Embracing Slow Seasons

SEASON 5, EPISODE 4:

Today we’re bringing you a new episode about approaching slow seasons. You know what we’re talking about: Those lulls in freelance work after all your projects are filed. You’re busy and then… very little happens. It can be stressful! Jenni and I get a ton of questions about this, so we decided to dedicate an entire episode to it. As you listen, you’ll note that we each had a slow season at around the same time, and we approached it quite differently. As with anything else, there’s no *right way* to approach a slower pace of working – should you choose to work at all during these work lulls – but we hope this episode sheds light on a few ways to think about this sometimes-uncomfortable period. It’s an inevitable part of freelancing that I think we all ought to find a sane way to lean in to. How do you approach slower periods of work?

Full Transcript Below:

Wudan Yan- Hi everyone, and welcome to The Writers' Co-op.

Jenni Gritters- We are an anti-hustle business podcast for freelance creatives everywhere.

Wudan Yan- And we are your co-hosts.

Jenni Gritters- I'm Jenni.

Wudan Yan- And I'm Wudan.

Jenni Gritters- What's up, Wudan? How's it going?

Wudan Yan- It's going! Spring is here, I'm suddenly reminded of the fact that like, in addition to all my work projects, I have many, many other projects in the works in particular, putting enough miles on my feet. Because I'm through-hiking this summer about 500-some miles of Washington on the Pacific Crest Trail. And it's tricky because right now, tons of hikes I want to do are so snowed in, so I need to travel a bit further or stick to the low ones and just be on tons of trails, but extremely boring trails. So I guess it's worth it. Like it has to be. Right?

Jenni Gritters- Yeah. 500 Miles is so far. Shoulder season is so tricky. I remember I went hiking in June last year here in Bend and there was snow. It's like what?, but I am reminded of how nice it is to log like a day of hiking each week on the trails. I'm missing that when I'm pregnant, but it is a huge part of why we both freelance. It's a good perk. So y'all are listening to this episode in May. We are chatting in April. In May I'll be pretty close to winding down my work before taking 16 weeks off for maternity leave. So it's been a lot of work to wrap up everything for The Writers' Co-Op, my business. That's what I've been up to. Logging longer work hours than normal, logging more assignments than normal. I'm excited for a break, having 16 weeks off over the summer actually sounds really nice, even if I will have a newborn and maybe not be sleeping a lot.

Wudan Yan- It's soon.

Jenni Gritters- Yeah. Thank God.

Wudan Yan- Yeah, super soon. In any case, we are continuing to release episodes as we careen towards the summer break. So these are kind of random episodes about things on our mind. Things that we get asked about a lot that y'all are curious about, something along those lines.

Jenni Gritters- Yeah, something like that. Just recording is inspiration strikes, really, usually inspiration strikes via our text exchanges. And this week, that is true. This one was born out of voice memos that we send to each other. And we're going to talk about approaching slow periods of work in our businesses.

Wudan Yan- Yeah, one day I just texted Jenni. And I was like, I have a very unhashed out idea! Left a long voice memo. And now we have this episode. So yes, that gap. And I love talking about slow periods. Because I think how we approach this time can bring out a lot of our mindset monsters, as we like to call them. So for instance, one typical story I hear a lot is one of the feast and famine, which probably every freelancer has heard of, as well. Projects close and end. And then there's nothing on your work radar for a good week or so. And then there's panic, and we pitch and we do more outreach to clients. And all of a sudden, we're full up or even overflowing, and the cycle begins again. And again. And again.

Jenni Gritters- Yep, the panic during the slowdown, I think, is driven by both real fears, and also limiting beliefs. Like fear of not having money or fear of not getting more work. The money, I think is a real fear. I think the fear of not getting more work is actually most of the time a limiting belief. Because work does come, right? So I think one thing I want to say before we dive in is that work slowdowns are normal and expected. So so often, when I'm working with coaching clients, they have a slow period and they take it as a sign that they're like failing as a freelancer, like I've done something wrong. I didn't prepare, maybe I'm bad at marketing, maybe I'm a bad freelancer, maybe I shouldn't freelance anymore. We set in that slow time and their space, and we feel self critical. But that doesn't really help us move forward. Right? So a lot of times I'm working on coaching calls with people, and we're reframing the slow period as normal, expected, and a sign that you're actually doing your business. Right. So before we begin, I just want to say that as a caveat, like this is going to happen to you as a freelancer, it's inevitable. You're gonna have points in time in your business when you have less work. So this episode is truly for all of us.

