Take a Break
Amanda Williams
Business Implementation Manager at Leadbaloon Ltd on behalf of Silicon Valley Bank
I saw this on my LinkedIN Daily Rundown and it resonated so much with me, and I am sure it will for a lot of you.
I have been contracting for 25 years and one of the things I find difficult to do is take holidays.
It is not because I cannot get the time off work. Far from it in fact, because as a contractor..
- I earn enough to take far more holidays than permies
- If I give enough notice, my client has no objections
- Clients often insist on your taking 2 consecutive weeks off
But for me, I absolutely love what I do and I get anxious when I take the time off work.
I find I spend my time off worrying about the things I could be doing, getting ahead of the game, the anxiety of catching up when I get back, etc. I get so engrossed in my contracts I have previously had a waiver signed so I do not have to take time off.
This is not healthy. It is very easy to suffer from burn out or lose perspective.
I never realised this until my last contract where I worked so hard, very long hours, working weekends. I gave my contract 200%, working 200% normal hours, finding it a very exciting environment to work. I loved what I was doing so it was not a chore.
But this time, when my contract ended, for the first time in many years, I decided to take some time off. I felt exhausted and was very conscious I had neglected my family and friends.
I have now had the whole summer holidays off - 3 months and feel so relaxed and refreshed ready to start my next contract.
Sometimes you just have to take time away from work, to recharge your batteries and spend quality time with your loved ones.