Are You Protecting Your Weekends at All Costs?
An irony I’m constantly reminded of as I write for Contract Worker is that success at freelancing occasionally involves mimicking the best practices of corporate workers. That makes sense, because work is still work, whether you’re working for yourself or the man. What’s productive for an employee may prove the same for a contract worker.
So the fact that freelancers also have much to gain by keeping their weekends free is no surprise. I consider it ok to work as much as you want during the work week (Monday to Friday). But the weekend should only be for catching up on sleep, for rest and relaxation, for trying out new things. Definitely not for making a living.
Even if you’re very passionate about what you do for a living, constantly working is simply unhealthy. Friends, family, and loved ones will suffer. And a mind that’s constantly busy will have a hard time coming up with new ideas or perspectives that are needed for success. In other words, it’s crucial to have weekly rest. Do everything possible to make sure you can enjoy it. Work extra hours during the week if needed.
And the best thing is, since you probably control your schedule, you can mix things up. Like “distribute” the weekend. Work on Saturdays, relax on Sundays and Wednesdays for instance. A luxury enjoyed mostly by freelancers. Just be sure to stick to whatever scheme you choose!
It doesn’t matter if you believe in the four day work week or not. What’s important is that every week of your life should have a rest period. Must have a rest period. Perhaps the only valid exception is when you’re scrambling to meet those looming deadlines. But that shouldn’t be regular occurrence in the first place.
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POSTED IN: Living as a Freelancer, What's Great About Freelancing
9 opinions for Are You Protecting Your Weekends at All Costs?
Broc
Mar 8, 2007 at 5:01 am
i completely agree with you
i personally work for an hour, maybe a little longer and then i will go play a video game for 10-20 minutes before resuming work
ive found this to be tremendously helpful for those days that i am doing brain-numbing tasks such as submitting to directories and whatnot
Rico
Mar 8, 2007 at 6:38 pm
Well, if I tried doing what you do, nothing would get done. But I understand where you’re coming from. :)
Jo
Mar 27, 2007 at 11:21 am
I definitely agree with you. I have recently made the huge step of moving my working space out of home and into an office. It’s taken some time to adjust to working ‘normal’ hours as opposed to 12 hour days and some on the weekends. But i’ve forced myself to change the way i work and most importantly the way i plan my work so i’m not setting myself completely unrealistic deadlines. I now love it. I leave my office every night and work is over for the day, and having free weekends has just transformed my life. What was i doing all those years?!!
Rico
Mar 28, 2007 at 3:23 am
Kudos to you, for being able to afford an office. :) It’s possible to work at home effectively, but being in a completely different location really helps. I hope it isn’t too far from your house though…
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