I began asking for a small deposit before starting any job with people in other countries. It felt pushy at first, but now I see it as a standard practice. The upfront cash covers initial costs and shows the other party is committed. Looking back, I wish I had started doing this sooner.
I have a regular call with a client in London right when I'd normally eat lunch here. I used to just power through and get a MASSIVE headache by mid-afternoon. Now, I eat a small snack right before the call and keep water handy. It sounds simple, but it totally fixed my focus and made those cross-chat sessions way smoother.