Last Updated on: January 29th, 2021
Today’s post will explain how you can take a break from both blogging and freelancing. I will also explain why I can only do one and not both right now.
Before I give you some useful information, I want you to know that I feel like I need a vacation. Badly.
I’ve been working my butt off trying to attain some of my personal writing and publishing goals.
And, in addition to being an author, I’m also a blogger AND a freelance writer and editor. (But you knew that, right?) 😉 I have a lot of responsibilities to many people. Fortunately, I don’t have a lot of clients to deal with. Some have been one-timers, some are occasional repeaters, and one is long-term. Because my freelancing business is on the smaller side right now, I’m able to effectively take a break from freelancing. Plus, one of the upsides to freelancing is setting your own hours. (I love that part!)
However, I really wanted to take a vacation from blogging, but I cannot. At least, I can’t right now. I have too many responsibilities to others that I need to fulfil.
It’s no secret WHY I want a break – it’s SUMMER!
Aside from the obvious reason of rejuvenation, I wanted to take a vacation from blogging because summer has finally arrived. In the great city where I live, it only lasts for about two month – if that – and so I need to make the most of the nice weather while it’s here.
I have posts planned already and duties to fulfil to authors who’ve taken me up on my offer. Plus, I’ve recently released an ebook (my very first one – YAY!) and have started another blog on my new author website.
I wanted to do this last month, but the weather here has been pretty bleak. Hopefully the rainy days will go away soon and allow me to do things I want to do – like go swimming outdoors!
How to Take a Break from Freelancing
Taking a break from freelancing requires planning. You have to clear your schedule if you want to really enjoy your time off. To do this, you should:
- inform your clients of the days you won’t be available, giving them a lot of notice so that they can adjust their schedules accordingly
- do extra work beforehand so that you do not leave them in the lurch
- remind your clients of the great work you do for them in order to get them to be more agreeable to your terms and not cause friction in the relationship
- offer to do something nice for them as a bonus
- remind them of what it says in your contract regarding vacation time
If you have never taken a freelancing break, some clients may become upset with you and feel like you are abandoning them. They may even become difficult to work with or threaten to fire you, especially if they feel slighted or if you have not taken time off since you began working with them. If any of these scenarios occur and you cannot resolve your differences, then it may be time to re-evaluate your entire relationship and potentially end your contract altogether.
How YOU can take a blogging break – and not feel guilty about it
For those of you who are not freelancers (yet), but who are bloggers, then this is the section for you!
I’m sure most of you have thought about going on vacation, but DIDN’T, for whatever reason.
If you are wondering how you can 1. take a break and 2. not feel guilty about it, I’d suggest reading How to Take a Summer Break from Blogging (without Feeling Guilty).
It’s a pretty darn good article. Great, actually, if I do say so myself. (Yes, I wrote it!)
😀 Plus, it includes some personal pictures of my brother’s pool and my sister’s little guy. 🙂
It actually started out as a post for this blog, but I deemed it so good that I offered to sell it. (I’m a freelancer, after all, and if I can earn money for my writing, I will.) Because it’s available for all the world to see, you can pop over to Dear Blogger and pick up a few blogging tips. (Or should I say “blogging break” tips?) 😉
I know when you read it, you’ll be a bit confused. But don’t forget, I’m writing for two different audiences, who overlap but are different. Greg’s audience consists of people wanting blogging tips. My audience consists of people who want blogging, freelancing, writing, and publishing tips.
See the difference? Thought so. 😀
Now it’s your turn…
Are you going to take a vacation this summer – or did you already?
Share in the comments here, or on Dear Blogger. I”ll be responding to everyone on both sites. 😀
[Tweet “How to Take a #Vacation from #Blogging and #Freelancing”]Introductory photo image courtesy of samuiblue/ FreeDigitalPhotos.net
Hey Lorraine,
I have suffered blogging burnout and it is real. I have only been on the blogging scene for seven months now but have put in every waking hour. I had no idea what it was. I too wrote a post on it. But I won’t spam the link.
So now I put it in the blogging plan. It is guilt free, I call it my legal time off because it is planned and catered for. While I am not selling anything just yet, things get interesting in the next six months where there will be a lot more going on. As I am blogging to make my own times I look forward to my times off. Thanks for the info on this post.
Rachel.
You’re welcome, Rachel.
If you need help with your blog, monetizing it, or deciding the direction of it, feel free to ask for help. FYI, this is one of the services I offer! “http://wordingwell.com/services/consulting-services/
There are quite a number of things I do when I might feel overwhelmed, which it sounds to be might be the situation Lorraine. One of the first things I do, before I even take a break, it to remind myself, I am a human being, not a human doing. This distinction has been made by others. When I get it touch with that, somehow, I am able to slow down, better prioritize, and move toward recharging.
