Freelancing Angst: When The Work Never Ends!

Far be it for me to say that someone is working too hard, but when I read an article this week in The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) detailing the endless work week that some freelancers are experiencing, I immediately thanked God that I wasn’t in their shoes. In, “For the Self-Employed, It’s an Endless Workweek,” the WSJ showcased an emerging trend among some freelancers who fearing the current job market, they cancel or shorten vacations; leave home fully connected with laptop, blackberry or cell phone nearby; or embrace some other behavior that leaves everyone else miserable and themselves tired.

I Work All Night I Work All Day…

Life can be like a ball and chain if you never get a break. But for some freelancers, work is a never ending quest as they worry about getting the next gig and paying their bills.

I’m not surprised that the trend to work all of the time has been emerging. After all, with work hard to come by and with more freelancers then ever to count among the competition, any delay getting back to a potential customer could mean lost business. Perhaps forever. People know that if you’re not available someone else is, especially if they’re looking to use you to work on a one-off project such as writing a press release, updating web content or helping them with a time sensitive marketing campaign.

But I have to say that if I worked as hard as some of these people do without taking a break, then something has to give. And that “give” would likely come in the form of harming my health; neglecting my wife and children; or simply failing to deliver my best work because I’m tired all of the time.

…To Pay The Bills I Have To Pay…

Last month, my family and I packed our stuff up and headed from our home in North Carolina to see family in New Jersey where we hail from. We left on a Thursday and returned on a Tuesday, a short trip but long enough for us to see just about everyone, including some relatives we hadn’t seen since our last trip back in 2006. Yes, I brought my laptop along and I had my cell phone on, but we still managed to have a good time as I limited my “work” to checking my email once in the morning and again in the evening.

Thankfully, there were no fires to put out and, even though I didn’t tell most of my current clients that I was going away, the one query I had was able to put off until the day after we returned. There is no way that I would have canceled the trip – I needed a break personally and our family needed to get away together. I returned refreshed and ready to tackle the world and as for my immediate family they were thrilled to reconnect with aunts, uncles and cousins they hadn’t seen in some time.

…Ain’t It Sad!

I’m of the mind that some work that can’t wait is not worth doing in the first place. I suppose that this is easy for me to say when my workload is heavy, as it has been throughout the year, but there comes a point when a few days of uninterrupted break is not only beneficial but necessary if you are to recharge your batteries and connect with family and friends without being permanently tethered to your work.

So, how about you? Have you been able to take a break yet this summer? If so, did you take a “working break” or did you manage to disconnect from your computer and connect with those whom you love?

Photo Credit: Jeff Prieb

Song Credit: Abba — Money! Money! Money!

Summer Breaks: So Very Refreshing!

Sneaking away from home without laptop in tow is the best form of relaxation, especially with the waves at your feet, sun up above, and sand all around.

Catching A Break

Last Friday, I did something I hadn’t done in several years: I left my home with my family and headed away for a five-day, four-night seaside excursion. We’ve been away several times over these past several years, but there was a big difference this time: I did not have my laptop with me nor did I stop by the local library or cyber cafe to check my email.

Yes, I was internet-free for several days and that short bit of freedom was a welcome relief.

Blogging In Advance

I knew back in early June that I would catch a break, but I wasn’t certain until a few weeks ago that I would actually be able to leave my laptop behind. Because I write for several blogs with some of that writing done on a daily basis, I knew that in order to get away without blogging, I’d need to write many articles in advance. Without doing that it would have meant me logging on at least once daily, writing for several hours, and checking my email to respond to feedback. Certainly, not my idea of a vacation.

My good planning paid off!

To give myself a needed break, I started to blog ahead about two months ago. By the time that I left for vacation, my most popular blogs each had a week’s worth of articles in queue, scheduled to appear in the wee hours of the morning thanks to WordPress’ scheduling capabilities. Each blog is set up to ping the internet and with select backlinks added in, bring visitors to each site.

It worked.

4 Benefits of Traveling Laptop Free

The benefits of not being wired for several days included:

• Spending extra special time with my wife and children.
• Exploring the area where we stayed by visiting a museum, aquarium, shops, restaurants, etc.
• Not being rigidly scheduled which meant we could all relax.
• The chance to consider other important aspects of our lives without a computer getting in the way.

Though the trip away was a few days shorter than originally planned, it seemed as if we were away for much longer. No crowds to deal with, no spam mail to cull through, and no fires to put out. Even if one or more of my sites were to go down, I knew that I’d be able to restore everything upon my return. Thank God, no mischief took place while we were away.

You Can Go PC Free Too!

I am sharing this with you to say that you can put the laptop away for a few days and head out too. What seems like urgency often isn’t, not important stuff that simply can wait. If you still haven’t taken a break this summer and have plans to escape, consider going internet-free for at least a few days.

You’ll feel better and those you are with will enjoy your company; what could be better than that?