Your mid-year review and reflection guide
Fill your freelance first aid it, cull drudgery tasks, and be more profitable in Q3
Happy Summer Solstice, friends!
I hope you all have some time outside to celebrate nature today.
I also hope you’re able to take some time to review not just the past business quarter but also the first half of the year. This is the perfect time to reflect on your 2025 goals, the progress you’ve made, the efforts you need to start, and maybe even the goals you now realize that you must drop and reframe into something that better serves you.
With this in mind, I have the following guide for you. I highly recommend going through it with a slice of cake by your side.
Step 1: Remember Your Wins
We’re wired to forget the good stuff and fixate on what went wrong. So let’s flip that script.
What are 3 things you’ve done well in the first half of the year?
What did you handle with courage, even if it wasn’t easy?
What’s one thing you didn’t think you could do—but you did?
Write them down. You’re doing better than you think.
Step 2: Audit Your Workload – The 4Ds
Let’s talk about what you actually did.
Break your work down into four categories:
1. Drudgery: Tasks that drain you
2. Distractions: Tasks you love but don’t pay
3. Disinterest: Tasks that pay but feel flat
4. Desire: Work that lights you up and brings in revenue. This is the place where passion, proficiency, and profits collide!
Which category took up the most time last quarter? The last two quarters? What do you want more of? What needs to go? Is there something you can eliminate entirely from the drudgery category (I’ve used this category as my motivation to completely shut down social media channels! Trust me, a lot of things in this category seem non-negotiable but as it turns out, you can just… not do a lot of things and get away with it). Can the distractions be moved to your personal time to avoid them cutting into your work day? Can you build in rewards to make those disinterested tasks a bit more motivating?
Step 3: Refill Your Freelancer First Aid Kit
When things get tough, what helps you bounce back?
☐ A daily walk?
☐ Time in nature or at a gallery?
☐ Talking with friends who “get it”?
☐ Solo time with a notebook and no deadlines?
Write down 2–3 “first aid” items. Post them where you’ll see them.
Step 4: Quick Financial Reflection
Let’s keep this honest and gentle.
What kind of work sold best in Q2? Did it differ from Q1?
What was the most profitable?
What was the hardest to sell?
What was the easiest to sell?
Are you paying yourself regularly?
Based on that, will you shift anything for Q3?
Maybe you double down on what sells easiest.
Maybe you finally let go of the gig that drains you.
Maybe you raise your rates—or start planning to.
Step 5: Look Ahead
Time to move forward with intention.
What do you want to do more of in Q3?
What do you want to do less of?
What’s something new you want to start?
What’s something you’re not quite ready for—but want to explore?
Write out your top 3 goals for Q3, then add:
One concrete step for each goal
One date you’ll block off in your calendar for implementation
You Made It!
That’s your mid-year freelance reset. No spreadsheets, no guilt—just thoughtful reflection and honest planning.
You’re not behind. You’re building something.
You’ve done more than you think.
And the best stuff? It’s still ahead.
Let’s make the second half of the year lighter, brighter, and more aligned with the work (and life) you really want.
– Vanessa