Burnout can be a real problem for all sorts of writers – but it can be an especial danger for freelancers.
As a freelancer, you're likely to be partially or wholly reliant on your work for income, and your schedule will be determined – at least to some extent – by what your clients require. This can easily lead to working too many hours, or trying to cram too much work into the hours that you have available.
Burnout can be a result of:
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Taking on too much work – this is easy to do, especially when you want to say "yes" to everything that comes your way.
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Having multiple deadlines close together – some writers thrive on deadlines, but if you have several all at once, it can be overwhelming.
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Not getting paid enough for the work that you do – this leads to taking on too much work (and often, low-paid work is uninteresting and tedious, too).
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Freelancing alongside other major projects – if you have a full-time day job and you're trying to freelance for three hours every weekday, that's not very sustainable.
So how can you avoid burnout (or tackle it when you realise it's developing)?
Try:
Planning your schedule in advance. That way, you can see how different projects fit in – and you can be realistic in the deadlines you agree to for new projects.
Keeping some slack in your schedule. Try to keep at least half a day each week (and ideally a full day) completely clear in case something overruns. If you don't have freelance work to fill it, use it to work on admin or your own projects
Coming up with better estimates about how long things will take. I tend to underestimate how long admin tasks take me, for instance. Keep records and allow for things like emails, sourcing images, revisions, and so on when you figure out how long a particular task is going to take you.
Taking a full day off each week. You might not be able to avoid working weekends, especially if you're freelancing around a full time job, but try to have SOME time completely off.
Setting yourself a "safety" deadline. Whenever I have a deadline for a project, I set my own deadline a day or two ahead (for small projects) or a week or more ahead (for large projects). That way, if something goes wrong, I don't have to work crazy hours to get the piece to the client on time.
Passing work to other freelancers. Don't feel that you have to say "yes" to everything that comes your way! If you're fully booked, or close to fully booked, explain that. Some clients will be happy to wait till you have a slot! Otherwise, you can pass them on to a freelancer friend who might really value the work.
Raising your rates. If you're constantly booked up (or even overbooked), that's a great sign that you're not charging enough.
Scheduling concentrated time off. I know all too well how hard it can be to actually take time off as a freelancer. Make sure you schedule time off to spend with loved ones – I tend to take the Christmas week off, for instance, and we normally do a couple of short trips and one longer one with our kids each year.
I love freelancing – I've been doing it for eleven years now, and the freedom and flexibility it offers is fantastic. As a freelancer, though, you need to stay on top of things and set boundaries (not just for clients but for yourself) to avoid getting burned out. If your freelancing, or your writing in general, is becoming a struggle for you, be proactive about changing that.
