by Fiona likes to blog | Apr 29, 2021 | Freelance, PODCAST
April’s a big old month for the Out of Office podcast. My airwaves-generated baby, my child, turned one on 16th April. It’s been an entire year since I started the podcast. And we’re still in a pandemic. But let’s focus on the former, more celebratory news, shall we?
I started Out of Office with the aim of supporting not just people already on their freelance journeys, but particularly the freelance life contemplators, or the ‘I’m-pretty-sure-freelance-is-a-pipe-dream’ dreamers. I want to demystify the freelance life, offer no-BS advice and share both the highs – and lows – that come with hitting out of office for good, so you’re prepared to make your business a success.
So, in keeping with that purpose, here’s the no-BS advice on how to live your best freelance life:
Has the pandemic impacted your mental health? Is that a silly question?
Pandemic life has well and truly impacted my mental health over the last 12 months, so I’ve shared what I’ve been doing to manage the symptoms of stress, depression and anxiety recently.
If you need urgent support call the Samaritans for free on 116 123 24 anytime or for less urgent support email jo@samaritains.org and they will respond within 24 hours.
LISTEN HERE
What do you do as a freelancer when you fall out of love with the freelance life? When it feels like s*** is hitting the fan, it can be, honestly, terrifying. But I’m here to show you it’s possible to get back on track and fall back in love with the freelance life again.
I’ve had periods in my life as a freelancer where I’ve felt a bit stuck and I’ve questioned if I was really on the right path. Last year, when I lost my biggest client, I was forced to reevaluate what I wanted out of my business and it changed my entire approach.
Over on the podcast, I share five things that helped me fall back in love with my business again.
LISTEN HERE
Blogging is what started my freelance career so I felt it only made sense to share my thoughts on how it can help you in your business journey.
You can use your blog as a place to talk about subjects that you’re scared to post about on social media as well as a tool to demonstrate your abilities as a freelancer.
Catch the attention of a prospective client on your irresistible blog and they’re sold.
LISTEN HERE
On the most recent episode of the Out of Office podcast, I share tried and tested ways to grow your platform online to boost your freelance business. Get ready to create content that attracts more clients!
Here’s to another 12 months of Out of Office being in our lives!
LISTEN HERE
Pick up my book – Out of Office: Ditch the 9-5 and Be Your Own Boss
by Fiona likes to blog | Feb 28, 2019 | DEPRESSION, Freelance
I absolutely love being a freelancer, but routine has never been one of my strengths.
I feel really proud when I get to introduce myself as a full-time writer, and I actively encourage others to pursue their dream of being self-employed because I think it can be incredibly fulfilling in a number of ways.
Truthfully though, I felt backed into a corner to become freelancer because of my mental health.
I’d been juggling depression, anxiety, waitressing and blogging for a few years and eventually it all became too much. I realised that I would have to give something up so I took a leap of faith and jumped into freelancing.
I still don’t make enough money as I would like, but I have something much more valuable to me and thats flexibility.
With that in mind- and over a year’s worth of trial and error in the bank – I thought I would share my tips on how to create a freelancer schedule that works if you have depression.
Make shorter to-do lists
Hands up if your daily to-do list spans several pages?
Take it back to basics and only write 3 things on your to-do list every day. It means you will never get overwhelmed and you’ll almost certainly get them all done, leaving time at the end of the day to pick up extra tasks
Figure out your pattern
Before you can create a schedule you need to figure out what times of day, week, month are most productive for you. Admittedly, this will take you a while to pin down. I advise that you start by tracking your moods over the course of a month and spot patterns. When are you tired? When are you bursting with ideas? When are you really driven to get more done? When are you falling asleep at your desk?
Here’s what my day tends to look like:
- 9-11am: I am not very productive in the morning so I never do creative work as soon as I get up. Instead, I do emails and chase invoices.
- 11am-3pm: I’m on a roll in the middle of the day so I normally spend that time doing deep work like writing or coming up with ideas. In the afternoon I’m no good at proof-reading so I always leave that to the next day
- 3-5pm: Working on fun stuff like eBooks, graphics, Instagram or researching new topics. I also schedule meetings and interviews in the afternoon otherwise they tend to eat into the time of the day where I’m most productive and it ruins my output for the day.
