Freelance means I work roughly 9 to 5, but I need a gap in the afternoon for the school run.
Life with small gods.
It used to be a lot more complicated. Younger children needed more attention, and I had less time to freelance. Now they are all in school full time, and the older ones get themselves to and from school. The youngest still needs me to take them in and pick them up afterwards.
Drop-off is well before usual office hours, so that is no problem as long as I do not need to travel into town. Pick-up is at 3:30, or 4:30 when there is an after-school activity, so I need a little flexibility about when I am away from my desk.
I am upfront with my clients about this. They know when I am at my desk, and they know the work will get done and be delivered on time. I cannot afford for things to slip, because the day carries on and the children need me that evening.
A day with me is easy to plan around: a clear block of time either side of the gap. I do not need monitoring once I have the brief. I get my head down and get it done.
Do you have childcare commitments that you have to work your day around?