In praise of half-arsing

Most people don't deserve your whole arse

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Happy December, Colleague!

Is anyone else looking forward to And Just Like That starting on the 9th? It’s also given me a little reminder, as a freelancer, about how toxic workplaces can be. There are few beefs as dramatic as that between Kim Cattrall and SJP (#teamkim). Kim has often claimed that she was firmly on the outside of the real life girl gang, and I applaud her for walking away from the money and putting her mental health first (although I will miss Samantha, obvs). While working alone can feel a bit lonely, especially in Christmas party season, sometimes it’s nice to reflect that we don’t have to make awkward drinks-do small talk with someone who makes our every working day a living hell!

I digress…

Today I actually want to talk about effort levels. We’re raised with weird expectations about the amount of care and energy to put into things. It’s always ‘do your best’, or ‘give it 100%’ (or, in the case of an TV talent contest, anywhere between 110 – 1,000%). But, in theory at least, we all know that’s impossible.

On any given day you might wake up feeling suboptimal. Say you didn’t sleep well, or are just downright grouchy. Energy-wise you might already feel run down to around 80% or less, and that’s before you do anything. You unpack the dishwasher or empty a cat litter tray (are you getting a window into my glamorous life here?), perhaps you have kids who need help with breakfast and dressing. You might do a workout, or food prep for the day. Even when you eventually sit down to work, there are emails to wade through or an invoice to chase. Perhaps someone was meant to send you something and it hasn’t arrived. Perhaps you suddenly remember something else you’ve forgotten to do, and get distracted.

I’m no mathematician, but I’d say your energy tank is now hovering somewhere around 50%.

Maybe your client work is the thing you care least about, and you’d like to be left with at least 20% in the tank (ideally more) to chip away at that passion project this afternoon, or you’re going out in the evening with a friend and need to not fall asleep at the table. Every working day becomes a series of trade offs: if I do this, perhaps I won’t have enough energy for that.

Our energy can’t be measured like those batteries where you press the sides to see how much power remains, but the point I want to make is that we are rarely at 100% in terms of what we can give to our work, and that’s absolutely fine.

I am here to praise the delicate art of half-arsing.

Here are my justifications:

1. Everybody does it. If you’re freelancing for a company with full-time employees, you can bet that some (most) of them are coasting for at least a portion of the day. I can’t speak for everyone, but I definitely had large chunks of time in office jobs when I wasn’t productive (not because I was lazy necessarily, but because my brain power and energy have peaks and troughs). Their employees will be checking Facebook, writing shopping lists, planning dinner or chatting with colleagues. It’s just a natural cycle of working for most people, and as long as everyone gets the work done no one minds too much.

Just because you’re self-employed, it doesn’t mean you can magically re-set your creative parameters. You don’t suddenly avoid your usual 3pm slump, for example. So, again, another way in which ‘100% all the time’ is unrealistic.

(What does change is how you use the ‘mindless’ time, because you no longer have to be chained to a desk and clock watching, hurrah!)

2. Related to this: you don’t get the perks of employment (pensions, sick pay, mat leave, a sense of security, etc) so they don’t deserve all of you. They just don’t.

When I say ‘half-arsing’ I don’t mean working without care or attention, I simply mean keeping a little bit back for yourself (whether time, creativity, energy, or all three). These should be working relationships built on mutual respect, so while you do owe them a decent finished result, you don’t owe them hours in your day that they aren’t paying for, or energy that you can’t afford to sacrifice.

Be reliable, be polite, do what you promised, and use your discretion (sometimes there are people you’ll want to offer more leeway than others, especially those who earn your respect and trust). Do your best…. up to a point.

3. You are great at what you do, because there’s no way people would keep working with you if not (you’re not an employee, after all, so they can get shot of you).

Look back at your unique experience — perhaps you have years in a field, are particularly specialist, or have dealt with a real range of clients and problems. You may be half-arsing things, but remember your half-arse is someone less competent’s whole-arse. (Can you tell I write poetry?)

Your 60% is someone else’s 100%, and people are lucky to work with you.

4. Conserving some energy is likely to be one of the reasons why you work for yourself. Whether you wanted more time and headspace for your family, or extra creative working hours for a personal project, most of us are keen to keep something of ourselves back. If you can, put those things first, whether literally first thing in the day, or the primary commitment in your diary.

Giving your best energy to someone else’s project or to customers means you’re short-changing something or someone else in your life.

[And one addition for those of you who don’t work in sales where December is completely manic… 5. It’s nearly Christmas. Even over-achievers will be half-arsing a bit over the next few weeks.]

There’s a spectrum of how much arse to give, and it shifts depending on numerous factors. I know that self-employment is a feast/famine way to work, and sometimes you have to put paid work first, even if it’s a bit soul-destroying. Sometimes there’s a new client you want to impress, a huge amount of money on the table, or a project out of your comfort zone that merits a larger effort, and that’s fine too. Some of you run shops or businesses where December is wild, and I appreciate there’s no alternative but to give yourself over to work completely for the month. But I’d encourage you to think about this as a short-term push rather than your default setting.

This is big picture stuff: something to mull over during Christmas when (hopefully!) you’re having some time off. I love the quiet between Christmas and New Year. In the same way that going on holiday can provide a bit of distance between you and your work, the peaceful inbox-lull of Twixtmas can often allow space for a bit of problem-solving.

If you’re constantly drained by particular clients or your work-life balance has gone to the dogs, it might be time to consider which areas of your working day could be stripped back energy-wise.

Could you achieve a similar outcome without as much blood, sweat and tears? Are there things you could promise less often, or with fewer bells and whistles?

Who or what, in 2022, really deserves your whole arse?

Merry Christmas, Colleague. See you in January!

• Don’t forget, for just £1 a month you can come along to our accountability meetings (last Friday of the month, 11am British time - although for December it’s Friday 17th) and meet the friendliest bunch of freelancers you’re ever likely to encounter. More info here. Plus, first visit is free, so what have you got to lose?

• Another way to connect is joining the OOO Facebook group, which is a safe and private space.

• I’ve had SO MUCH FUN watching Christmas films (mostly terrible) and pulling them apart for the Book of Nowt podcast/Youtube channel. There are six episodes coming up featuring some Hallmark-level classics, and we’ve left no bell un-jingled.

• Delighted to find myself in good company on this round up of best newsletters for freelancers (although as you know, OOO is now monthly rather than weekly). Definitely worth checking out some of the others on there!

I’ve offset the carbon involved in writing and sending this newsletter by planting trees via Ecologi