Working to tight and longer lead deadlines is all part of life as a freelance healthcare and medical journalist. But it can also be very stressful at times, particularly when things don’t go to plan. That’s why finding ways to decompress afterwards is also key.
I’ve recently been working on a fast turnaround deadline writing a news article for a medical title. This involved speaking with a European healthcare expert who didn’t have English as a first language. It meant we had to switch to an email interview (and thanks to Google Translate for helping with this!) but it made for a stressful experience. This included chasing my expert while travelling by train to a gig and regularly checking my work emails over the weekend to see if comment had come back yet.
It turned out well in the end, although it was all a little last minute! Although I met my deadline as planned, I did feel stressed afterwards. This also reminded me of some advice I received recently from a business coach. She talked about the importance of decompressing regularly. Adding that after an intense work period or when you’ve experienced deadline stress, it’s important to switch off.
“After an intense work period, it’s important to decompress”
Business coach advice
How I managed my deadline stress was via a late evening treadmill run as it was a quick way to unwind and shake off the day. On top of this, I’ve also gifted myself a festive gift in the form of a spa day voucher (via a Black Friday deal, naturally) as a bigger way to say thanks to my freelance self for my efforts. It’s also a crafty way to cement in my diary some much-needed switching off time.
And relax…
Ps if you could use the help of an experienced healthcare and medical journalist, let’s talk!