As you can see, its not really a steadfast schedule but it works for me. The most important aspect for me is flexibility. It’s loose and open to interpretation depending on how I feel that day.
Figure out what makes the most money
This might sound like a no-brainer, but take a look at your finances and figure out what made you the most money in the last few months. Now make that a priority. For me, it’s magazine writing. This means that when I sit down to come up with feature ideas I have a few publications in mind that I want to work with which makes the process more efficient.

Identify what drains you
For me, it’s public speaking and travelling. Luckily I don’t need to do to much of this, but every now and again I get an opportunity to go to a great event in London or to promote my book in front of a group of people.
Even though the experience has an impact on my mental health, I still want to pursue these things because they are good for networking, sales or they just sound like good fun. Nowadays I make sure that when I say yes to these things I space them out on my calendar.
For example, I try to only travel to London once a month and always schedule in a day at home straight after to allow myself to hide under the duvet for a few hours and work from bed if needs be. I also try to only to one speaking engagement or podcast recording per week, as it normally means blocking off a whole day.
Plan for down days
If you wake up feeling really mentally unwell, then the chances are you’re not going to be very productive that day. That’s OK, and something you need to learn to plan for and forgive yourself for.
How I get around this is by using those days to do things that don’t require much brain power. Normally, creative work is out the window but that doesn’t mean I can’t use the time to do administrative tasks like chasing late payments or sending out emails to prospective clients. Nothing too taxing, literally just an email saying hello and requesting a meeting.
This might not fall into the concept of ‘creating a schedule’ but I truly believe that part of managing your time as a freelancer with depression involves anticipating a dip in your mood. Remember, moods are unpredictable but working from home means that you can deal with it!
Out of Office: Ditch the 9-5 and Be Your Own Boss is available now!

by Fiona likes to blog | Jul 26, 2018 | DEPRESSION, Freelance
Flexible working is a BIG old buzzword in 2018.
It’s what mothers have been denied for years, and only now in the digital age are businesses and entrepreneurs starting to pull together some sort of plan to help workers find hours to fit around their needs.
A new survey says that of 1,800 UK professionals (78% of whom said “their current or most recent employer offered flexible working”) found that 30% of flexible workers felt they were regarded as less important, and 25% said they were given fewer opportunities than colleagues who worked conventional hours. A quarter also believed they had missed out on promotion.
Emma Gannon has been the champion of flexible working in the last few years, and with the release of her most recent book The Multi-Hyphen Method she has firmly rooted the notion of freelancing in thousands of young adults across the world. I too jumped on Emma’s wonderfully positive take on all the great things that are possible from being self-employed, and went fully freelance in January 2018.
This was half out of a passion for the job and half out of necessity for my mental health. Every job I’ve had as an adult has been hard to maintain because of my inability to cope with stress. I don’t mean coming home to have a moan every night because my boss didn’t give me a promotion. I mean leaning on booze, dabbling in self-harm, hiding in toilets and verbally abusing staff members as a result of my depression and anxiety.
I knew that working in catering was unsustainable so I built up my experience as a writer and social media manager and jumped into the world of flexible working, hoping that it would hold the answers to my prayers. It’s been a pretty stressful transition
Don’t get me wrong. I would much rather be sitting at home typing on a laptop than waiting tables and scrubbing a dishwasher every day. One job isn’t better than another, but having to be in front of customers pretending to be happy-go-lucky just wasn’t possible for me on a consistent basis.
So at home, sat in my pyjamas sporting six day old hair (yes, six) I can be as sad as I like and still be productive. Or so I thought.
The last few months have been testing. I’ve had the flexibility to work the hours that suit my mood. Sometimes this has meant a long lie until 10am and then a really productive afternoon. In the beginning, I was able to take self-care days as required, where I would turn off my phone and get outside in some fresh air. Or just lay on the sofa and watch a movie. But that idea of flexibility has all but vanished.
Now, I sleep in late because I’ve more than likely worked until midnight the night before. Self-care days have turned into self-care ‘moments’, like wearing a face mask whilst I chase up late invoices or doing my dishes in between proof-reading. I’m constantly dangling a carrot in front of each long stretch of work, and basic necessities such as showering are now becoming an afternoon reward as opposed to a morning routine.
