How to Take Some Time Off as a Freelance Writer

At the start of my career as a freelance writer, I hardly took a vacation.  In fact, the only times I did not do any work at all were those instances that I was really, really sick.  It all changed when I discovered the secret of being able to squeeze in some vacation time: time management.

By definition, time management is basically creating a schedule in order to maximize what very little time that you have to increase in your productivity.  This is achieved by prioritizing certain activities that you have to accomplish.  Many of us think of time management simply in the context of the time we have in a day.  Based on its definition, however, we can actually expand this to management the time we have in a week or in a year.

That is how I have been able to go on vacation while working as a freelance writer.  Instead of merely focusing managing my time within just a day, I went ahead and managed the time that I have in a year.  I decided to schedule one week-long vacation every three months.  That way, I would be able to get a break during the summer, one in the middle of the year, and one during the Christmas season.

From there I narrowed it down my scope to scheduling my time within a month.  Just like regular employees that enjoy the weekend off, I also made it a point that I do not do any writing jobs during the weekend.  That gives me not just time for my family.  It also helps me unwind and recharge for another work week.

Finally, I go to my daily schedules.  I make it a point that apart from taking a break to have my lunch and dinner, I give myself 30 minutes break in the morning and in the afternoon.  Working continuously on the different writing jobs that you need to finish may not tire you out physically, but it can drain you mentally, increasing the chances of you suffering from a mental block.

I know that you may be probably be wondering if my earnings have decreased as a result of taking a break every now and then from my writing jobs.  Admittedly, it did go down a bit as I was making adjustments to my schedule.  But eventually, it not only went back to how it was before I did some changes to how I use my time.  In the long run, the adjustments have definitely paid off.  Not only am I able to go on vacation.  My ability to concentrate on my writing jobs have greatly improved, and I am actually able to accomplish more now than I did in the past.