As a freelance writer, procrastination can be disastrous to your burgeoning career, but so can working yourself too hard. The former can deplete your most valuable resource, time, but the latter can result in burnout, a condition that renders you unable to function. When working freelance writing jobs online, it is important to strike a balance so that you can make a living without experiencing the damaging effects of burnout.

What Is Burnout and How Can Freelance Writing Jobs Online Contribute?

Burnout is an actual phenomenon in which a person feels like they are unable to get ahead of the demands and stresses they face. Everyone experiences stress from time to time, but when it is constant and unrelenting, it can cause you to feel exhausted physically, mentally, and emotionally. It can cause you to adopt negative attitudes toward yourself and others, and it can decrease both your motivation and performance.

Causes of Job-Related Burnout

Work is not the only source of stress that can cause burnout, but job-related burnout is one of the most common types. You may start seeking freelance writing jobs online to escape a job that causes you undue stress, but even freelancing can contribute to burnout in the following ways:

• Feeling isolated from others by the schedule you have set for yourself
• Exerting high levels of focus and attention on trying to meet deadlines
• Struggling to maintain a balance between work and a personal life

Signs of Burnout

Different people may experience various symptoms of burnout, but there are some that occur more frequently than others:

• Apathy: Going through the motions of work without investing in it emotionally.
• Diet Changes: Feeling that you don’t have time to plan or prepare meals and adopting unhealthy eating habits as a result.
• Fatigue: Feeling tired all the time, to the point that it disrupts both your work and your personal life.
• Headaches: Experiencing a squeezing sensation around the head, which ranges in severity due to tension.

How Can You Avoid Burnout From Freelance Writing Jobs Online?

Burnout can be a vicious cycle. It can cause health problems, which can hurt your productivity and cause more stress. Fortunately, there are things you can do to break out of this cycle or, better yet, avoid becoming trapped in it in the first place.

1. Set Boundaries

Separating work from your personal life to avoid burnout involves setting both literal and figurative boundaries. Part of the appeal of freelance writing jobs online is flexibility, but some people confuse flexibility with a complete lack of structure.

For example, you should dedicate a specific area of your home as your work area. Ideally, this should be a room with a closing door, but in any case, it should be an area where you don’t do anything but work. You should set rules for your family that you are not to be disturbed while working except in case of an emergency. You should also set work hours for yourself and adhere to them as strictly as possible.

There are figurative boundaries you should set for yourself and your clients to guard your personal time. For example, let your clients know the hours of the day and the days of the week that you answer your phone and reply to emails. Make a rule that you do not check your work email during family meals or other personal time. Learn to say no to jobs you don’t want, that don’t pay enough, or that you can’t complete by the deadline.

2. Organize Your Workspace

Once you have dedicated your work area, keep it clean and organized. Decluttering helps you to focus on your freelance writing jobs online. This allows you to stay productive, which helps you decrease stress to avoid burnout.

3. Schedule Time Off

Maintaining a structured work schedule doesn’t mean that you can’t have flexibility. You can rearrange your schedule as needed to accommodate any appointments that fall during the working hours you set for yourself.

By being your own boss and setting your own schedule, you get to work during the times that are most convenient for you. However, when you are setting your schedule, don’t forget to calendar some downtime. It can be tempting to keep your nose to the grindstone as much as possible, especially when you are first starting out in the freelance writing industry. Nevertheless, if you don’t take time to relax and release that pressure valve, stress can build up until you get burnt out. In addition to taking weekly days off, you should also budget time and money for vacations.

Take Control With Freelance Writing Jobs Online

Managing stress to avoid burnout can help you stay happy and productive with your freelance writing jobs online.