\t\t\t\tIt\u2019s a new year and, if you\u2019re like most freelancers, you haven\u2019t had a proper break yet. Sure you may have caught up with family, eaten yourself into a food-coma and drank a bit too much under some fireworks but, unlike your \u201creal job\u201d friends, you haven\u2019t really had a week off (let alone the two or three that they all got!).<\/p>\n
If you\u2019re a career-freelancer, you\u2019re probably okay with this by now. Used to it, but that doesn\u2019t mean it\u2019s easy. It doesn\u2019t mean that you don\u2019t find yourself poring over Facebook posts; going green over holiday snaps on Instagram, wishing that you had some way to break up the never-ending pattern of the freelance-lifestyle. Well, luckily for you, there is!<\/p>\n
Find a Shared Office Space<\/strong><\/p>\n There\u2019s something beautiful about \u201chome-time\u201d \u2014 you know, that thing you had when you were still in school? Shared office space is the perfect way for freelancers to rediscover home-time; to find a way to physically, if not mentally, step away from the desk. It also opens up a range of new contacts; people to talk to\/stare at when you\u2019ve got a mental block; and a change of scenery and routine. A shared office may not exactly be a holiday, but what is that they say about change?<\/p>\n Read Smart: Read Lots<\/strong><\/p>\n Pepper your day with news articles, serious and light (avoid novels if you can, they\u2019re a trap!). Smart reading helps to break up your day\u2014it\u2019ll make you feel like you\u2019ve actually achieved something, even when your to-do list is piled so high!<\/p>\n Exploit Flexibility<\/strong><\/p>\n Make your own hours. As long as your deadlines are met and your clients are happy, you can fit the rest of your life in. Work into the night, if you have to\u2014whatever it takes to let you have those few precious hours of true and complete escape!<\/p>\n Band Together<\/strong><\/p>\n Attend industry events to seek out your fellow freelancers. Let these people distract you. Like-minded workaholics offer the best distraction. Why? They get you and they won\u2019t take up your entire day!<\/p>\n Love Your Job<\/strong><\/p>\n This one seems obvious, but love your job. When you\u2019re truly infatuated with what you do, you won\u2019t even really notice that you haven\u2019t had a holiday! Fall in love with freelancing; it’ll make life much easier.<\/p>\n Image courtesy of Stuart Miles at FreeDigitalPhotos.net<\/em>\t\t<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" It\u2019s a new year and, if you\u2019re like most freelancers, you haven\u2019t had a proper break yet. Sure you may have caught up with family, eaten yourself into a food-coma and drank a bit too much under some fireworks but, unlike your \u201creal job\u201d friends, you haven\u2019t really had a week off (let alone the …<\/p>\n