Take A Day Off

There’s a lot to be said about investing time into yourself, not just your business.

Over the past few months, I’ve been incredibly stuck in the motions. It happens from time to time, but this year I’ve really been stuck in my own headspace. I’ve not felt motivated to work, socialise, or really do anything for myself; instead, I’ve chosen to sleep and spend time with the dog.

I know why i’ve felt this way, I’ve been burning myself out for years. Struggling to separate free time from work time and create hobbies for myself outside of writing and working, it was bound to hit me hard eventually.

But with the burden of running a freelance business, it really can be hard to not feel guilty about taking a bit of time for you, and even when your body demands a break, the denial means you’re less than prepared to take time off - your clients, your business, and you suffer.

So as I emerge out of the isolation cave I placed myself in, I thought I’d try take this time away and turn it into something positive, a learning experience to beat all others.

Need a break from your business and finally invest time in yourself? Here’s what you need to do:

Map it out

What clients do you have and what are their weekly deliverables? Although you’re probably organised enough to make sure that this information is stored somewhere, looking through what needs to be done can help you plan a “batch cook” day where all content and emails are scheduled in advance.

Consider hiring help

Fiverr might not be the best platform in my books, but it can be a great way to help businesses ticking over when you really need a break.

For Fiverr, I really would recommend shopping around and finding a freelancer you’re able to build a solid rapore with.

Decide if your clients should know

I’ve seen both sides of this argument, so i’ll leave the choice up to you here - should you let your clients know you’re taking some much needed time away. The types of clients you have on the roster will likely dictate your response to this. Some may encourage you to take some time off, as long as the work is done and done right, others might ask you to push it back to make sure they get the value they were promised.

Sorting out the business to allow for some much needed time off can be stressful, but at least it promised you have something to come back to when you’re ready.

We all need a bit of time to unwind and enjoy the brain rot, but there’s responsibilities we can’t ignore (as much as we may want to).