Blog to support the book "Creatively Self-Employed: How Writers and Artists Deal with Career Ups and Downs" by Kristen Fischer

Thursday, March 05, 2009

Credit




I love what I do -- until it starts draining me.

That's what's been going on lately. I'm working my tail off on several projects and on two steady jobs that I love. But there's not time for much of anything else. I work late, go to bed, get up and literally go back to work. I have to right now.

The good thing is that I seem to come out of these work comas. I make time to relax and do more things I enjoy. I free up my schedule and stop piling work on myself. But it can take a while. Let's be practical: sometimes you need a paycheck and that's your focus. Sometimes when you have a chance to work, you want to take on a million things. Or just one time-consuming one. And that's okay.

But I am curious to hear what you all do to get out of a work rut. Not a creative rut, no. The kind of rut where you're working your tail off (on something creative or not) and exhausted. YOu know you just have to hang on a little longer and things will be alright.

Do you do anything to get out of the hard times? Is it more difficult to have a work rut happen because you're used to being a free bird and not held down by mandated work and work times?

link | posted by Kristen at 4:43 AM |

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3 Comments:

 Unknown commented at 12:37 PM~  

I've just been through a similar period - a steady job and my side business going pretty well to the point where several things overlap and I find myself pulling 15 hr days subsequently. My only way to get out of the rut is to keep working, as bad as that sounds in hope that things will turn around soon and I finally get a breather. After all, it's "positive stress". At least, that's what I keep telling myself. My only fear coming out of such a period is that I could have done a better job by refusing some of the assignments in favor of doing one project to my very best ability instead of trying to please every client at the same time. After all, it's our favorite portfolio items that we use for self-advertisement, not the ones that "reeled in a pretty penny" in order to afford that next new gadget. I actually consider that attitude rather harmful in the log run. Speaking for myself: definitely guilty as charged. ;-)

 Kate commented at 11:22 AM~  

I am there! Thank you for the post..at least we know we're not alone!
But I gave myself a night off. Not a whole day :), but a night. To hang out with the hubby and watch Lost. These are awesome things and it's important for me to give time to what gives me joy(aside from work stuff!) When I went back to my projects and daily work, I felt creatively refreshed as a nice addition to knowing that I am taking care of myself.

 SmartEngineer commented at 3:15 AM~  

Its a positive stress as mentioned by pilot.I do plan a schedule for a job before I accept it and hence there are lesser chances of going off track.Though it some times happens that I miss a schedule for a day or two,that would be a more hours awake the third day.

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