One of my favorite parts of being a voice-over actor, and therefore a freelance worker, is the freedom and flexibility that comes with it. I often record wearing cozy, comfortable clothes and frumpy house slippers. It’s one of the perks of being “behind the scenes”. I love the logistical latitude to go on my two young kids’ field trips and pick them up daily from school. They are still in elementary school so I know their willingness to let me hang around them is fleeting. Those times are priorities for me and my family.
However, the freedom and flexibility does seem to be a double-edged sword: sometimes it’s hard to put my voice-over work first. At times, I want to take care of the endless family and household chores that come with being a parent and a partner, and I’d rather clear that to-do list first.
The squeaky wheel gets the grease, right?
My kids and husband (and two dogs!) can squeak pretty loud, letting me know what they need taken care of, often with urgency! Or maybe I simply want to get out of the isolation of my home studio and go to lunch with a friend. Tex-Mex and girl talk can cure what ails you!
As a result, I often feel guilty for not always making voice-over the priority because if I don’t do it, no one will! If I don’t get my agents’ or pay-to-play casting sites’ auditions in, the “failure” is all mine. If I don’t book the job, contact that marketing lead on LinkedIn, or make a new Instagram post, that’s all on me – and that can feel like a very heavy load.
Do you ever waste your time thinking about everything you aren’t doing, then you realize you have used up all your precious time deep in procrastination?
I have (and still do!) struggle with a dynamic combination of guilt and procrastination. But not to worry, I have found some things that have helped me sustain a career in voice-over for almost two decades!
At the beginning of every week, I make a voice-over related to-do list. These are the things that are outside of my daily voice-over work. Examples might be: edit and upload pictures to my website; research a new voice-over coach and book a session; batch create social media posts; or review unpaid invoices and contact clients. Work that happens maybe monthly or seasonally, usually on an as-needed basis. I limit that list to about four or five needed actions. That way it is do-able and not overwhelming – that is key for me.
The way my schedule works with voice-over coaching sessions, on-going voice-over work, and daily auditions, I have enough time to usually fit in at least one or two of my four or five weekly to-dos daily. Checking each one of those off makes me feel super accomplished and takes away the guilt of not doing it all because I know I am steadily working toward my week’s end goal. If in the middle of the week I decide to go to the local theater with a bunch of second graders, or lunch with girlfriends, then I will go, hopefully guilt free, knowing that not everything has to be done today – because I’ve padded my calendar with wiggle room to live life and allow for fun.
By not feeling overwhelmed with my list, my procrastination stays at bay. I know I am able to accomplish the tasks that sometimes feel hard to start but in actuality can take only a small amount of time. By checking off my list and making voice-over a priority some of the time, even if not all of the time, I’m able to fend off the freelance guilt.
It’s great to love what you do. Voice-over is my literal dream job and I’m thrilled to do it. But make time for you too! You will even bring more to your performances with more life experience.
Check out our free PDF with pro-tips from real working voice-over actors here!
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