The World's Tallest Writing Coach

So the big draw of freelancing is more time with the family, particularly the titular Twin Miracles themselves. But when everyday life disrupts the work schedule, we find ourselves having to make up the hours somewhere else – that’s the downside of being a freelancer; most clients aren’t to thrilled to hear about what’s going on in your personal life: They want their work done right and on time.

Because of other business, I ended up burning the midnight oil three nights in a row last week, only to have one of the Miracles get so sick she needed a visit to the ER on Saturday night, which resulted in yours truly being up with her until 4 a.m. on Sunday, then sleeping about 3 hours before the other Miracle – perfectly healthy – decided it was time to get up and start playing.

By the time Tuesday night rolled around, I was on a 5-day stretch where my hours of sleep had been 5 hours, 5 hours, 3 hours, 6 hours, 5-1/2 hours. That’s 24-1/2 hours over 5 days, or as our beagle calls it, a good day’s rest.

Therein lies the rub of freelancing: How do you find that middle ground between work, family and rest? It’s a tough line to find, but if you don’t, one of your big three – health, family or income – is bound to suffer.