Hello,
I'm Mervi Eskelinen!
An artist, nerd and sorcerer, dedicated to make world softer and better for everyone, and to get you to make more art. Make art, change the world!
Self employed don't take vacations
When you are self employed, freelancer or a small business owner, one of the reasons you are doing it is most likely the freedom it gives. You can set the times you work. Or at least that's the idea.
However, especially when you aren't really getting rich and famous (or at least rich) with your work, or you have a family to support, you might fall into the usual self employed pit.
Most self employed people think they must work all the time. Or that they must work when there's work available. The problem isn't just the self employed themselves, also other's (customers etc.) expect us to work whenever they happen to need us.
This way you'll never have any breaks from your work. Even if you don't work all the time and work only when there's work available, you won't be having vacations during the hiatus.
As you work when there's work available you will be on a wait when there's no work. You will be always ready to work, which means you'll never relax and have a break.
Working like this isn't making us any more productive. Quite the opposite. It burns us down faster.
No human being can be working or on an alert every hour, every day.
Therefore it's important for all of us that us self employed folks stop working all the time or when there's work available. And our customers and others must learn not to expect us to work whenever.
If you are self employed, freelancer or a small business owner you must start to take that freedom.
Set yourself times when you are available and voice them out to your customers. Try not to fall into the pit of taking the jobs outside your "available time".
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