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10:36 am
February 9, 2012
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Jennifer Mattern
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Today was supposed to be a day off for me. But it didn't work out that way.
Normally I try to clear up projects for my regulars early when I know I want a day off, vacation time, etc. And I cut down on the number of smaller contracts I take on.
Things didn't go as planned this time around. I worked a later shift than usual yesterday, planning to finish some things up after dinner. Felt sick from something in the dinner (fine now), so I ended up going to bed instead of working late. It was the right decision, but of course it interferes with my day off.
It's not a big deal. But I probably should have cleared up the week's work a bit earlier instead of adjusting my schedule on the last work day of the week.
How do you usually handle time off? Do you keep your regular contracts, but do the work early? Do you cut back on pitches and projects you accept? Some combination? For me it largely depends on how much notice I have — a long-planned vacation vs realizing mid-week that I desperately need a mental health day for example. Or are you the type of freelancer who rarely takes time off because you feel like you can't afford to? And if that's the case, what do you think you can do to change that?
Jenn
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9:35 am
February 13, 2012
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LoriWidmer
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For me, it depends on all of those factors at different times, plus whatever I'm wanting. I actually schedule around what I want – shocking! LOL
When I went off for Christmas, I didn't pitch but one article idea that I knew wouldn't see daylight until after January. I worked right up until that last hour of that last work day because work was pouring in. I turned down about three things, I think, that I knew I couldn't do and actually still make my flight.  It's that struggle between knowing you have money coming in versus sitting idle and check-less a week after you get back. I try to line things up for after I return, but not so much that it spoils the time away. (I'm a worrier and a list maker)
For those mental health days, I just decide it in my head and disappear. No phone, no Internet, no "away" message. I like the idea of dropping out and letting things just go into limbo – it's not a "day off" in my head if I've told half the free world I won't be in. Oddly, that feels too staged, too planned for me. I'd much rather just drop out as though I'm having a sick day.
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12:33 pm
February 13, 2012
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Jennifer Mattern
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lol I like the whole "disappear" thing. I always try to let clients know just so they won't be surprised if I don't get back to them. It's not usually anything urgent that can't wait a day anyway. For personal days though, I tend to take off Monday or Thursday. In that case, I can't imagine not telling them, only because it would mean 4 days with me being unreachable.
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8:17 am
February 14, 2012
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Elafont
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I do a couple of different things. For vacations I do regular work early and make sure not to schedule any deadlines beyond (or before0 a certain point.
For individual days off I don't need to do anything special other than my vacation auto response. I finish work for deadlines generally a day or more in advance in order to give my proofreader time with projects, so that usually means I finish things early and can take individual days off pretty easily OR that I can push my final proofread to the day something is due in order to take the day before off, and either way I'm not scrambling to make deadlines.
So far it works…knock wood.
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9:51 am
February 14, 2012
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Jake P.
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I'm about as random as they come, but when it comes to vacations, I am Mr. Planner. (Which is actually kind of ironic, since my wife used to be the manager of a travel agency.)
Count me with Lori as a disappearing act when it comes to the days that I simply don't want to be here. But for bigger stuff, because my wife's work and kids' school schedules need to be worked around, the first item is simply to get a stake in the ground as far in the future as possible. Then, it's a matter of backing out known deadlines and possible busy periods based on history.
In general, I'd say I tell my 10 most frequent clients about a month in advance, with a reminder at 7 days out if they have any emergencies. And I slowly taper off taking on anything new during that final 4 weeks, with the exception of truly loyal long-term clients.
I'm pretty disciplined about not bringing the laptop on vacation, but I will check my iPhone for emails, which precludes the need for setting an auto-responder. I swore *those* off after a horrifying screw-up about 5 years ago. Somehow I messed up the script and it ended up sending an email to EVERY person in my address book, some of whom I hadn't spoken to in 10 years, and I got even more "WTF?!?" responses that in turn generated even more out-of-office replies. It was not what I needed as I was packing my bags to git out of Dodge.
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8:08 am
February 15, 2012
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Jennifer Mattern
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It looks like we all tend to take a similar approach to planning longer stretches of vacation time. That's interesting. I was half-expecting to hear someone say they either don't take vacations or they take the laptop with them and handle smaller client things while away. I take my laptop with me, but not for work. It's more about being able to play games if I get bored in a hotel room or during the trip. :) I've just gotten good at ignoring work emails and such while away.
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10:08 pm
March 1, 2012
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Jessie
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How do you handle unexpected sick days?
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5:22 am
March 2, 2012
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Jennifer Mattern
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That depends on how sick I am. If I have a deadline that day, I'd have to be in an extremely bad place to ask the client for an extension. I generally finish up only projects with that day as a deadline, and then I shut down for the rest of the day. Ideally you won't have many projects where you're still in crunch time at the last minute, so it shouldn't be a problem to take a day off. If it's something more serious (like where you'll be hospitalized for a while), there's not much you can do but explain it to your clients. I've found that when something serious does come up, clients are willing to work with you more often than not. It's just about building a good relationship with them from the start.
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4:11 pm
March 9, 2012
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Luana Spinetti
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So far, I've had no problems with all my clients. They understand that I'm a student and I have a busy life, so we discuss everything from the beginning and I make sure to give them at least a 1-2 days warning. When they need the piece urgently, I'll stay up until 1-2 AM to finish it and hand it in, then I have the morning to catch up on my sleep and studying. :)
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4:26 pm
March 9, 2012
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Jennifer Mattern
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lol I envy that youthful ability to pull a late night like that. I used to be the queen of all-nighters — worked 3 part-time jobs, had an internship, led a major team campaign for a capstone course, and full-time classes. Somehow I survived. Now even staying up past 10pm makes me exhausted. Just wait. You'll get old(er) too.
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4:49 pm
March 9, 2012
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Luana Spinetti
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Well, unless I have upcoming exams, I feel energetic all day. ;) But I'm sure things will change when I get married and have a baby. I guess it's good to do the most I can do while I'm still in my twenties, isn't it?
In general, I try to keep at least one weekend day (either Saturday or Sunday) free to hang out with my friends or my fiancé. :)
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7:04 pm
March 9, 2012
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Jennifer Mattern
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lol So it's getting married and having kids that's supposed to wear us out? Then I'm in big trouble, because I've done neither yet. The wedding is in less than 2 months, and I'm sure kids won't be too much longer after that. If I'm losing it this badly (not far out of my 20s either, I might add), I hate to think how exhausted I'll be then. Fortunately, this is why I don't work a typical work week. Even though I don't have the energy I did in my early 20s, knowing to take breaks can go a long way toward helping you handle it all. 
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