If you are a self-employed freelancer, or run your own small business, there is a very strong possibility that you are working a little more than the traditional 9-5! Indeed, a report cited in the Telegraph in February this year described the fact that the average working week of freelancers is around 65 hours, and that self-employed people typically take just 14 days of holiday per year, with one in eight freelancers taking NO DAYS OFF AT ALL…. does that sound familiar?
Though it’s terribly easy to get caught up in the cycle of working all hours of the day to make sure you meet your billable hours’ quota when you don’t have the safety net of sick pay or holiday pay to fall back on, it’s not good to go ‘all in’ when it comes to work. Burnout is definitely an issue that I see too many freelancers having to tackle – an issue that itself can lead to greater physical, mental and financial pressure! It’s a downward spiral of work, exhaustion and general gloominess if you don’t get on top of your work-life balance early enough.
So before I have to come round and have a serious word with you, make sure you book some time out over the next few months. Even if it is just a long weekend or two and you only have to commit to a shortened Friday or Monday and – shock horror – not actually checking your work emails over the weekend, your body and mind will thank you for it! I’m pretty sure that most of your clients take the odd day off every now and then, and that they also don’t think you are a robot or the Duracell bunny. It’s widely accepted that people need some time away from work every now and then, so if you book it in the diary and notify your clients – if appropriate – and ensure that their work is either completed in advance or covered by another individual, I’m pretty sure you won’t get many complaints! And if you do, it may be time to ask yourself whether those clients are actually right for you…
In my experience, a rested and happy freelancer/business owner is an effective and efficient freelancer/business owner. When you’re tired, you are more likely to make mistakes and become frustrated or upset by the smallest of things – ever been so tired that you’ve had a minor meltdown at an essential computer update or realising that the capitalisation in the last email you sent wasn’t quite right? (No? Me neither…) These are signs that you definitely need a break – whether that is a week in the sunshine or an afternoon out for copious amounts of tea and cake.
Of course, it’s so much easier to commit to a holiday if you have a network of support who can shoulder the burden of your work for a day or week! If you can’t complete urgent customer work before you go away, or if a customer needs some kind of email/telephone/online support in place whilst you are away, why not consider outsourcing? There are a number of businesses out there, like Personally Virtual, who can provide a range of remote business support services, either long term or short term, to help support businesses just like yours. And trust me, it is so much easier to turn on your own personal ‘Out of Office’ safe in the knowledge that your customers are receiving high quality support in your absence.
So why not book in some ‘you’ time this Summer, if you haven’t already? I guarantee that you’ll return feeling refreshed and revitalised and ready to continue building your successful small business.
Bon voyage!