As a freelancer you are more than likely, of the opinion that a vacation is not in within your realm of a possibility. In fact, the thought of leaving your work probably overwhelms you. You think that your clients will be left hanging in the breeze, without any support. The world will fall apart because you won’t be able to answer your emails in a timely fashion.
Lucky for you, this is not reality. It is only how you envision the situation in your head. There are ways for you to take a vacation, your clients will survive, and the world won’t end. Actually, you would be surprised with how understanding your clients will be with you taking a break. They understand that you are human and need to enjoy yourself, once in a while. For your own sanity, as well, you need a break to stop yourself from burning out.
To help you mentally ease into the idea, below are some methods of handling your work load while you go away.
Hand in Work Early
Diligently work on all of your projects and hand them in early. This is not going to be easy. It will actually get quite hectic. You will have to workday and night for days, possibly. However, think of the time you will have for yourself, to keep you going.
After you hand in your work, tell your clients that you are going on vacation and will only be available for work emergencies, via email only. Not only will they be grateful, they will be impressed with your dependability.
Delegate Your Work or Exchange Deadlines
If you are part of a team, think about delegating out your work load. Chances are your team will be open to this suggestion, because they know you will return the favor. If your areas of expertise differ try exchanging deadlines instead.
Request an Extension
If you are not able to submit your work before you go, request an extension. If you consistently meet your deadlines, your client should have no problem with this, providing you give them lots of notice.
Hire a Freelancer
If you have a large project that will be impossible to complete, think about hiring your own freelancer. They can commence work a week before you are set to leave. This will give them time to get familiar with the project.
Take Your Work With You
If after trying the ideas above you still feel like you can’t leave, think about taking your work with you. If you do, spend only a couple of hours on your work every day, and be sure to leave your laptop and phone in your make-shift office.
Let clients know you are on vacation by setting an email auto responder. Advise them of what date you will be returning.
Prior to leaving for your vacation, advise your clients (that you are presently working on a project for) that you intend on meeting deadlines while you are away. However, you will reduce your working hours making your response times longer.
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