What’s on the iPod: Turning Tables by Adele
Wow. That was short-lived. I was able to spend exactly three hours on Tuesday relaxing. Then four new projects came in, three of which are due next week. One is a 2K-word article. Marathon time again.
Yesterday was a nice mid-week break. There are benefits to living in Valley Forge besides spending plenty of time in the park on the trails. Yesterday the park hosted a community picnic. We talked to rangers we normally see driving around the area, and got to learn about the wildlife, including the coyotes that I didn’t know were there. The highlight for certain was hearing “Thomas Jefferson” recite the Declaration of Independence. Nothing stirs your patriotism like hearing that read aloud.
Despite the workload of late, I didn’t forget to reward myself for those last three and a half weeks of non-stop work. I spent my lunch hour at the mall where I picked up some new pants and a skirt at Gap. But then right home again to work on one of the projects.
The reward part is often the difference between a happy freelancer and a burned-out one. Imagine working hard for 12 months straight and not allowing yourself a vacation or even a long weekend. Imagine two months of that without one hour to yourself. It’s not hard to see how quickly your mood could drop.
Just because you can work anytime and all the time doesn’t mean you should. Find ways to give yourself a break, a treat, or a reward for a goal met.
Buy those shoes. Or that hockey stick or the pants you’ve been needing. For smaller goals, I usually reward myself with nail polish or ice cream. That works as a pick-me-up when the budget is tight and you’re losing steam.
Give yourself five more minutes on Facebook. My spare time goes right to one of three things — Bejeweled Blitz, Spider Solitaire, or Ancestry.com. I don’t make apologies for needing play time, nor should you. Finish that bear of a project and go play. You’ve earned it.
Treat yourself or your partner. When I’m flush with project earnings, I want to treat him to dinner or movies or even a weekend getaway. Make sure the significant other(s) who has lost that time with you gets it back in some way.
Splurge. I remember splurging after finishing a $12K project. I went straight to the mall and replaced a tired wardrobe. Maybe you’d rather spend money on that European vacation or that cruise.
Save for that big item. Maybe, like me, the $12K projects don’t come every month for you. While you’re working hard at all those projects on your desk, total in your head what your estimated income from these will be. Then take a percentage of that and put it aside — literally. It’s not for taxes or retirement. It’s for your big item — that trip or that car or…. Sometimes just the act of designating it into its own account is rewarding in itself.
Do you reward yourself often enough? When you are feeling burned out, does a reward help? What type of reward motivates you best?
Some months, when the bills are paid, I can reward myself. Other times, when they're not, I have to scramble those extra hours.
Usually, I'll take a day to do something fun in the area, or I'll buy books. Buying books is the best reward.
At the end of a good workday, I usually sit on the deck with a glass of wine to watch the sun set. That's the best reward for being a freelancer — knowing it's all up to ME, and I get to pick and choose most of what I want to and love doing.
I have to agree — books are a great reward. I'm up to my eyeballs in them. We've nine bookcases crammed full (one custom-built one takes up an entire wall in the basement) and are about to create a library for more bookcases. I need to make more money so I can take a few months off to read them all!
I also have a stock pile of books I need to read. There is a second hand shop close by run by individuals with disabilities that sells soft covers for 50 cents and hardcovers for $1.00. Such a treat for 4 or 5 bucks!
Last year I took on a project where I made about 10 grand in six weeks. It was, I can honestly say, pure hell. I was stuck inside for most of August, worked day and night, and had some serious sleep deprivation issues.
At the end I bought myself a nice camera, got hubby a suit, went out for a nice meal, and bought a second hand car with cash (once again dodging the car payment we've managed to avoid up to now). I'm STILL not sure it was worth it though. LOL
I'm getting better about not working weekends, and I always take the last week or two of the year off (easy, since no one else seems to work then, either), but last weekend I put in two very full work days because of a last-minute assignment for a summer issue with a drop dead deadline is tomorrow. That's a quick turnaround for a 2,500-word feature – one I'd pitched – so I had a lot to do. I rewarded myself by ordering a working dinner on Saturday – green papaya salad and shrimp spring rolls from my favorite Vietnamese restaurant.
Yesterday I meant to write the article, but I goofed off (without guilt). I didn't start until late afternoon, but got about 1,500 words knocked out.
But big splurges? Totally out of the question. I had pangs of guilt over a $20 dinner. I do like the idea of nail polish as a splurge. Do you have Five Below? That have great wild colors of polish that are 2 or 3 for $5.
Like Devon said – spending comes after the bills are paid. Right now I need to scrape together the second property tax payment and still somehow pay for all these poorly timed repairs. (Oh! Yesterday, despite no strong winds, a large branch fell out of a maple tree in back, crushing the already drought-stressed hedges it fell on. I guess now even nature breaks when I'm around.)
I don't know what landing a $12K project would feel like, but I did a $4,700 article 12 years ago. I'm sure I must have spent a little of that on something that wasn't a necessity.
Oh Krista, I wouldn't be sure, either! When a job affects you that much, it's not worth having. But I'm glad you were able to splurge a bit. 🙂
Paula, good for you! Glad to hear you're starting to take time for yourself. And I was at Five Below two days ago — I bought (and now use) a hula hoop. 🙂
My reward is always travel, from a day on Lake Michigan and hour away to a couple months in the family home in Mexico.. . Sometimes I have to work while traveling and I'm ok with that… I read a study that said people are happier with spending money on travel versus STUFF, psychologically, and I can attest to that.