As someone who’s relatively new to freelancing, the thought of taking proper time off was a little bit terrifying. I’d taken trips away before, but I’d always had my laptop with me and done odd bits of work while I was gone.
This time, it was going to be different. I purposefully didn’t take my laptop as I knew it would remove the temptation to ‘just do a bit of work’. I really needed a proper break.
In the weeks leading up to my trip, I worked really long hours. I had a couple of projects that I needed to finish before I went away, plus my usual work for regular clients that I wanted to get through as well.
I didn’t feel particularly organised and there never seemed to be enough hours in the day, but I got through everything, set up an out of office reply on my email and eventually turned my computer off and didn’t look at it again for a week.
And it was brilliant. I really needed time out for myself, to refresh and just relax. I hadn’t realised how tired I’d been getting until I stopped. So, I spent a week exploring Ireland with my mum. We visited some family and friends and drove wherever we felt like each day.
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| Following the road less-travelled |
Lots of nice walks, stunning scenery and a few pints of Guinness. I barely thought about work the whole time. I checked my emails on my phone a couple of times to make sure nothing urgent had come up and, of course, everything was fine.
When I got home, I felt energised. I wanted to get back to work and I felt good sitting down at my laptop again. It didn’t feel like a chore. None of my clients had missed me and I realised that I need to stop stressing and take time out more often.
In this world where we’re always connected it can be hard to get off the grid. I’ve written before about trying to kick the addiction to our mobile devices and it’s certainly a challenge.
As a freelancer, where you’re not paid for any time off you take, it can be really difficult to let go. But I’ve realised that at some point you have to. If you don’t you just burn out and then you’re no good to anyone. I was getting to that point and it made me realise that I need to be more careful.
Since I’ve come back from my holiday I’ve made a conscious effort to chill out and to plan downtime into every day; and I’m feeling better for it. And after months of telling myself I’ll do yoga every day I’ve finally slotted that into my routine too, which has made a big difference to my back and my mood.
With my work balance shifting now towards more SUP teaching and a bit less writing, I need to be careful that I don’t take on too much. Saying no to work when you freelance is scary, but sometimes it’s necessary and I’m getting more comfortable with it. I’m also excited about the idea of going on more holidays in the coming year, knowing that I can relax and that my work will still be here when I get back.
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| Getting off the grid sometimes is important |
