As a freelancer I often have downtime. But unlike those of you who have real jobs, when I have downtime I'm at home, and finding the motivation to fill my time during working hours with anything but design work can be problematic.My guilty conscience says: “Do a little networking.”
My response is: I deserve some time off.
My guilty conscience says: “Do some laundry.”
My response is: I hate folding clothes.
My guilty conscience says: “Spend some time with the kids.”
My response is: I want to take a nap.
For a freelancer, not working means not making money, which adds a small amount of stress to the situation. The job involves a feast or famine scenario; I'm either really busy, pushing deadlines and stressed beyond belief, or I'm doing little to nothing, yawning my way through the day.
Self-employment does have it's benefits. I can come and go as I please, answering to no one. I have no restrictions on clothing, but I've never been one of those, “I can go to work naked if I want” kind of guys. My foremost responsibility is to the work itself. If I knock-out a logo or a brochure or an ad that makes the client happy, and if I give it to them at a reasonable price, they’ll remain a client well into the future.
After 12 years of doing this there's one thing I've learned for sure–try to relax during times of famine. History proves that the feast is just around the corner, coming any day. And when that happens, I always wish I would have appreciated the famine a little bit more.
Now if you'll excuse me, the big comfy coach awaits.
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