I have friends who are in the same boat. My friend Fay has a chronic illness and works from home because it’s the only legitimate way she can earn a living whilst managing her ever-changing symptoms.

Like me, she thought it seemed like a great idea from the outset, but when it comes to actually taking the time off she needs (the reason she chose to work from home in the first place) it feels logistical impossible to do. There is no sick pay. Zero. There’s also a lot less compassion from clients when you tell them that you’re going to miss a deadline because you’re mentally unwell.
And that’s if you even have the balls to tell them that you’ve got a mental illness. It’s hard enough to tell one boss, but to announce is to 5, 6 or maybe more individual people who are all paying your wages with no obligation to keep using your services? Nah mate, I’ll keep it under my hat for now.
It’s not just creative freelancers who are feeling the stress. A recent article on Techcrunch.com reported that Deliveroo’s flexible working was comparable to 20th-century dockyards;
where workers would gather around the dock gate desperately hoping that they would be offered work, and where only some workers were fortunate to be offered fairly regular shifts, while others were offered no work at all.
But on page three of her book, Emma Gannon enforces that this is exactly the kind of mentality flexible working is supposed to stamp out. She writes;
Being a multi-hyphenate is about choosing and strategising a plan of attack and having the freedom to take on multiple projects, not being backed into a corner. This is about choosing a lifestyle. This is about taking some power back into our own hands.
Well, that sounds amazing, and although I do feel a lot more in control of my day to day life I can’t help but feeling that I AM still backed into a corner. I’m going through a stage where I’m doing a hell of a lot of work for not much money. I didn’t publicise this when it was published, but you can read my anonymous Money Diary on Refinery 29 to find out the details.
The truth is that I work more now that I ever did when I was a store manager or running the catering facility in a busy tourist attraction. I am working MORE and earning just about enough to get by.
Is this the lifestyle I was looking for? Not quite.
by Fiona likes to blog | Nov 29, 2017 | DEPRESSION
Buying gifts for friends with depression can be tricky. You want them to feel loved and appreciated, but often they have no interest in things that usually make them happy.
I find it hard to ask for presents because I often feel like I don’t deserve any, but when people do make the effort to choose me a thoughtful gift it can really lift my spirit for the day.
I’ve also written about gifts for people with anxiety, which you can read here.
Books about mental illness
One thing that really helps me work on my own mental health is by reading about other peoples’ experiences. I absolutely love Bryony Gordon’s Mad Girl, it’s one of my all-time favourites.
You can take your pick from the Trigger Publishing and they have an extensive range of memoirs in the ‘Inspirational Series’ which includes my own book.
My particular story is all about social media and how it can play an important role in recovery and relapse in equal measure. You can order it on Amazon.

T-shirts
These Have Hope t-shirts were designed by my brother.
They are perfect for skateboarders or punk rock fans, and the bright colours and graphic prints are unlike any other mental health brands I’ve seen.
For more mental health awareness merch ideas read this.
You Got This: A Feel-Good Zine If you’re looking for something to boost your mood, I’ve created this beautiful mini magazine which is filled with original writings on mental health as well as artwork by Chloe from The Feels Club.
It’s not designed to cure the symptoms of depression and anxiety, but merely act as a companion for when you’re having a bad day. You can buy it via my shop here.
I Can CardsPositive affirmations can be hard to implement when you have depression, so these handy cards and a useful way to remind your friends that they are loved and wanted.
The ‘Depression & Anxiety’ pack was created by people who suffer from the illness personally, as so it’s made with the end user in mind.
Every day the person who owns the cards selects one at random and then takes a few moments to reflect on the affirmation.
I’ve been using them for months now and I can’t praise them enough. You can read my full blog review here

Laura Talanti Pins/Stickers“You Are Enough” is such a simple phrase, but one that I personally need reminded of daily. Giving this gift to a friend is really thoughtful, and acts as a regular pep talk whenever they wear it.
This professionally made soft enamel pin is the perfect reminder to pin to your bag or jacket. It measures approx 1.25 inches.
The teal green pin has a gold metal outline/text. The new glitter option has rose gold metal with iridescent white glitter and a shiny epoxy coating.
