The Good, Bad, And Ugly on Taking Proper Holidays as a Freelancer

How to take breaks as a freelancer

Freelancing and annual holidays do not go well together. At least that’s what most people think.

Freelancers are always available, ready-to-ramble, and reachable. Much like Uber Eats, if one freelancer cannot do the job right now, you call another one.

Freelancing platforms condition our mindsets into 24/7 availability and never-ending pro-activeness. Seizing every opportunity — no matter the mental and physical cost — becomes our sacred mantra.

And this mantra leaves little room for breaks, let alone holidays.

We’ve all been there. In my first year as a freelancer, I didn’t take a single day off.

I always said to myself: you’re starting, you need to work as hard possible.

You cannot take breaks now. Those breaks will become the difference between freelancers who succeed and those who return to the corporate world after six months.

This attitude was immensely flawed.

At the outset of my freelancing route, I completely ignored the difference between hard and smart work. Worse still, I omitted the benefits of breaks.

And finally, I didn’t know how to manage time and incorporate proper holidays into my freelancing schedule.

After a lot of trial and error lessons, I finally found a formula.

When it comes to freelancing, holidays are still a double-edged sword. Nevertheless, there are ways to take rejuvenating breaks as a freelancer without hurting your career.

On this basis, here is the good, bad, and ugly on taking proper holidays as a freelancer.

As a freelancer, proper breaks and clear client communication are crucial

No matter how much you like your job, you cannot work ten hours a day for 365 days straight.

We all need to recharge our batteries, refuel our creative engine, and switch off our thoughts from time to time.

Sometimes, however, realizing the need for breaks is the hardest part. In this context, we often fight our ambition-crazy self.

I should take a few days off. But if I do, my clients will get someone else on board.

I don’t feel like posting today. But if I don’t, I will lose followers.

These are the inner conflicts we face as freelancers.

So, How do we tackle them?

The best way to reconcile proper breaks with ambition and consistency is to plan your pauses.

As an example, communicate your schedule to your clients before accepting a gig. Let them know that you will not be available 24/7.

At first, you’ll struggle with the idea of not attending clients’ queries immediately. That’s why you need to establish your response procedure right off the bat, not mid-project.

With a bit of experience, you’ll learn how to convince your clients that quality work and regular breaks go hand in hand.

They’ll stop expecting ultra-quick responses — focusing their attention on the quality of your work, not your response time.

The duration of your absence plays a massive role

As with any job, the duration of your break has a major impact on your work.

If you take one day off, you won’t lose any clients, gigs, or income, but you won’t feel a significant energy boost either.

Rest days are essential, but their effects might not satisfy you.

If you, on the other hand, take seven days off, you’ll experience both positive and negative consequences.

On the positive side, you’ll feel energized and rested.

On the negative side, you’ll start to suffer inside the freelancing jungle. Many platforms will identify you as “absent” and your profile will fall down the ranks.

To avert this scenario, log into your profiles during your one-week break. Even if you’re marked “out of office”, your mere presence will help your profile’s popularity.

Finally, two-week breaks are, unfortunately, a rare occurrence in the freelancing world. Most platforms are unforgiving and intolerant when it comes to long pauses.

The ugly truth is that if you want to become a successful freelancer, you cannot take long breaks without losing clients, income, and popularity.

Most freelancing platforms worship the god of consistency. And if you don’t adhere to their philosophy, your profile will lose strength.

The solution resides in finding long-term partnerships with the right clients.

Once you’ve established relationships with clients who appreciate your work — as opposed to anonymous buyers on freelancing platforms — you’ll have enough holiday opportunities.

You’ll be able to communicate your plans to your clients and let them know that you will be spending the next two weeks on some tropical island without checking your emails.

Long-term preparation and organization are key

Preparing freelancing breaks goes beyond client communication.

The best freelancers can easily take two-week holidays without losing money or customers.

Their strategy usually encompasses three main components: long-term planning, having the right clients, and time management.

First, you need to plan your freelancing gigs with foresight.

Let’s say you want to accept ten writing jobs this month.

If all of your clients expect finished articles by the end of the month, you’ll have to decide on which days you want to tackle specific gigs.

If you need to hand in ten articles at the end of the month, try to finish each in two and a half days. That way, you’ll have at least five rest days left.

Secondly, choose your clients wisely.

Most first-time freelancers accept every single client.

I get that. When I started freelance writing, I took every job, no matter the price, client, or time investment.

Over time, I learned how to prioritize clients. I realized that 20% of my clients were paying 80% of my salary. A classic example of the Pareto rule.

My main clients were also much more quality-oriented than others. In that same vein, they had more tolerance for extended deadlines, because they understood that quality work takes time.

This 20% became my target client group. Having a primary target group allowed me to take longer breaks and eventually go on that tropical vacation.

Finally, time management is a crucial element when it comes to taking proper holidays as a freelancer.

Routines will help you organize your days in a way that breaks won’t be an inconvenience, but a natural part of your lifestyle.

Set out a proper morning routine and work in short productivity sprints.

Don’t just take five-minute breaks here and there — schedule them with efficiency in mind. And finally, don’t multitask.

Passive income is the solution

The last key to taking proper holidays as a freelancer is the magic of passive income.

As a freelancer, we often live paycheck to paycheck and always worry about our bills. That’s where passive income comes into play.

If you’re still working in the old gig to gig freelancing model, it might be time to add some passive income streams to your resume.

There are many ways to build passive income over time and lots of methods to supplement your freelancing income.

If you’re a writer, try building a Medium audience. If your main profession is photography, create a stock portfolio. And if you’re consulting, you might want to sell courses.

If your financial wellbeing doesn’t solely rely on freelance clients, you’ll be less anxious about losing some money during your holidays.

In this context, your passive income can shoulder the losses if you want to take a longer break.

Consequently, diversification is the only way to achieve genuine financial freedom — helping you escape the freelancing hamster wheel.

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