Sometimes it seems like we’re stuck in a rut and can’t get out of it. It’s possible that the stress of our jobs is getting to us, or we’ve just become jaded and can’t find the motivation to keep going. Although the term “burnout” seems to be used a lot, it is genuine and has a significant impact on one’s productivity. Burnout is a progressive process that affects 4–7% of workers at some time in their careers; the medical industry reports the highest rate of burnout, according to Healthline, a reliable online resource for information on health and wellness.
Do Independent Contractors Ever Burn Out?
The unfortunate response to this is that, because many freelancers don’t follow a set schedule and instead integrate work into their lives, they do experience burnout on par with or even more than corporate employees and desk job holders. This is the reason it’s crucial to use monitoring software for employees. By keeping track of your hours, you can ensure that you are held responsible for the time you spend on your work and, more importantly (and this leads to the next point), you can defend taking a break once you reach a specific milestone rather than losing track of time and underestimating the amount of work you have completed.
Evaluate Your Work
Freelancers can feel as though they have labored endlessly without accomplishing anything. However, the truth is that sometimes we just fail to recognize our little victories. For this reason, if you feel like your job motivation is waning, start acknowledging and enjoying your minor victories. Each email response you send out is a testament to your skill, and each little project milestone you reach is something to be proud of. Remember that you were once passionate about the things that are demotivating you, so occasionally you may turn them around by infusing them with positive feelings.
Never Accept More Than You Can Manage
Aside from not understanding when to take a break, one of the biggest causes of burnout among freelancers is that friends and family sometimes interpret their absence of a nine-to-five job as a sign of freedom. However, being a freelancer is not at all free. It is an easy formula for disaster to try to maintain your social life while managing personal projects and side gigs, acquiring new skills, and running errands for your family.
Customize a Solution to Meet Your Unique Requirements
Make sure you have time on your plan to play games or spend time with family if you can’t get enough of either. You have the freedom to set your own hours because you are your own boss. Plan your time according to your top priorities. Make sure you finish everything else earlier in the day if, for example, you want to play games every night at 8 p.m. Every freelancer needs a customized schedule to help them stay on track and avoid falling off of it. Routines psychologically give us meaning, especially during stressful times like the Covid-19 pandemic that has been ravaging the world for almost two years.
