7 Freelancer Stress-Busters You Can Use Today
Posted October 29, 2008 in Lifestyle, Productivity 10 Comments »
Freelancers often give the “traditionally employed” plenty of grief about the downsides of having a boss: long hours, uncertain opportunities for advancement and being under the thumb of “the man.”
But freelancing isn’t always a bed of roses, and in a lot of ways can be even more stressful than working for an employer.
We’ve all heard the stories about hard-working freelancers burning themselves out (and in some cases, we’ve been the subjects of those stories). But it doesn’t have to be that way. Before you burn out, tune in — and use — these time-tested tips to keep freelancing stress to a minimum.
Powerful Ways To Combat Freelancing Stress
- Stick to a schedule. A huge amount of our daily stress is caused by commitment overload — feeling pulled in a hundred different directions at once. Deciding what you’re going to work on each day and laying out your tasks in order can help you focus and dial down the stress. If you know you’ll get to other tasks later in your schedule, it’s easier to push them out of your thoughts in the here and now. Sounds simplistic — but most stressed-out people aren’t doing this.
- Schedule downtime. If you work yourself to the bone and then feel like you need to take a break or you’ll snap, you’re likely to take longer breaks than you need to just to recover (and in some cases, you’ll just throw in the towel for the day). You know your limits better than anyone, so when planning your workday schedule some time for yourself before you know you’ll reach your breaking point.
- Make downtime restorative. When most people take breaks, they just do something to distract themselves — a little YouTube, a little web-surfing, or some other “empty calorie” equivalent. If you get caught up in that, you’ll never feel refreshed afterward. Make breaks an opportunity to do something to balance work and play — devour those novels you’ve meant to read, hit the treadmill or yoga mat for 15 minutes, or just take a walk and appreciate your life. More balance = a happier you.
- Shut out distractions. If you’re feeling overworked, maybe it’s because you’re working at half the speed you’re capable of. As fun as Twitter, Gmail notifier and their lot are, the addictive thrill of instant notifications is probably draining your ability to focus and slowing you down. Experiment with shutting down your external internet stuff for one- or two-hour blocks and compare your focus and stress levels with how you feel when you’re “always on” — there’s a noticeable difference.
- Define a quitting time. If you don’t have a time you’ve set to close up shop, you’re going to be plugged in so much that you’ll never feel like you can relax. Set the most important part of business hours — quitting time — and stick to it. You’ll find your focus improve instantly, and if you fall behind you’ll discover that it’s less stressful to show up earlier tomorrow to catch up than it is burning the midnight oil.
- Stop tolerating and start demanding. The saying “you have what you tolerate” is 100% true — and it’s something that’s directly under your control. If you’re stressed about your current working conditions, you have to take responsibility and realize that you’re living according to the level of life you’ve decided to tolerate. You want to be free of something? Stop tolerating it. Decide you’re going to raise your standards and demand that you fix the things you don’t like about your freelancing life.
- Get inspired to grow. Read the Four Hour Workweek or The E-Myth Revisited to get a healthy dose of motivation to design a freelancing lifestyle that gives you more of what you want with less of the stress you’re experiencing now. It’s hard not to read these books without feeling inspiration well up in you. And since you can get them on the cheap at Half.com, you’ve got no excuse to put them in your own library ASAP.
What Are Your Favorite Stress-Busting Tips?
When it comes to defusing freelancing stress, these strategies are only the tip(s) of the iceberg. Add your tactics of choice in the comments below and pave the way for a less stressful freelancing career for everybody. I’ll see you in the comments!
About the author: Dave Navarro is a business productivity coach who loves showing freelancers how to make more money and have more time for themselves. Get more of the good stuff at Rock Your Day or follow Dave on Twitter.
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10 Comments
Selene M. Bowlby
October 29th, 2008 at 11:34 amGreat post, Dave! One of my new year’s resolutions this year was to create a HEALTHY work/life balance… and this is still something that I’m struggling with.
Now, things are absolutely much better now that I’ve taken the freelance plunge (a little over 4 months ago). Before then I was juggling both a full time job and running my own company – which lead to very little time with my family and virtually zero time for myself. Living on 4-5 hours of sleep a night DID lead to a burn out (and ultimately to my decision to finally quit the day job – I just COULDN’T handle it any more)!
Now that I’m full time freelance, I still work in a home office, therefor it’s very difficult to shut the door and forget about it at quitting time. I’ve got a good schedule, but do I stick to it? Um…. Let’s not ask my husband that one, LOL.
Thanks for the great pointers – it’s a good reminder that I do need to set some more limits and be sure to not let myself burn out again!
As for suggestions – I don’t have any because I’m just trying to figure things out for myself too, LOL.
Mason Hipp
October 29th, 2008 at 12:05 pmSelene, I think that a healthy work/life balance needs to be every freelancers New Years Resolution :-)
This article has a lot of good ways to achieve that balance. I think one of the most important points is the idea of taking “regenerative” breaks, and not just mind-numbing ones.
Of course, finding good things to do can sometimes be tricky.
Kimberly Beaven
October 29th, 2008 at 1:33 pmImpeccable timing on this one. We all need to be reminded about the balance and not burning out. Very difficult to do, but soooo necessary. And Selene, I loved your comment above – yes, do not ask my family if I am achieving true balance. They might just answer you.
QuietRebelWriter
October 29th, 2008 at 5:20 pmGreat point about the need for restorative downtime. No matter how many breaks I take during the day while still seated in my chair, my ass growing numb while I scour blogs, it never feels as good and refreshing as reading a book, taking a walk, or otherwise unplugging.
Melek
October 30th, 2008 at 10:39 amwhen i’m pressed for time, but still need a break, i’ll take lunch AWAY from my desk. That way, i don’t feel too guilty (bc heck, even freelancers should get a lunch break). And, i pair it with reading a good book while i eat. Then i come back to my desk refreshed and ready to go.
Also, if you can handle the responsibility, get a dog. They’re great at making you get up and go outside multiple times a day. :)
Beu
October 30th, 2008 at 8:48 pmWhen I’m really stressed out I try to do at least an hour of hard exercise. It makes me too tired to worry about things that I can’t control and the endorphins help.
I’d suggest joining a rec sports league in your area. You should be able to find a league that fits your skill level. A good roll in the hay works wonders as well.
Mary
November 3rd, 2008 at 9:57 amLove this post. You validate what I’ve been struggling with . Talking to my family and developing verbal agreements helps. When they understand what you need and agree to take certain steps to help you achieve it, it ends misunderstandings. Plus you can always remind them of what they agreed to, should they slip!
I just dumped some obligations that were taking time away from paid freelancing, and I feel such tremendous relief. Give it a try – it’s worth the initial discomfort.
Georgia
November 5th, 2008 at 9:34 amCheck out this fantastic new book series: How to Stay Sane When Life Isn’t. Self-care tips that anyone can use to combat stress. Contact me if you’d like more information.
Ari Lestariono
November 7th, 2008 at 1:01 amLove to read about your mission and vision, as also I was looking for and becoming freelancer writer and blogger, I would love to share ideas and perhaps learning from you guys would be of my interest.Good work
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