Parenting as a Work-from-Home Freelancer | How to Work While Preparing for Sudden Illness
Since my child started daycare, their sudden illnesses have become a part of daily life.
At first, I would panic every time I got a call, but now I can handle it with the mindset that "it was bound to happen."
I don't have any special measures in place; I just make a few adjustments to how I structure my work. Since I started operating under the assumption that "sudden events are normal," I feel more at ease even when I get a call from daycare.
In this post, I've summarized what I do on a regular basis as a work-from-home freelancer to prepare for my child's sudden illnesses while raising them.
Treating sudden illness as a "given"
My oldest child started daycare at a year and a half old.
It was the second day of daycare. Even though they were still in the adjustment period, I got a call right away.
In the end, they couldn't even attend half the month. For over a year after that, they continued to leave early or miss days due to illness almost every month.
From this experience, I realized that a child's illness is not a "what if" scenario, but something that "will definitely happen."
Accepting this as a premise changes how you act and how you feel when you get that call. I decided to organize my daily work routine in advance so that I could think, "It was bound to happen."
My personal rule of scheduling meetings in the morning
While sending my child to daycare, I learned that calls from the school often come in the afternoon. In my oldest child's case, their fever would often spike after their nap or they would start feeling unwell during afternoon activities.
Because of this, I decided to schedule meetings and other appointments with people in the morning.
I basically reserve the afternoon for tasks I can do on my own. By doing this, I've been able to minimize the impact on my schedule even when I get a sudden call.
How to structure workload and deadlines to make taking time off easier
To be able to handle sudden time off, I design my workload and deadlines with plenty of buffer time in advance.
I set all my deadlines for the end of the month.
If deadlines are scattered throughout the month, it becomes difficult to adjust when my child's illnesses overlap. By aligning them at the end of the month, it has become easier to manage things even when there are some irregularities.
I adjust my workload to be around 4 days a week, 6 hours a day.If I assume I'll be working full-time every day, I won't have any flexibility when I suddenly need to take time off.
Building in buffer time beforehandis what I feel allows me to continue working without undue stress.
Building relationships with clients on a regular basis
To prepare for sudden time off, I make it a point to build a relationship of trust with my clients on a regular basis.
First, I clearly communicate my situation before starting any work.
I explain that I am unavailable after 5:00 PM on weekdays, on weekends, and on holidays, and that urgent requests may be difficult to handle depending on my child's health.
Sharing this information upfrontmakes it easier to make adjustments when the need arises.
Also, for writing projects, I make sure to have the outline and direction confirmed in advance.
This is because if I proceed and the result is 'not what they imagined,' it takes extra time and effort to revise.
By frequently aligning our understanding, it leads to smoother progress and delivery.
Occasionally, clients will offer words of concern for my situation.
Although I have never actually caused them any trouble, I feel that building these relationships daily is the best preparation of all.
Preparing with Sick Child Care and Daily Infection Prevention
I haven't actually used sick child care services yet, but I have registered just in case.
I feel that just knowing there is an option available gives me peace of mind.
As for daily infection prevention, I have my child wash their hands immediately after coming home and change from their outdoor clothes into indoor clothes.
I'm not sure how effective it is, but I continue this as a habit to help us live comfortably.
It is difficult to be perfectly prepared.
Even so, I feel that these small, cumulative efforts form the foundation that allows me to continue working while raising a child.
Thank you very much for reading until the end.
I will continue to update my experiences regarding working, living, and parenting as a freelancer in a regional area in my note magazine, "Parenting Records of a Freelancer Who Moved to the Countryside".
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