Wudan Yan- Yes, it's a natural part of this roller cycle called freelancing that we have chosen to jump on. So Jenni, I know we've both been in slow season for a while or some variation of it because it's look different for each of us. I want to hear about what that season has looked like for you and how you've approached taking on assignments during that time.

Jenni Gritters- Yeah, this little season has been particularly weird. You all have heard me talk about intentionally letting go of coaching clients and slowing down my business because I've been pregnant in so sick with hyperemesis, so my body literally would not allow me to take on the number of coaching calls that I needed to have scheduled each day, I had to scale back. So I did that big scale back in January, almost four months ago. And we're recording this in April, things have changed a lot. Mostly, we bought a house. So I spent these four months working really slowly. And then we realized, it's going to be necessary to have a little bit of extra cash flow for maternity leave, my husband doesn't get paid leave, and he's going to take some time off. So to give us a little cushion for that, plus, buying expensive things for our house. So we sat down in early March after draining our accounts with a down payment, and we were like, oh, okay, we need more cash flow this spring and summer than we expected. So I intentionally was taking less work during the winter months. And after this conversation, I realized I needed to crank again. But I also needed to do it sustainably. So I didn't burn myself out because I'm still really sick most days.

Wudan Yan- That sounds like a really tricky balance.

Jenni Gritters- Yeah, it has been. I guess all that is to say that April looks like me coming sort of out of this slow set of months. On purpose. I am taking on work that is easier for me, which I'll talk about in a little bit. Like I would say, near boring work. During my slow season, in January through March, I struggled a lot mentally, like work really gives my life momentum. And without it, I almost feel like my brain is just a little bit too chatty. Like there's too much self awareness. I have too much time with myself. I'm like tired of my own BS, right? So I had to work really hard during those three months to see the slow period as necessary for my health and to remind myself that my value as a person isn't just based on my paycheck or the number of assignments I have. And I had to say no to work and no to people who want coaching. And that's like, hard for me because I wanted to say yes, but it was about having a clear priority of personal well being. So I had to say no. So yeah, see what I mean? Like all the mindset monsters just come raging out when you slow down, because there's space for them. And they scream. So yeah, tell me about your slow seasons, Wudan. I know, you're just coming out of one as well.

Wudan Yan- Yeah, I've had a slow season for about the last four months. So at first I was on vacation. I'm pretty adamant about taking four weeks off during winter break, which I don't know, maybe crazy, but I love it. And then I came back. And I realized I wanted to rebuild my business with a focus on working on mostly teams and podcasts this year. So first, I want to say that at this point of my freelance career, which is somehow going on nine years at this point, accommodating for slow seasons is a part of my business plan and is expected like you said, Jenni, and I have a few months of financial cushion built up. So it's not the end of the world or whatever. If I'm not bringing in my eight to $9,000 a month, like four to $5,000 a month is still fine by me.

Jenni Gritters- Yeah, that's how my slow season was this time around too. More planned for, right? Like possible because I had a reserve in my business checking account. I did use it. But I had to remind myself that I was like using it on purpose. Like I put that reserve there for a reason, this exact reason. Also, I just want to say nine years of freelancing like that is a long time. And so cool.

Wudan Yan- Yeah, it's like I just blanked. So I'm kind of in a bit of shock.

Jenni Gritters- Yeah, it goes to show how much evidence is required for your brain to trust the slow seasons. I think like you have proof, nine years of proof, that it's normal. But you still have to do the work to keep the safety net there, even though you expect it.