These gorgeous
glossy stickers are professionally printed durable stickers that will not fade and will last for years on notebook covers, laptops etc.
You will receive two stickers – one of each design. Again, these act as subtle reminders for a friend that you”re thinking about them and that you value them.
One reads “Real Not Perfect” and the other “You Are Enough”.
Five Minutes in the Morning: A Focus JournalWhat if five minutes could change your routine and change your day?
What if you checked in with how you are feeling for just those few minutes, maybe sitting down over that cup of coffee or tea, or quietly sitting by the window before you head towards the shower?
Often people with depression don’t make time for themselves, and this is lovely journal to encourage a few minutes of personal reflection.
Lush Twilight Gift SetSometimes the gift of a good night’s sleep is invaluable. When I’m depressed I often forget to take care of my body as I’m so focused on my mind.
This set is a little treat, helping friends relax and enjoy a bath or shower with the calming scent of lavender.
The box contains the infamous Sleepy Body Lotion, Twilight Body Spray and Twilight Shower Gel.
My Listography: My Amazing Life in Lists Sometimes it’s nice to write as a form of expression, without writing about feelings or depression itself.
It can actually be quite difficult for people with depression to organise their thoughts or even define them, so having a book of prompts is perfect.
This Listography is a lovely way to encourage writing and could even act as a gentle motivator for being more productive.
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Read next: Gift ideas for friends with anxiety
by Fiona likes to blog | Oct 10, 2017 | DEPRESSION
Recovery from depression is an uphill struggle.
I was diagnosed in 2012 and I still to this day class myself as depressed, because relapse is always just around the corner. I know I’m a total downer, right? Well believe it or not, I don’t go around introducing myself as such. “Hi I’m Fiona, and I’m depressed!” isn’t a good conversation starter.
When I’m not writing I spend my days working part-time in a customer service job where I smile constantly at strangers, although I’m mostly faking a cheerful misdemeanour because it’s kind of expected. That’s what recovery is for me – a string of events where I pretend to be one way when I really feel another.
I’ve had various conversations over the years with people who’ve told me to “think positive” and although I believe depression requires very serious medical attention, I do think there is a degree of mind-trickery involved. I’ve spent a lot time in front of the mirror telling myself to get a grip to avoid relapse.
This isn’t what people with depression need to hear by the way, so don’t go saying that to anyone who suffers from a mental illness. But I think I’m allowed to say it to myself now and again, because during recovery there was a large stretch of time where I felt obliged to take control of my life.
It’s a very grey area. It’s a type of limbo where I felt like I was floating aimlessly with my head just above the waves, waiting to be either washed ashore to safety or yanked to the bottom of the seabed at any minute.
On the good days, I make it to the shore and I’m climbing up that hill at a mile a minute. My motivation is unstoppable and I honestly question if I was ever really depressed at all (oh, hi there imposter syndrome).
I climb and climb, trying not to look back and if I do it’s because I’m being reflective and learning from my mistakes. I get to a small peak and take a rest, enjoy the view and shout to others, “Come up, the view is beautiful from up here!”

But sometimes when I’ve been climbing for weeks, maybe even months, I look up and realise that I’m in exactly the same spot as before. I haven’t moved an inch but somehow I’m exhausted from going through the motions. The motions of merely looking like I’m going somewhere.
I’m following my own advice; exercising regularly, eating right, talking to people when I don’t feel like it and pushing through awkward situations for the greater good. I’m taking on extra shifts at work to pay the bills and blogging for free into the night because it might turn into a paid job one day.
It’s in these moments that I look back down into the valley and I see comfort. The thought of just sliding down that hill into a deep, dark depression is so tempting. Relapse is familiar. It’s a warm, soft blanket which envelops me and promises to silence the noise of the outside world. It gives me permission to say “I’m done”, and let someone else bear the load of my lifeless corpse for a while. It lets me give up on this fight which seems to always end with me face-down on the ground, bleeding out and gasping for air.
So when I say a relapse feels painfully good, know that I am not lying. I am not saying it for attention. I’ve been trying to form this feeling into a blog post for over a year and only just felt confident enough to write it, because I know that there’s a truth to what I’m experiencing that others need to hear.
You’re not alone.
For more honest thoughts on depression and recovery read my post on the Metro website (which you can read here)