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Being self-employed had many, many benefits. The flexibility of when I work and how I work is just two of them. I can turn down work I’m not comfortable with, and I’m in charge of my brand and my decisions.
But it can be pretty tough too! One of the things I struggle most with is how to plan for the occasional break.
Try to organise work ahead of time
For me, the biggest thing I can do to help prepare for a break is to get ‘ahead’ of myself. Basically, don’t leave things until the last minute! I’m terrible sometimes for leaving a deadline until the deadline but all that does is cause stress. Plus it doesn’t allow me to accept work that has a super tight deadline if I’ve let longer deadlines drift.
Having a schedule helps me to stay on top of the day-to-day jobs, as well as seeing what work I have ahead of me.
Save money where you can
When you’re self-employed there’s no such thing as holiday pay! So I know when I take my summer and Christmas breaks I won’t be earning any pennies. I try and save some money where I can so that the shortfall isn’t felt so much in those weeks and I have savings I can draw down on. There are some months when tend to earn higher amounts, or secure a higher paying contract so I try to make sure that that money is moved into a different account, away from the everyday spend so I have for when I am away from work a sort of self-created holiday fund.
Establish a passive income
One of the best things you can do when you’re self-employed is to develop a passive income stream. Be it affiliate links (plenty of sites offer this), having an educational course that people can sign up to and work through, paid for printables or investing in digital currencies via https://www.virgocx.ca/#/ . Having those passive income streams mean that even when you take time off, you’re still managing to earn some money from these areas.
Switch off and enjoy the break
It can be really hard sometimes to just switch off and enjoy a break. There’s always a nagging feeling that you might be missing out on a great opportunity somewhere. The FOMO is real! I’m a firm believer in things happening for a reason and if you do miss out on a contract or a piece of work then it wasn’t meant to be. In these sorts of situations, all you can do is treat yourself to a good red wine for gift and wait for the next opportunity to present itself. It soon will!
Taking breaks from work is really important. In today’s world, it’s too easy to be switched on an replying to opportunities all the time. It can’t be done 24/7 and it simply isn’t sustainable. Everyone needs a break and ultimately we work to live, rather than live to work.
Taking a break from your work, whatever it is you do, will leave you feeling more relaxed and refreshed. You’ll return to your desk, site, or other places of work with a fresh perspective and a well-rested mind and body.