Wudan Yan- Absolutely. So I think this slow season in particular is interesting, because I also had a slow season in 2020 at the same time. So let me tell you a story of two March's. In March 2020, I was supposed to go to Bangladesh for a reporting trip. I've been working on the story for a few years. And you know how the story goes, the pandemic happened. And I didn't have anything lined up after that trip anyway. And I wanted to hustle to fill in the price of that project, which was worth around $6,000. And I took everything that came my way. So ultimately, that drove me to burnout. And then I had to dig myself out of that hole. And it was very expensive because therapy, and then then I created a better way to work for myself.

Jenni Gritters- Yeah, this is right around the time that we started The Writers' Co-Op. And I think that perspective inspired many of our first season's episodes.

Wudan Yan- Absolutely. So as I just said, this March, also a slow season. I think I'm cursed in some way or it's just my birthday month and the world is like, Wudan, you actually need to rest. So again, I was supposed to go to Bangladesh for the exact same trip. Then my visa fell through. True annoyance. I had stuff lined up for after this time where I would be traveling, but suddenly I had a few weeks of work to fill. A podcast I was supposed to check during this time didn't get funding until later. So that's now delayed. And then I reached out to a few clients of mine to see if they could help fill that gap. And I got an assignment or two, but mostly, it was pretty quiet.

Jenni Gritters- Yeah, totally wild for you to have the same experience twice, like two years apart. What are the odds? How has it been to have this slower segment of time? Because you're treating it differently, it sounds like, than you did in 2020.

Wudan Yan- Totally. So I can afford to have to slow weeks financially. And some people reached out to me and asked me to pitch them ideas, some people pitched me ideas, someone asked me to do a feature I wasn't jazzed about. And I said, No. And Jenni, you've passed along a research based writing gig, which I also wasn't excited about. Because actually, for me writing stuff based on what research is like knitting a scarf, it can go on forever, with no definitive end. And I find it so much harder to have put in time constraints around stuff like that. So basically, I was not scrambling or picking up and saying yes to everything like I did in 2020. I was saying no, a lot. And so here's what I did say yes to. I'd said yes to helping finish fact-check a book. To a new story for a regular client of mine. I had a few good discovery calls for upcoming projects and with new clients. I reached out to a colleague to help with a long term project I've been noodling on. I launched my spring mastermind program. And eventually people came to me with work that excited me like a very well paying magazine feature, a possible editing opportunity and another podcast project. And I worked like three hours a day during the slowdown had my weekends, ran around with my dog had so many health emergencies, and had the capacity and bandwidth to take care of them. And it all just ended up being fine. My house is also fine.

Jenni Gritters- We talked about this last season, I think in our sustainable business episode, where we noted that sometimes the slower periods are an opportunity to rest. And so it's cool to hear that you actually like, did that? Because it's easier said than done.

Wudan Yan- Yeah, I mean, it coincided with daylight savings. And let's just say I slept in a lot. And leave it at that.

Jenni Gritters- Sleep! So novel, sleep. So what did you learn this time around, with it being so different than it was in 2020?

Wudan Yan- So my approach this time, felt like holding out in some way. But you know, I also now know how terrible it feels to, one, take on work that doesn't excite me because I actually don't work fast if I'm not excited in some way. And that affects my bottom line. In other words, my hourly rate. Two, it feels terrible to take on work that just comes my way, like saying yes to everything, because that led me to burnout. And I don't want to go there again. And then three, it also feels terrible to take work just for the money. Because if the work doesn't align with my values or interests in some other way, like there has to be something else for me beyond money. So overall, I think I was just being in tune with my gut versus when I was acting out of panic, like two years ago. So Jenni, tell me about picking up work now that you know you need to make more for a few months. What did you do? What did you learn?

