Since I started working as a coach, PT and freelance writer full-time in January, I’ve found it a steep learning curve. There’s no manual for this type of life, so I’m learning as I go. Here’s a few things I’ve learned so far.

Nobody will tell you what to do
It’s a major plus point to working for yourself – I’ve been frustrated in jobs before because ideas I’ve had haven’t been acted on or (worse) credited. So working for yourself means you get to set out the plan and do things your way, not how somebody else wants it done. But in a small way it can be a negative too. Sometimes you need someone else’s input to help you make a decision or tell you what’s best. It helps to have supportive friends around but ultimately it’s your call.

It’s cold outside
Starting in January was a good plan in theory – a fresh start at the beginning of the year and lots of people starting new training regimes or wanting help with Spring races. But it’s also cold in January and if you spend a good proportion of your day outside you’re going to get cold. So far I’ve been able to wrap up warm and, like a cold water swimmer, I think I’m starting to acclimatise. And if all else fails there’s always coffee shops.

I don’t care about money
It’s one of the first questions people (quite rudely) ask when you’re working for yourself ‘But how much are you making?’ Luckily for me 8 years in the charity sector haven’t led me to indulgent lifestyle that I now struggle to support – I’ve always chosen jobs based on what interested me and where I could make a difference, not how much I’d get paid. I didn’t realise how much on asset this would be until now.

I like running, I like coffee and I like having time to myself. All of those things come pretty cheap. So while I need to make a bit of cash to pay the rent and keep me caffeinated, the ultimate success or failure of my new lifestyle won’t be determined by whether I can earn £XX k a year, but by whether I’m making a difference to my clients.

Being a running coach isn’t conducive to good running
Rather naively I thought about all the extra time I’d have and the flexibility of my days, and I thought ‘I’ll be able to train when I want – this will be great’. But it hasn’t been quite like that. I’ve already pulled out of the ultra I was supposed to do in April because tired legs from training don’t work well when turning up to train clients and the odd mile here and there really adds up throughout the week. So I changed my focus to a half marathon which is more manageable and I’m enjoying my running a lot more now the pressure is off.

Learning to switch off
On Monday I took the afternoon off which meant not looking at my emails from about 12:30 until 5:00. I’d had a busy week getting ready for my marathon workshop and then hosting that on the Saturday. On Sunday I was back to answering emails again and Monday morning setting the training for my online coaching clients. I hadn’t had much of a weekend. It’s difficult when you do something you enjoy to take some time out from it but we all need a bit of quiet time, a bit of stillness. I’m not quite there yet but I’m getting better at it.