Dig in and enjoy, my guy 🤘😊

1) Commit to taking more than one holiday

I’m kicking things off with a killer because I just know you aren’t doing this. So many of us aren’t! I took one week’s holiday all year. And yeah, I feel like literal arse because of it.

Take out your 2022 diary and pick some dates to take off. If you can get a week every 3 months, you’re onto a good thing. Long term freelancers should have a pretty good idea about when their quiet periods are (if not, consult your revenue tracker!) and if you’re a n00b, just pick what feels good to you. Mark it out now, and make sure you take that shit!

Holidays are important. Don’t make me come over there.

2) Go networking (at least once)*

Yeah, yeah. I hate this shit too, but it’s so beneficial and so important.

Get out on the grapevine and find an event near you (Eventbrite is good for this). If you're struggling to find the motivation, maybe you can tie it into a seasonal celebration or do it as part of a conference or training event?

Getting out and mingling with other professionals is a great way to feel connected to your industry and build a network of colleagues. Not only that, it’s fab for your mental health and damn good for referrals (giving as well as receiving).

My favourites are @copynights and the annual Copywriting Conference. Maybe I’ll see you there?

If you live overseas or can’t leave the house, why not try an online community? Drop by #ContentClubUK every Tuesday at 11am (UK time) or go and find your people in a Facebook group. You’ll thank me for it, I swear!

3) Quarterly vibe check

How often do you stop to think about how freelancing makes you feel? In an ideal world, your career feeds your soul as well as your bank balance.

Might be a good idea to chuck a date in the diary every quarter to check your vibe — if something feels off, take time to consider why that might be. A client might need firing, your rates might need to go up, or you might just need more social interaction. Take a vibe check, my guy!

4) Equipment inventory

Are you actually using the shit you pay for? Does it actually help you? Is there room for improvement? Take inventory of all the apps, software and equipment you use for your business and double-check it's still working for you. Sure, this is basic housekeeping, but it's waaay too easy to overlook and could save you money and time in the long run.

This might be the year you finally upgrade your bookkeeping software or switch your project planning tools. Might even be able to cancel some subscriptions and save a few bucks!

5) Social media clear out

Something to consider going into the new year — axing the people who don’t add anything positive to your timeline. There’s a mute button if you don’t want to do anything as severe as blocking or unfollowing.

It’ll make a world of difference to your mental health and is a nice commitment to make to yourself. You can also implement social media windows into your day to help limit the time you spend scrolling. It’s a nice compromise on leaving entirely which, let’s face it, we’ve all considered before now.

6) Switch to quarterly revenue targets

If you already do this, you’re leaps and bounds ahead of me! I heard about quarterly revenue targets on Louise Shanahan’s 15 Minute Freelancer podcast via André Spiteri, and it pretty much blew my mind.

Turns out, when you swap to quarterly, you get a more flexible, fluid way to track revenue for the year. After all — you might start a project this month but won’t get your final payment until next month. Things suddenly feel less stressful and more manageable.

Game. Changer.

7) Make a list of everything you achieved last year…and admire

Ending with a stonker, lads.

Take 5 minutes to think about the last 12 months and everything you achieved during that time. Doesn’t have to be a shopping list of massive things like award wins or fancy projects — celebrate the small successes like blogging consistently or having the balls to put yourself ‘out there’.

Take a good long look at that list, guy. Well-bloody-done to you! 🤘✨

Do you have anything to add to this list?
Got thoughts to share? Find me on Twitter and sound off!

*Unless you’re still shielding. Sorry for your tough time, friend x

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