Jenni Gritters- Yeah, I think my takeaways are both similar, and in some ways different from yours. So as my husband always reminds me, I know how to crank. I know how to get work. I've been doing it for years. So I did. And I did a lot of what you did, which is to say I reached out to former clients, I was like, Do you need help with stuff, I have some more capacity. But same as what happened with you, a lot of folks said they actually didn't need anything right now. So what happened was, I got some projects that were booked out through May. So that was actually ideal, like they didn't need help in March. But they added some things to my spring schedule. So my efforts to find work in March ended up sort of padding my schedule for months down the line. I also told family and friends that I could take on more work. And usually I'm saying no to about three to five assignments per week, or refusing networking calls, things like that. That's become sort of standard practice in my business. So instead of saying no to those, I took more of them in March. And I guess one thing to pull out of this as a learning is that it does take time to pick up from a slow period. It's not immediate, like I would say, now that we're recording this in mid April, I'm at a steadier cadence, but it took some probably a solid month of conversations to get there. Ultimately I signed two new clients. I had probably five discovery calls. So what's interesting is that my priorities are very adjusted right now. So I'm sick. And usually what I want is like interesting, fun, engaging, passion-driving projects. I'm actually not looking for that right now. Like, I don't want creative challenge, I kind of just want things that I can do without having to use my whole brain. So I had a couple editors asked me to pitch feature stories, and I actually haven't taken them up on that, because that is not going to work great for my brain right now. Instead, I took copywriting assignments. I'm helping to manage some content for an online course about artificial intelligence, which honestly, I would usually find boring. But it is like the exact right amount of practical and boring and easy for my current state of mind. And I'm building some client profiles for a coaching brand. Again, like interesting enough, but not over the top challenging. And it's honestly a weird mix. Like I look at my work mix right now. And I'm like, usually, I would not take this stuff on. But it absolutely fits my needs. In the current moment, highly paid low drama, low bandwidth. It's interesting how things can change.

Wudan Yan- Listening to both of our stories, the main takeaway is that, ta-da, values matter, and values can change over time. So there's a reason why we lead with values all the way back in season one, episode one. We'll link to that one in the show notes. It's a good one.

Jenni Gritters- Yeah, I totally agree. I usually value things like challenge. Like I said, I'm right now. I'm just like, give me a paycheck for something that is practical and boring, please and thank you. I have a lot of other stuff going on personally, and I don't need my work to be challenging. I also need my assignments to end at a certain time in case I you know, have a baby. And so certain work in that way isn't a fit right now. Whereas in six months, when I'm coming back from leave, or six months ago, it might have been a good fit. So what would you say about your values right now, Wudan? I'm curious. Like, it sounds like for you, there is a focus right now on that exciting, interesting work.

Wudan Yan- I just drag when I'm not excited. I can't do boring. There always has to be some element, you know, if I'm learning something, so if I'm fact-checking. I can find the act of fact checking a drag. But if I'm learning something new via the content of what I'm checking, or if I'm working with a writer who I really admire, that helps. And I just can't write about, like, just anything, right? If there's nothing there for me, emotionally or to like, mentally stimulate me.

Jenni Gritters- Yeah. To me, this all comes back to what you said about intuition. It's that reflection that I talked about a lot with my clients, like build question-asking into your business. Ask yourself what you need. Have a routine of asking that about once a month, especially if you're in a situation like me, 28 weeks pregnant, throwing up daily, taking care of a toddler, you're not going to want what you wanted when the conditions were different. But if you don't ask yourself, you may not know that you need to shift.

Wudan Yan- Yeah, and honing your yes and no muscles is a practice. So first, you have to know what you need right now. And consider those work priorities and then you have to act on them. So the two of us have talked about this tactic in coaching sessions, and even on here on podcast episodes, but making a decision matrix for all the work opportunities that come your way.

Jenni Gritters- Yeah, I always tell people, I think there are a few options here when it comes to honing your yes or no. So first decision matrix, which means assignment comes into your inbox, don't respond to it right away. Take a day to respond. And in the meantime, log the opportunity in a spreadsheet. So write out why you think you should or shouldn't take on that opportunity. Right now. If you track this for like a month, you'll see some trends emerge. And I think it's really interesting, like what is a classic yes for you, and what makes an opportunity a classic no. Getting to understand some of those trends can be really useful for speeding up the process of how you respond. I will also say that that process in the spreadsheet doesn't work for some people. And so I have also had clients who build out a checklist. So they have like, like a little rulebook. They get an assignment offer, or they're talking with someone about a potential project to work on together. They pause like they would with the decision matrix, but they actually like, have this checklist that they look at instead of going to a spreadsheet. So they ask themselves: Does this feel financially aligned? Am I excited about this opportunity? Does it fulfill xyz values? So basically, what we're saying is "yes" is habitual for a lot of us. And so when we're in slow times in our business, the yes can really feel necessary because you're afraid. It takes extra bravery, I think, to say "no" when there's not something immediately in the place of the thing that you're saying no to. So the pause is really important for checking in with your values and making a decision, a brave decision based on your gut.

