Building a career as a freelance massage therapist offers you many opportunities. You can travel and find clients, provide a portable service in your city, or set up an office. As fulfilling as being a massage therapist can be, it’s vital to manage your time. There should be enough time in your life for your work and to enjoy the little things, too.
The tips below can help you find balance no matter how you structure your work life.
1. Make Time for Rest
As a freelance massage therapist, you’ll be in the business of helping people feel better. This is a noble goal and can be incredibly rewarding. Unfortunately, it can mean that people may need more support for your services and time.
Once you start your business, you may work odd hours to fit in with your client’s schedules. No matter what, set a quitting time. It’s essential to wind down at the end of the day. You must make time to exercise, eat healthy meals, and connect with family and friends. Unwinding will give you the energy to return to your job and give it your full efforts.
2. Block Out Breaks in Your Work Day
If you’re a traveling massage therapist, you may need to drive to treat your clients in their homes. Work out a charge for this customized treatment option and a fee for your service. Keep your day manageable, though.
Use a mapping app to set up each day’s appointments. Along the route, find
a park. You can take a quick walk in a park and release some of your tension. In addition, plan and find the following places:
- A coffee shop where you can get yourself a treat.
- A store or strip mall where you can run some errands.
- A restaurant you’ve been wanting to check out.
- A relaxing area where you can catch up with loved ones.
These small breaks can give you energy during the work day. Plus, it reduces the amount of running around you have to do during your downtime.
3. Create Paperwork Appointments With Yourself
If you got into massage therapy to help people, you may not be as crazy about the paperwork part. However, letting the paper part of your business pile up is not a good idea. You may soon find a stack of sky-high papers on your desk! And when that happens, it gets more challenging to go through everything. So that this doesn’t happen, address it each day. Staying on top of paperwork allows you to relax when you go home.
Each day, sit down and tally business-related expenses. Work with an accountant well-versed in small business expenses. Once you have your categories defined, tracking those expenses will be pretty straightforward. Manage your deposits with the same diligence. Only push it to the end of the day or the weekend.
4. Build in Time for Life Management
Block out one morning a week for the necessities of life. You will likely need to offer your services on Saturday. Let’s say you choose to take Thursday morning for yourself.
During the morning, you could take the time to do the following:
- Meal plan and pick up your groceries
- Make deposits and pay your bills
- Clean your home and do your laundry
- Take your pet to the vet
Once a week, make an appointment with yourself to keep your home life from becoming chaotic. As a freelancer, you may manage a portion of your business out of your living space. If so, it’s too easy to allow everything in your life to become just about the work. Set work and life boundaries to ensure you don’t get caught up in work that life passes you by.
5. Be Diligent About Your Certifications
This one is important! Depending on where you live and your qualification requirements, you will need to get re-certified. You may need to take additional classes each year. Extra courses are typically necessary if you offer services to a particular client group, such as infants and children.
To that end, start looking for the classes you need each time you re-up your certifications. Also, search for ways to improve your skillset and increase your marketability in your city. Be sure to renew your certificates before the month before your credentials expire. It will make getting the training you need to expand your brand easier. You may be burdened with inconvenient and expensive travel. Not to mention, you may miss out on registering for the classes you need.
Conclusion
The ability to put your hands on people and reduce their pain is a powerful gift. So, you should share it! Doing what you love is fulfilling but takes a lot of work. Along the way, don’t lose yourself so much in your job that you forget to live life to the fullest. The good news is that you can protect yourself from burnout with the right balance. You will undoubtedly keep your household running smoothly with your efforts and diligence.