As an avid Freelance Switch reader, I find that their posts offer me a guiding light through the darker moments of the freelance life. One of the more important lessons that they often remind me of, is the art of balancing work and play. As any entrepreneur will tell you, it can be difficult to shut off the business mindset, even if it’s just a dim light hiding in the back of your mind while you pretend to relax. That being said, I wanted to share a bit of their advice about “making downtime mandatory” on this rainy Friday afternoon.
“It’s a given that you work hard – you push yourself to the limits to meet deadlines, create satisfied customers and spread the word about what you do – and you’ve reaped the rewards for your efforts. But have you gone too far? It’s easy to get so bogged down in client work that you never do anything for yourself anymore. But didn’t you get into freelancing in the first place so you could live life on your own terms?
Instead of working yourself to the bone, schedule time in each week for something you want to do, whether it’s an energizing yoga class, a long walk in the park or an early Thursday matinee. Knowing that you have some “you time” hard-scheduled into your week will help take the edge off of your work stress. And if you’re worried you don’t have the time for downtime, consider this – knowing you have a little less time to get everything done will help you stay more focused when it’s time to take care of business. Then you can concentrate on working hard with the knowledge that you’re going to be playing hard as well.”
The art of relaxation is one that is not often celebrated by successful entrepreneurs, but should be. Who knows, you might just spark a new idea while you’re unwinding.
photo courtesy of hollin.elizabeth
Alexis Siemons is a freelance writer and creative business consultant living in Philadelphia. She has a passion for language and explores it in her blog, The Lexicon . When not using both hands to feverishly type, she balances a teacup in one while working on her tea blog.
