As a freelancer, I at all times questioned, “What would occur if I wanted to take an prolonged medical depart?”
I’m not the type of particular person to take a month-long journey, and I’ve by no means taken greater than 7-10 days off at a time (which requires meticulous planning forward of time!). If I don’t work, my income is $0. I run a solo enterprise, so my earnings is 100% depending on me. So what would occur if I couldn’t work?
Would my purchasers perceive?
Would my social media engagement take a nosedive?
Would my enterprise crumble?
I discovered this yr once I was recognized with a mind tumor. Not precisely what I used to be anticipating. I wanted mind surgical procedure, and restoration was anticipated to take a minimal of six weeks — presumably longer.
I solely had six weeks between my analysis and surgical procedure. I’ve at all times been a Extremely Organized Individual, so I kicked into gear. Making ready for an prolonged medical depart — together with getting ready my social media — was needed as a solo enterprise proprietor. It additionally gave me a way of management when so many different issues felt outdoors of my management.
Right here’s what I did.
Three years in the past, I began my freelance writing enterprise, writing long-form content material for B2B SaaS corporations, principally fintech. My social media presence has been essential for my enterprise. I’m energetic on LinkedIn, and it’s one of many major methods purchasers discover me.
Virtually all of my enterprise is inbound, both via LinkedIn or my web site (and I’m fairly positive that web site inquiries discover me on LinkedIn first). I sometimes schedule two posts per day, plus spend time participating with different individuals.
I additionally create sources for solopreneurs and share content material on different social media platforms (like Threads) — although I’m not relying on them to search out purchasers proper now. (Outdoors of LinkedIn, my social media presence is extra geared in the direction of supporting fellow freelancers and solopreneurs.)
I do know that may sound like so much, however I’ve a very environment friendly system that helps me do all this. I chatted with Buffer about it a number of months again, when you’d prefer to be taught extra:
Even with that system in place, going silent on social media for such a protracted time frame made me nervous. I believed the algorithms would punish me if I “disappeared,” making it more durable to ramp up once more later.
My plan for this prolonged day off was to do what I might to maintain my social media presence as energetic as doable. Even when I couldn’t interact with different individuals, I might pre-schedule content material for my profiles.
How I ready to step away
I figured I would wish sufficient content material to cowl eight weeks of medical depart. I let a number of of my social profiles go silent, however I needed to maintain LinkedIn, Threads, Bluesky, and my LinkedIn Firm Web page energetic.
Lowered my posting frequency
I created a Google Sheet to trace the variety of posts I wanted to create for every profile to cowl eight weeks. LinkedIn, for instance, was twice a day, on daily basis. At 14 posts per week, I wanted to jot down 112 posts… on prime of writing common social media content material within the weeks main as much as surgical procedure.
I shortly realized that I might not write sufficient posts to cowl my posting frequency. Social media wasn’t the one factor I wanted to fret about. I even have long-form content material (like my Substack), together with shopper work. And except for my enterprise, I additionally wanted to jot down notes and directions for my mother and father, who can be taking good care of my children whereas I used to be within the hospital.
In the long run, I modified my Posting Schedule in Buffer to cut back the Posting Instances for every channel. I submit a lot, however requested myself, “What’s an inexpensive quantity to maintain my profile energetic?” I decreased the variety of posts to lower than half of my regular quantity. As an alternative of posting twice a day on LinkedIn, I made a decision to submit as soon as per day and skip weekends.
Relied on my backlog of potential posts
One other step in my preparation was going via my backlog of content material concepts. I’ve a very giant repository of concepts for social media posts. A whole bunch. I had no scarcity of concepts… simply not sufficient time to do the precise writing.
I accumulate submit concepts from automations I’ve arrange. Zapier creates draft social posts primarily based on my long-form content material and podcast transcripts. I exploit a mixture of Zapier and ChatGPT to rewrite posts from one platform (LinkedIn) in order that they match the vibe of one other platform (Threads). I additionally re-share hyperlinks to weblog posts I’ve written up to now.
