If you follow me on Instagram, you may have seen this post from the end of April.
In it, I shared that I was about to do something a little crazy: take a step back from client work and take some big, scary, undefined time off.
If I’m being honest, it was a long time coming. I had been feeling off about work for a while, like I was headed in a direction I was neither excited nor passionate about—kind of like I wasn’t headed in any direction whatsoever.
I had ideas—so many ideas—but thanks to my significant client workload I didn’t have the time or the mental energy to pursue them. I was burned out.
Then, in April, the stars aligned (or misaligned) in such a way that several of my client contracts were wrapping up at the same time. It was unexpected, and for the first time in several years it left me facing a big, fat, frightening but exciting blank space on my calendar.
In the past, my immediate reaction would’ve been to rush to fill the space. To find a new client or start putting out feelers for new work. But even as I was scribbling down dollar amounts, figuring out just how much of a cushion I had in savings, there was this little voice in the back of my head screaming, “now’s your chance!”
I’d been wanting to make a change for while. If I took on a new contract, the chance of doing that would basically go out the window. So I made the decision. I said ‘no’ more times than I was comfortable with. I turned down new projects and job postings from well-meaning friends.
I decided to just go with the blank space and see what would happen.
If you’re rolling your eyes and thinking ‘must be nice,’ or if I’m giving you the impression my new ambition is to be a lady of leisure (it is, but that’s beside the point), let me pause for a caveat. The only reason I was in any position to do this is because I’ve been busting my ass in my business for the last four years and have money set aside for a rainy day.
It’s not a ton—I’d be more comfortable with more, obviously—but it’s enough that money wasn’t the sole factor I had to consider when making my decision. I cannot stress enough the importance of making saving a priority. Money isn’t just money. Money means having options. Thank you for coming to my TED talk. *takes bow*
Anyway, here I am one month into this amazing, welcome breather I’ve given myself.
I think I envisioned myself sitting on the beach, cranking out blog posts like a machine and penning the next great American novel while doing a juice cleanse. Turns out it’s still too cold for the beach and I’d never in a million years do a juice cleanse, so that vision was a little off.
In reality, I’ve been spending a lot of time doing things I’ve been meaning to do forever but haven’t gotten around to. Changing my tax status. Getting a physical. Cleaning out our shed. Those annoying things that need doing but aren’t emergencies so they never actually get done and instead just sit there taking up mental space.
I’ve also been making moves toward work that gives me life. You know how people talk about that thing they can get “lost” in, something they can do where the hours just fly by? For me that thing is writing, so I’ve been working on building up my portfolio of freelance writing work. I haven’t landed anything earth shattering yet, but the opportunity to dedicate time to this has been amazing. I plan to talk more specifically about this in a future post.
Not NOT looking up strollers for cats
Finally, I’ve been able to put more effort into ventures I care about, like the website I run together with my mom. It’s been growing steadily since we launched it back in August, and I hope with more time and energy to put into it we can pick up even more steam.
So that’s what I’ve been doing with my “time off.” I’ve certainly stayed busy. The funny thing is, although I have less income security than I’ve probably ever had in my life, I feel the least stressed that I have in months, maybe even years. That’s how I know I’m on the right track.
In June, I plan to buckle down on pitching and applying for more freelance writing work and who knows, maybe even show my face a little more around this blog.
What are your plans for the summer?
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