Freelancing may seem like a fun, flexible alternative to a regular 9-5 office day job, but that is not always the case. In reality, freelancers, especially ones who work from home, are prone to working harder and longer hours, leading to the phenomenon known as burnout.
Perhaps you’ve felt fatigue or stress when the workday hasn’t started yet or found it hard to focus and get motivated to clock in for work. These are a few symptoms of the beginning of burnout, and it can happen to the best of us. But if it is not managed properly, burnout can lead to an unproductive, unfulfilling work-life balance and career.
Here are 10 tips to help you fight freelancer burnout while working remotely.
1. Know Your Limits
While starting out as a freelancer, you might have the “beggars can’t be choosers” attitude. The pursuit of making as much money as possible leads you to take on more projects at the cost of your health.
It may seem beneficial for a while and something you can get through. In the long term, living life on the fast lane is a quick way to freelancer burnout. Going past your body’s limits can lead to stress, fatigue, and anxiety. So, knowing your limits and understanding when you’re feeling overwhelmed is essential.
Recognize the early signs of burnout, such as fatigue, anxiety, and irritability, and take action before it becomes too severe. You can avoid burnout and maintain a healthy work-life balance by knowing your limits.
2. Avoid Overworking
One of the biggest challenges of working from home is the blurred line between work and personal time. In fact, one survey shows that 53% of remote workers work more hours at home than they did at the office. Without the structure of a traditional office, it can be easy to fall into the trap of overworking and burnout. Also, with freelancers having the option of earning by the hour, it can be difficult to know when to stop. After all, it pays the bills, right?
But you must set realistic work hours and stick to them. Know that there is only so much you can do in one day. So, try to avoid working overtime or during off hours, and make sure to take breaks and disconnect from work when your workday ends.
Making sure not to overwork can help discipline your mind to switch off from work when it is time, avoiding stress, anxiety, and burnout.
3. Set Boundaries
To maintain a healthy work-life balance when working from home, setting boundaries between your work and personal space is important. This might mean creating designated work and relaxation spaces in your home, setting specific times for work and leisure, or even setting boundaries with family and friends. Having a clear and specific area and time for work and leisure can hardwire your mind to release dopamine and relieve stress.
So, by setting hard boundaries, you can create a clear separation between work and personal time, helping you to relax and recharge when you’re not working and avoid burnout.
4. Find an Activity to Help You Relax
After a long day’s work, the first thing you may look for is a snack and something that will help you relax and unwind. The key is to find an activity that you truly enjoy, such as reading a book, listening to music, or practicing yoga, and that allows you to disconnect from work and avoid burnout. Finding an enjoyable activity that lets you unhook your mind to destress can help you achieve a better work-life balance. So, taking a few minutes each day to engage in a relaxing activity can help reduce stress and improve your well-being.
5. Establish a Daily Routine
While working as a freelancer, you might get so consumed in your task that you lose track of time. A daily routine might help you to add organization to help you kickstart the day! This might include getting up and dressed at the same time each day, taking regular breaks, and scheduling dedicated work time. Today, many apps can help you keep track of your routine; even a simple pencil and paper to-do list can do the trick!
Having a schedule and daily routine, you can do without thinking is essential to ensuring your mental health is in check. Keeping a daily routine can help you stay focused and disciplined, helping you avoid the effects of burnout.
6. Take Frequent Breaks to Refresh Your Mind
Sitting in front of a computer for hours on end can be draining and lead to burnout. The monotony of work can also lead to a distracted and inattentive mind, taking your focus away from the task at hand.
To avoid this, take regular breaks to get up, move around, and do something unrelated to work. This might include walking, stretching, or even taking a quick nap. By taking frequent breaks, you can refresh your mind, improve your focus, and reduce the risk of fatigue.
7. Connect with Others
Working from home in an office usually means a long time when you are alone in an isolated part. You are close to others, yet you feel far away, creating feelings of disconnect and loneliness. These feelings can add to the circling and heavy weight of burnout. How can you avoid this?
It just takes effort! Reach out to friends, family, and colleagues for social interaction and support. Join an online community or group that shares your interests or goals. Or you can even adopt a pet as a social companion for you. Just the mere presence of your cat right by your side can erase a huge block of stress from you. Through social interaction, you can fight away freelancer burnout and win!
8. Make “Work” Fun to Increase Productivity
Working from home can be monotonous and make it difficult to stay engaged and motivated. To counteract this, try to make work more fun. This might include incorporating playful elements into your workday, such as listening to music, working in a comfortable environment, or even incorporating games or challenges into your work. By making work more enjoyable, you can increase productivity and reduce the risk of freelancer burnout.
9. Prioritize Self-care
Working from home can be demanding and make it difficult to take care of yourself. Perhaps you may be too deep into a job that you fail to focus on important necessities such as food, personal hygiene, or even a moment to relax. What could help?
Having a schedule or a set time and day dedicated to self-care can help ease your mind. This might include eating well, exercising, getting enough sleep, and relaxing and unwinding. When you take care of yourself, you may feel a boost in energy, which can translate to other relationships in your life – most importantly, work! Taking care of yourself will help you to reap benefits many times over. Energy is contagious and a repellent to fatigue and stress.
10. Live One Day at a Time
When your bills and needs depend on how much work you’ve done, it can be easy to become anxious about tomorrow. And as freelancing is not a permanent opportunity, you may not know whether you will still hold your job. These problems add to the stress that you currently face.
To avoid this, try focusing on living one day at a time. Make sure to leave tomorrow’s stresses and anxieties for tomorrow while doing your best right now. Putting stress and anxiety in their proper place can help ease your mind and help you avoid freelancer burnout.
Looking Ahead
Burnout as a freelancer is a very serious thing that can affect the most experienced remote workers. Keeping your work-life balance helps ensure you don’t get overwhelmed physically, emotionally, or mentally. Burnout that is treated and managed well can make freelancing one of the most rewarding and lucrative career choices. Have you ever experienced freelancer burnout, or starting to feel the symptoms? Try out some of these tips and see what works for you!
At the end of the day, we all want to be able to say we accomplished something meaningful, but how can freelancers be more productive during the workday?
Jemuel Rae Baniqued
Jemuel is an SEO Specialist and data enthusiast by heart. He loves all things business, growing them alongside SEO, freelancing, and sports. You'll either find him inside working, or outside being active - no in-betweens.