As soon as I’d decreased my Posting Schedule in Buffer, I began working via my queue of concepts. Some had drafts that solely wanted a small quantity of modifying. Others have been nothing greater than a passing thought.
I attempt to share a range — text-based posts, pictures, and hyperlinks — so I labored via my backlog till I’d created sufficient posts for eight weeks of content material.
Requested buddies to assist
I used to be apprehensive about “posting and ghosting.” The rumor on many social platforms is that when you submit and don’t interact, you’ll diminish your attain.
Although I’ve at all times pre-scheduled my content material, I’m at all times on the social platforms to interact with individuals all through the day.
A number of buddies requested how they might assist. I requested them to interact with my posts by both reacting or commenting. I hoped the algorithms wouldn’t punish me too badly if there was some engagement on my posts. It was a means they might assist that didn’t require an excessive amount of effort.
For the primary few weeks after my surgical procedure, I wasn’t capable of log into my social platforms in any respect. I had some imaginative and prescient points and couldn’t deal with the glare from screens. Throughout that point, my buddies got here via for me. Some even re-shared my content material to their very own networks.
Why I paused my Buffer queue
I managed to hit my objective. By the point my surgical procedure date arrived, my Buffer queues have been full and prepared. Eight weeks of content material, fastidiously deliberate and pre-scheduled.
Nonetheless, I ultimately paused my Threads queue in Buffer whereas I used to be recovering. On the time, I nonetheless had greater than 90 posts within the queue.
As quickly as I used to be capable of sort, I began sharing real-time updates on Threads. Every time I shared updates, I acquired a lot of help and encouragement — from full strangers. Numerous individuals replied, “You’ve acquired this!” or “I had mind surgical procedure additionally, I do know what you’re going via.”
Due to this, it felt bizarre to intermix posts like “I had a follow-up appointment with my neurosurgery group at present” and pre-scheduled content material like “Listed below are instruments you should utilize to arrange your freelance enterprise!”
As soon as I used to be again to work, I unpaused my queue and re-shuffled my posts into new Posting Instances.
Six weeks after my mind surgical procedure, I began working once more at a really low degree. I knew I had a number of weeks of pre-scheduled content material left, after which I’d want to begin writing posts once more.
It has been more durable than I believed. At first, I used to be combating fatigue and wanted to place my power into my shopper work. A number of extra weeks handed, and I nonetheless struggled to get again to my regular routine with social media posts.
Maybe I ought to have deliberate for an extended depart and pre-written 10 weeks of content material as a substitute of eight. That means, I’d have had extra of a buffer (pun meant?) as I ramped again up. However I’m unsure that might have been lifelike, given my time constraints.
Nonetheless, the experiment with fewer posts was one. I don’t really feel like my enterprise fell aside. I’m glad I pre-scheduled content material to maintain my profiles energetic, however I’m additionally glad that I gave myself some grace to jot down much less.
Throughout my depart, my inbound leads slowed considerably. I had totally prepped my digital assistant to answer leads once I couldn’t, however she barely needed to do something. I don’t know this for positive, however my intestine says that individuals noticed on my LinkedIn profile that I used to be recovering from surgical procedure — although I solely posted occasional updates. As soon as I used to be again to working (and made an announcement to that impact), the inbound leads resumed.
Do what works for you
I’d by no means inform somebody that they want to do as a lot prep work as I did. I used to be fortunate that I had a number of weeks to arrange, nevertheless it may need been a really completely different scenario if I’d wanted extra fast medical consideration.
I additionally discovered the prep work to be distraction. Nonetheless, that’s my persona. I might have as a substitute taken the time to deal with different issues.
You matter most in your corporation. If writing social media posts prematurely of a medical depart stresses you out, don’t do it. Step away, and your social media accounts will likely be ready for you if you’re prepared.
