Sometimes I feel like shit, and I just don't want to do work. Do you?

It took me a long time to accept that it's normal, and if I feel I need a break from everything - I should simply take it! I do some of the things I wrote here, but reminding myself that the world will not stop, that's the important one.

that-meeting-could-been-email.gif :)))

Do you feel tired all the time?

Don't confuse tired with fatigue!

Just because 90% of people on the internet are saying something along the lines of "wOrK hArD pLaY hArD" or some other bullshit that is robbing you of your sleep and well deserved rest - doesn't mean that you shouldn't take a break every once in a while. Good rest is half of preparation.

Tiredness should go away after a proper meal and good night sleep, but if you feel like you're "tired all the time", just can't get enough sleep and can't concentrate. There might be a deeper issue, and you could have a medical condition like Anaemia, Anxiety or a sleep disorder. Don't think it's because "you're a solopreneur working hard", and regardless of what memes say, it's not ok, and feel free to seek help. 

Taking a break is not being lazy

A lot of people go into freelancing thinking that it's easier than a 9-5 job - and they can sleep as long as they want - when it's not. At best it's the same, but I'm sure most will argue it's harder. One of my early goals was to "wake up without an alarm clock" that I wrote about in "Breaking Freelance #001 - the "Why" ❓⏰" - not knowing I will become a typical morning person, waking up around 6:30 "because it's quiet." 🤦‍♂️ 😂

We start to form our work habits as kids, and it can be difficult to break some of them and develop new ones that are entirely different. I read this quote somewhere:

"The chains of habit are too light to be felt until they are too heavy to be broken."

This serves me as a warning not to turn my procrastination around shitty work I don't feel like doing into a bad habit. As a freelancer, there will be things you'll need to do that you don't feel like doing, like accounting, marketing, sales, social, LinkedIn, all that jazz. It will wear you down.

The advantage over 9-5 job working for someone else is that you can take a breather mid-day if you want and no one will judge you. Or you can take a day off without asking for permission. You're not lazy if you do. Just don't make it a daily habit. 😂

Take a short break. Regroup. Reset. And then do it.

Power through shitty work, even if it takes you twice as long because then you can focus on what you actually want to do and do it properly. Don't wait for the deadline.

Hit reply on this email - I read all of them, and respond over weekend coffee :) for real.

Cheers!

T.

Tom Kozacinski, sir Freelance-a-lot

Missed previous emails?

No problem, you can read them in 📜 Breaking Freelance Archive.