As freelancers, it’s easy to spend most of our time in the business - delivering client work, meeting deadlines, keeping things ticking over. But if we never step back, time has a habit of running away from us. We can be swept along on a current of what people ask us to do, not thinking about if it's where we want to be heading.

This episode is a little different from the usual Being Freelance podcast format. Instead of a single guest interview, it’s a reflection on conversations with freelancers who consistently make time to work on their business - not just once a year, but regularly.

You’ll hear how different people approach this in their own way:

Some take themselves off on solo business retreats - sometimes to a hotel, sometimes just to a different room in the house — with no client work allowed. Others hold quarterly CEO retreats, stepping away from day-to-day delivery to review what’s working, what isn’t, and what they want more (or less) of.

One even does a 'Weather Report', seeing what's on the horizon for their work, personal life, creativity, and the wider world - treating their business like something that moves in seasons.

What they all have in common is this:
They don’t leave their freelance business to chance.

Regular reviews help remove mental load, bring clarity, and often make client work feel more enjoyable - because you’re no longer carrying half-finished thoughts about marketing, pricing, direction, or next steps in the back of your mind.

You’ll also hear a very practical reminder: if you want thinking time, you usually have to put it in the diary first. Two or three hours, a half day, once a month or once a quarter - it all counts.

This episode isn’t about grand five-year plans or fancy frameworks. It’s about creating space to ask better questions:

Is this still working?

Am I enjoying this?

Is this profitable?

Is this taking me where I want to go?

Because freelancing doesn’t have to be something that just happens to you. With a little regular reflection, you get to design it - deliberately.

Featuring the insights of these fantastic freelance guests, whose full episodes you should totally check out.
Follow these links for their podcast conversations.
- Writer Rebecca Rosenberg
- Designer Brennan Gilbert
- Writer & Editor Melanie Padgett Powers
- Voiceover Emma Clarke
- Market Research Consultant Katie Tucker

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Arseblog arsecast Episode 97 - AGM special