Patricia, what a great attitude you have! I think I’ll have to remember that I’m a human being, not a human doing, too. 🙂 Thank you for such a wonderful comment. I’m off to recharge now. 😉
To be frank, it’s not easy taking vacation from blogging and from the internet entirely for a while. I only tried this for just a week intentional not because I was away but I seems to addicted to my laptop and want to know how I would feel, I felt better though but I realized something very important to me was missing. Internet and blog-o-sphere has become home for most of us and taking vacation from it if not really important is very hard but when determined it’s achievable. I buy your ideas on this and this can go long way to help almost all blogger take vacation without a second thought about it.
Adesanmi, I have to agree with you. Even though I’m currently “on a break,” I am finding that turning on my laptop has become so much of a habit that it’s difficult to completely break away from it. However, some days I am simply too tired from sitting in front of a computer that I refuse to even turn it on!
I think it’s all a matter of having the right balance of a work-home life, and setting your priorities straight. Would you agree with that?
Hey Lorraine,
I think the summer months are the times that most people take time off. For me though I’ve felt more comfortable doing it around the Christmas holidays. Mainly because so many people are in the holiday spirit and spending time with their families too that they aren’t around much.
The summer months varies because for those of us that don’t have immediate families, we aren’t taking vacations together then so we’re able to keep on working. But taking a break is something I think everyone should do and some day I hope to be taking a heck of a lot more of them.
I think it’s great that you are planning some time off and you’re right, your freelance work does need to be planned ahead of time. Luckily I don’t have that issue but any time we take some time off it still needs to be planned ahead.
Great share about this subject and I hope you enjoy yourself. I can’t believe August is just next week already. We’re going to just keep getting hotter here where I live. I only wish we had more winter type weather.
~Adrienne
Adrienne, if you want cool weather, move north.
The weather here used to be so hot in the summer, but we’ve only had a few nice days so far, and it’s already almost the end of July. UGH. I’ve only been swimming twice… and it’s supposed to rain for the next three days.
Planning seems to be the key for most things… except for the unexpected… Sometimes you have to “go with the flow” and do what you can. Sometimes you have to say “f*** it,” and just do what you want. I’ve been on both ends of the spectrum!
Anyway, thanks for the visit, and have a great weekend. I think I am going to take some time off at Christmas, too. 😉
Hi Lorraine: yes, we all need a break from time to time. I’ve been freelancing for 21 years and love it. The thing I’ve learned about freelancing is that there are ebbs and flows. Sometimes you will be swamped with work. Other times, there are slim pickings. The key is to work like the devil when the work is there, and take time off when the workflow is light. Fortunately, you will find that the lighter workload coincides with summer, as most businesses and publications also plan their projects so that they can take time away from their regular schedules and allow employees (salaried and contract) to take time off and enjoy the summer. I hope you get some nice weather and are able to enjoy that pool. Enjoy!
Doreen, after I reply to you here, I’m off to don my suit and hit the pool with my nephew. 🙂 The sun has finally migrated to my little corner of the world and I simply must drop everything to take advantage of it!
Thanks for the tips. Watch your email… I have a proposal for you. 🙂
Also, I appreciate your comment! BHB rocks!
Hi Lorraine,
Oh yes…I loved your guest post on taking a blogging break and left you a comment there too, and good to see you talk of it here as well 🙂
You certainly need one, and you must go ahead leaving all your work behind. I learned my lesson the hard way, but glad that I did and this time went without any work or blogging for nearly a month. And I know how tough it is being a freelance writer and blogger myself. Except for a slight drop in rank, which was expected, nothing much changes – so don’t worry! Just have a good time 🙂
Congratulations on your first eBook – awesome indeed! Another feather in your cap. I still need to start with mine 🙂
Thanks for sharing, and enjoy yourself whenever you do take a break. 🙂
Thanks, Harleena, for all your kind words! 🙂 It was great to hear how much you enjoyed your break, and, if truth be told, it provided me with the incentive to take mine. 😀
If the weather here ever improves, I’ll enjoy my time off that much more!
Thanks for linking to my post, Lorraine – that was a very nice surprise!
At first, i was shocked that you are putting an end to your freelance practice… After reading though, i realized you are just taking some time off to recharge. Right? (silly ESL i suppose :D)
To answer your question about taking a vacation this summer – you know i travel a lot and i constantly take time off, so to speak. But once in a while i really do turn off my computer and don’t turn it on for a couple of weeks. I think i did that earlier this year and maybe i will do that in September again. I’ve been on the road since end of June and i am already eager to go back home (current home in Spain anyway) so i can feel the same good old daily routine, incl. freelance work. I kinda miss it 😀
You enjoy your time off, Lorraine! And while you’re gone, i will be catching up with all the cool posts I’ve missed the last month 😉
Diana, it was a tough decision to make, but one I felt like I had to do. I’ve been feeling stressed and need to recharge. I think I might even have to take vacations more often! Of course, now I need to focus on my own personal writing goals and marketing Risky Issues.
Sigh. The work never ends!
Enjoy catching up on your reading, and thanks for your comment, Diana. Oh, and enjoy your travels, too. 🙂