Burnout as a Freelancer: How to Avoid it

Freelancer Burnout 

I really wish I could say that freelancing is all sparkles, ice cream and sprinkles. But it would be dishonest, and above all else I want to be transparent with my community. Freelancing is indeed an awesome choice for many people and their lifestyle, but at the same time, it can also quickly become very unhealthy if you aren’t careful. Work can start taking up too much of your time when you forget to “leave the office”. This can often lead to freelancer burnout.

As a freelancer or digital nomad we can find ourselves working from the moment we open our eyes to the moment we close them simply due to the fact most of our work can be done right on our phones. While this has many benefits it also can lead to compromising the work life balance. And I don’t know about you, but work life balance was a huge reason I became a digital nomad and started freelancing in the first place.

So why do you experience burnout, and how to avoid it? 

Overbooking yourself.

If you are overloaded, go ahead and ask yourself: “Do I have time & energy to take on a new project?”. If you’re not sure, or hesitated even a little, then don’t do it. While I understand the desire to take on as many projects and clients as possible to give some security and consistency with income, in the long run overbooking yourself will ultimately lead to diminished quality in your work. This means spending more time having to redo the work. Additionally, when your quality suffers, your clients won’t want to come back next time they need someone, and they probably won’t refer you to other perspective clients. Be honest with yourself about how much you can handle at a time and don’t over do it.

Isolation.

Working without colleagues around means you might miss a psychological buffer against stress. Humans are hard wired to be social creatures and we crave interaction with others (yes, even introverts need some time with others). So its only natural that when you start to freelance, the change of being on your own the majority of the day can be quite and adjustment. To combat this, socialize with your co-workers as much as possible (if you’re working with a team) and remember to schedule outings to work in a social environment occasionally. If you aren’t part of a team, try to occasionally work from a cafe or a co-working space. Even being around other people can help to charge that social battery. Plus, co-working spaces are a great place to network and meet like-minded individuals who probably have a lot in common with you.

Unreasonable deadlines.

Deadlines. Get used to having to set and meet deadlines in a whole new way. Freelancers often commit to deadlines that aren’t feasible while they are adjusting to working on their own. You don’t always have a team behind you now to do their part and often projects will take longer in the beginning while you are learning how to optimize your process. The less time you have to complete your work, the more likely you can experience burnout. Give yourself some wiggle room. Be honest with yourself and your clients regarding timelines!

Unhealthy boundaries.

Boundaries are important in every aspect of life and work is no exception. Sure, there are the occasional deadlines that can have you pulling a late-night or working on a Saturday, but those should be exceptions, not the rule! You chose to become a freelancer so that you could work on a schedule that is conducive to your life and your timeline. No, you don’t need to answer every text message within seconds of hearing that notification. You do not have to respond to every email immediately. No, you do not have to agree to work with clients that do not align with your needs. Yes, you can turn down projects that are the right fit! That’s the beauty of freelancing and it is important to learn how to pick and choose wisely from the start.

Avoiding delegation.

Okay, so this one is by far my personal biggest weakness. I might be a bit of a control freak who needs things done my way or else it’s just wrong. However, if you don’t like delegating work to others, you will soon be exhausted by doing everything yourself. Learn to organize yourself and everyone from your team. If you are just starting out and its you on your own, prioritize your task and work your way from urgent and vital to the less important. If you have a team or are starting to build one, learn your members strengths and weakness. Let they take on the task that you don’t enjoy doing and that they are proficient at. This will be a life saver in the long run.

Payment anxiety.

Late invoice payments can make life a little tricky. So to reduce the stress of not being paid on time by your next client, I suggest two methods. First, you can ask your customers for upfront payments. This is less common but I have had a few clients who offered this option. Or, you can ask for partial payments based on specific project task completion. While not all projects are formatted to work this way, many of them can be broken into phases. You can agree to be paid once each phase is completed. Also, always always always have a signed contract! There are crappy people in this world and it is always better to have a safety net to protect yourself in case you need it down the road.

Burnout Conclusion

There we have it folks, freelancer burnout is such a real problem. Therefore, it is important to learn the signs early to prevent it from happening. Remember you chose this lifestyle to ENHANCE the freedom in your life, not to let it overtake your life. Work life balance is the ultimate goal. You can absolutely make the most of this lifestyle if you follow these burnout tips and tricks.

✨Have you ever experienced burnout? Lets discuss it in the comments.👇🏼👇🏼👇🏼👇🏼

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