Downtime
Time off is an essential skill for a freelancer
I’ve been trying to think about topics to write about this week, but honestly, I just don’t want to write about work right now. There’s a lot happening in the world of audiobooks and literature, and I’m tired.
Tomorrow is the 4th of July, and I’m looking forward to a weekend with my husband. We’re going to swim, kayak, watch fireworks from our bedroom, go to a movie, maybe a trip to the casino to find fifty cent slots and maybe win enough for a slice of cake. I might write a little, bake a little. My husband might smoke a brisket. It’s all very normal, very dull maybe, this down time.
And also, very beautiful and very needed.
We spend so much time promoting and researching and pushing and hustling and just working working working. It’s constant. And it’s exhausting.
As a freelancer, when you don’t have a 9 to 5 or a 5-day week work schedule, it can be very easy to just work all the time. Here’s the thing though: Downtime is essential.
Being able to take time off to unwind and decompress is an essential skill as a freelancer, and one we should all practice a little more.
It took me a long time to realize that taking days off didn’t mean I was lazy; it meant I was smart. Downtime recharges your spirit, your body, and maybe your sense of optimism about the world. At least it does for me.
I hope for the next few days you are able to take some time off and just Be. What are you doing to recharge and reconnect? (I’d love to know. Leave a comment and maybe what you’re doing will inspire someone else.)
Are you celebrating? Having a picnic? Napping? Sitting in front of a fan, spraying yourself with water, and watching Netflix? Any of those options sound great.
I hope you do take some down time. Remember that publishing shuts down for the next few days. Don’t expect answers to things until next week, and maybe save any non-pressing issues or questions for next week too. Publishing and audiobook staff need a break too. Everyone is hot and overworked and tired. (We all need margaritas or virgin strawberry daiquiris.)
Take this holiday as permission to slow down, or even to stop, just for a few days. Rest. Eat some cake. Light a sparkler. And watch the night sky erupt in magical color.
A little color and magic sounds really good right now.
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Pictures from the lake and area where I live. These photos remind me to slow down and enjoy what (and who) is around me:
I'm just sinking into your photographs. They're so evocative.
You're right, we work too much. I've gotten to a point where I don't know how not to work, and I don't know what to do with time off. A barbecue with friends tomorrow is the only thing on my calendar, and after that I don't know what I'll do with myself for the next three days. But I won't work this weekend. I just won't. I like walking and exploring, so maybe I'll do some of that.
We just got back from family vacation and we had a ton of fun. It was rejuvenating. But also, I couldn’t wait to get home and back to work. Besides audiobook narration, I can’t remember any other job I’ve had where I couldn’t wait to get back to it after a break. I’m very fortunate.