What do you do when you burn out?

Lynne Level 1

September 29, 2016, 8:16 pm

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What do you do when you burn out?

Have you ever burnt yourself out as a freelancer and what steps do you take when and if burn out happens to you.

In a good few of our conversations it is quite clear that a lot of freelancers put in a huge amount of hours each day, often 7 days a week and 365 days a year.

We have had a few discussions about when freelancers take time off and times vary but one thing stays the same, we all go where we have an internet connection and we still put in some time even if it is just checking emails... so the truth is we never really switch off completely do we?

If I worked a 9 - 5 job I would get 3 weeks off over Christmas holidays which is the norm for a lot of corporate companies. The doors close for 3 weeks so there is no work to do.

How do you think this affects us long term as freelancers?

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TommyCarey

TommyCarey

Getting burnt out is pretty common amongst freelancers like us. I know that I've hit a few walls after working 10+ hours a day on a single website for a month straight and then nothing comes out of it. I'll do all the research prior to setting up the website and then begin to set everything up if the research shows me any potential. I see it as putting in 500 hours to a website that I have to work 1 to 2 hours a week on after launch and it will be successful, but sometimes it doesn't work out like that and it's a killer on motivation

I've come to get use to this and I wish I had the funds to pay people to market the websites so I can focus on everything else there is to do with my business.

When I feel like I'm getting burnt out I'll take a few days off and go on a fishing or camping trip. Nothing crazy, just out of state for a couple of days with the family. Last year I went down to visit my sister in Ohio for a few days with the family because it was my nephews birthday. I didn't think I was going to be able to go because I had a ton of work to finish up, but I was getting burnt out and decided to go anyway. It was actually a blessing because I came back and knocked out all of my work in a day lol. I felt like a new man and had a ton of motivation to get sh*t done lol.

Everyone will hit a wall or get burnt out at some point but you have to overcome this or you'll never be happy with your work. You have to go out and do something you like which will relieve some stress. For me it's fishing, video games or playing with my little girl, nieces or nephews for a day

And if I can bring the little ones out fishing for a weekend I think I'll be able to put up a website to rival Google when I came back haha

8 years ago

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Lynne

Lynne

Razzy I think what you highlighted here is really important. We all think we need to just keep on working, hammering away at out businesses. But the truth is that when we do this we become less productive over time. Taking a break to rejuvenate can be just what we need to come back revitalized and full of energy to tackle the things on our to do list.

I also find that the time off clears my head so that when I come back to my work I am full of new ideas too!

8 years ago

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EliteWriter

EliteWriter

With all the hours we put in, and the fact that we basically have our office right at home, and we can carry it with us anywhere we have an internet connection, it is indeed easy to end up getting stressed out. I have sometimes reached a point where I felt exhausted and the worst thing about these occasions is that you just cannot concentrate and do anything properly no matter how hard you try. So I figured out it is best not to push myself any further and just stop. I either play a game, go to do some chores or errands, and sometimes take a nap or sleep earlier. Afterwards i feel more refreshed and productive.

8 years ago

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Lynne

Lynne

Yes I totally agree with you EliteWriter. When we reach that point that it takes an hour or two to struggle to get a simple task done that we would normally be able to complete in a few minutes then we know we have passed that point of being productive and useful haven't we? Even if we have a deadline it is best to take time off!

8 years ago

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CryptoGuru

CryptoGuru

This is a good one! What do i do when i burn out? I try and clear my head by starting a fire in my fire pit out back or ATV riding. I have issues dealing with stress and anger so i try and channel my emotions lol. Im finding myself burnt out not by work but by financial stress and its killing me! As a small business owner and a self made Boss life has its ups and its downs, could i work 9-5?? o yea ofcourse and get sick time and vacation time, but i have to go to work everyday and do what a boss tells me to do even if that means working overtime and missing important family events. The sacrifices i made was for my family and no matter how crazy things get i will always keep pushing.

8 years ago

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Lynne

Lynne

Oh my gosh yes Jekyz2 financial stress can really be painful. I know what you mean. Especially when you have a family to support. I hope everything goes a bit smoother for you soon.

8 years ago

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Cristian

Cristian

It has been quite a while since my last burned down and the last time I used to work a lot more hours at my day job plus freelancing. From my point of view nobody can keep that pace up indefinitely, eventually, you are going to crash and it won't be pretty.

I remember taking time off from work and just sleep for a couple of days, after the sleeping maroon I usually didn't have any desire to get back in business with a fresh attitude. I still needed to take things slow not doing anything substantial for a few more days, that's how burning manifests, for me at least.

8 years ago

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Lynne

Lynne

Yeah when I burn out I can feel like a complete crash, I am not really able to do any work for a while. I think the last time I had burn out I was woman down for just over a week. I just ate and slept and stared at the wall.

8 years ago

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PinkTurtle

PinkTurtle

I sleep it away! It is a common thing among freelancer, especially if you had a rough week, month or day. It can come from something as simple as a rough day. The best thing for me it's to take a nap, get a nice warm bath and just start fresh. Bathing clears the mind a lot. Sometimes it's good to take a vacation if you can too.

7 years ago

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Barida

Barida

Relaxation is one sure way to handle the issue of burnout in the course of our work as freelancers. I know that it is not always easy, especially for those of us that combines both working as freelancers as well as having an offline work that pays us, but taking some days off during the month to relax and have fun is a great way to recharge our batteries for better performance in our workplaces as well as an online staff.

7 years ago

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Corzhens

Corzhens

Not only in freelancing but in any job or endeavor, we can suffer a burnout. It is actually mental fatigue that is the cause of burnout and the best treatment is to stay away from that work for a time. Go shopping, watch a movie or even take a short vacation. That time off will rejuvenate your mind and body.

7 years ago

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augusta

augusta

My body becomes too dull when I'm burnt and fag out all I do is rest or take a deeper form of rest to sleep.To operate at the optimal level one must rest and relax the brain.I sleep early enough to catch my breath sometimes.It never easy to get things done with weakness,so I don't bother working, I just sleep off.

7 years ago

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