Wudan Yan- And this is all the while acknowledging that if your values change, that checklist, or whatever lets you make matrix changes to so that's a time to reassess why you take on work and why you don't as your life changes.

Jenni Gritters- Yeah, I think the other part of dealing with a slow period in your business is that idea of believing more work can come. And that's the part where we feel like we have the freedom to say no to the work, even when we have a blank day or week ahead. Like that's the hard part to me. I think that that's where this gets tricky.

Wudan Yan- Yes, definitely. It's trusting in that abundance mindset.

Jenni Gritters- Yeah. Wudan, tell us how you mentally manage for this, like you just said no to a lot of stuff, even though you had open space. How did you do that?

Wudan Yan- Yeah. So I've been doing this for almost a decade, again, terrifying. And I know at this point that more work is out there. And eventually stuff that's a better fit for me will come my way. I've built up a lot of evidence for myself over the years that I can be picky. And that there has been an emotional and mental cost for me, when I have not been picky. And by that, I mean, burnout or resenting a project and I had a discovery call with a new client recently, who told me whatever we want to work on first, I want to make sure that's a win. That's a success. And I love that. And I bring that with me for assignments with recurring clients to like, is this going to be a win for both of us so we can continue the relationship? It's more longevity beyond just the project at hand?

Jenni Gritters- Yeah, it's an investment. And I think that proof thing is really key. Like you have seen the cost and benefits of taking on something that might not be a good fit. And the costs are too high for you at this point. Plus, your brain believes in the benefits of saying no, because you've been through this before. I was talking to a client yesterday about how every time she says no, she feels a little high, because it feels so good to actually like stand up for herself. But the first time it was terrifying. And then the second time, it felt a little better. And now it's like exciting. So I do think it's a muscle, your brain requires proof. And it does take a while for it to buy in. I think I feel that way too. I have not been freelancing for as long as you have. But I think even if you haven't been freelancing for long, there is that question of like, what is lost? And what is gained by saying yes, because every yes, is for sure a no to something else, like sanity

Wudan Yan- Hmm, there's an opportunity cost. And last but not least, I want to offer something to folks who just like, want to keep a little bit busy during this time, you kind of hinted at this too, Jenni, of like wanting something some type of work to do. So it can be really tough when you go from busy to just silence and it makes sense to be anxious. What I do is keep a running list of business stuff that needs to get done. This is updating my CV or updating my web page with recently published work. And I also have a running list of story ideas on a Google doc it's a great time for me to invest unpaid time and during those initial interviews to build out pitches. Slow time is a place for me to revisit this list basically.

Jenni Gritters- Yeah, I love this. It's basically investing in the future of your business, and using the slow time to plant seeds, polish ideas, make plans. You're basically serving future you in this moment of slowness.

Wudan Yan- Mm hmm. Arguably, you can also make a list of clients or publishers you want to reach out to and do those discovery calls. Because those calls are really, you know, I'm just speaking from personal experience. Those are really hard to fit in when I'm busy. But slow periods are a great place for them. Like the great and terrible thing about freelancing is that there's always something more to be done. And you know, there are things that get pushed to the backburner and slow season is a good time to work on them. Jenni, do you have tasks like these? And if so, what are they?

Jenni Gritters- I have so many ideas on the backburner. Oh my God, my brain comes up with new business workshop creative project ideas, story ideas constantly. Like I'm staring at a sticky note of one of them on my computer right now. I have a note in my phone with a running list. So what I did this time around during my slow time was I went through some of those ideas and actually prioritize them. My coach was talking with me, I did some coaching during this time on purpose. And he was talking with me about how it can help for creatives like us to feel like we're still building something, even when our business is running slow. So maintaining your business takes like 60/70% of your energy. But a solid 10% is worth dedicating towards building something new. So that's not a lot of energy, right? Like 10% of your time. But it definitely adds up. So during busy times, I'm picking it those ideas usually. That's kind of like how I use the time. I luxuriate in imagining, planning, dreaming, setting up a scaffold. A good example of this, I think is my newsletter. So I'm offering a newsletter when I step away from maternity leave. And probably once I get back to like, I think it's just going to be monthly from here on out. It's all about mindset work for small business owners, and it's called Mindset Mastery. I started dreaming up that idea and working on coaching to shape it back in January. It's been on my list for a long time. But now that I have a little more energy this spring and I'm back in the swing of things, I don't have to make the decision about who the audience is and what the strategy is. I can just implement what I've already lined up so I'll link to that. It's free to subscrive to the newsletter in the shownotes. But all of that is to say, I think you can use this time to kind of like, look at what's coming for you. And also maybe to connect to those people who are like on that list of like, I can't work with you now. But maybe later, like, I don't know, one of my new client gigs just came out of something like that someone I talked to, like ages ago, who now is the right time.

Wudan Yan- I love that actually, I also really launched my newsletter. We'll link that too. So it sounds like we're aligned that slow season is an all or nothing thing. Like, just because you're in a slow period with client work, doesn't mean that you can't also use the time to push other balls forward, like, rest is good. But you can also help your anxiety by doing that necessary business growth and business management work.

Jenni Gritters- Yeah. Is this where we make a plug for our online resources?

Wudan Yan- Oh, my God. Yeah. Like, if you want to learn about being strategic, they're a great tool for building skills if you're in a slow period. So we'll link those courses and other resources, where there are tons of worksheet and webinar options where you can invest in yourself as a business.

Jenni Gritters- Yep. In short, we just want to say in this episode, that how you approach your gaps in work depends on your needs and values in the given moment. I think like we are both examples of doing that in different ways right now.

Wudan Yan- And being aware that these values can change. So it's good to check in with yourself and your business every so often. And then agree or say no based on what you need intentionality over panic hustling,

Jenni Gritters- Yes, the panic hustle. And I want to say again, remember that the slowdowns are normal, you're not doing anything wrong. This is a part of running a freelance business, it is standard. And you can use some of these slower times to get a sense for future things to plan out what your priorities are to move other projects, goals, and parts of your business forward like these times can be really useful. So for our Patreon Members, we are going to create for you a resource about how to handle the slow season with some tips and resources questions to ask when you hit that slow period so that you can make intentional decisions just like this.

Wudan Yan- So I like my slow season gameplan. And one of the things that I find frustrating when I'm working without some kind of protocol is when I just get into the slow period and I'm like, Oh God, how do I spend my time? But having that running checklist somewhere else is really helpful for me.

Jenni Gritters- Yup, we love a good recipe or a good protocol. And I think this is a place where awareness can make a huge difference in your business. So you don't come zooming out of the quiet into work that is frustrating or doesn't get you to your goal then you land in that over busy episode overbooked episode that we recorded last season. I know that frazzled feeling it's not great. So part of this is being intentional during the slow period. So when things get busier, it is aligned with how you want to run your business in that moment.

Wudan Yan- So if you're listening and you have tips or tactics on approaching slower periods of work, we'd love to hear from you. Our Patreon members are already continuing this conversation over in our Slack group, which you can join at the All Access level and above at any at patreon.com/TWC pod

Jenni Gritters- Or you can always email us we do actually love getting listener emails so please email us. The email is thewriterscoop2@gmail.com. So send us a note if you want to talk about how the podcast has been helpful to you or if you have ideas for things you want us to talk about for the rest of this kind of pseudo season five.

Wudan Yan- And with that we are going to head out. I will talk to you next time, Jenni.

Jenni Gritters- Bye, Wudan.

Season Five of The Writers' Co-Op is made possible by you, our listeners. Thank you. The season's co-hosts are me, Jenni Gritters and Wudan Yan. Our producer is Jen Monnier and our editor is Susan Valot.