A Custom Academic Freelance Writer's Prep Guide to Taking a Vacation

A freelance writer's work is never done. Just as we complete one big project another, even bigger project comes along. Consciously, we know that we need to take a break between projects. However, saving for a rainy day often gets the better of us and we tend to place our vacation plans on pause once a lucrative deal comes our way. I learned the hard way that I need to take a full, unplugged vacation at least once a year. At least that's what my doctor mandated when I was finally admitted to the hospital suffering from over exhaustion. Yes, collapsing on the job is never a good sign. From that point on, I created a regular 2-week vacation in my calendar coming in around the holiday months to rest, forget about work, and simply enjoy the money I earned during the year (on a budget of course). I tell you, my body has never been healthier, and my family has never been happier.

Every time you think that you are swamped with work and can't get away, just remember, the human body is not meant to be a nonstop working machine. Just because you can go on with little sleep and no relaxation time doesn't mean you should do it. On the contrary, the harder you work or, the more work that you do, the more your body deserves to take a vacation. The question is, how?

As a freelancer, we tend to be a one-person office operation. However, the advent of technology and social media has made it much easier for us to take time away from work without having to sacrifice too much of our work time to do it. All it takes is ample preparation, proper use of technology, and clients willing to coordinate their deadlines with your vacation schedule.

Coordinate Deadlines with the Client

Just as a Save the Date is all too important for scheduling wedding plans, an Out of Office (OOO) notification is just as important. If you are planning to take a vacation during the first 2 weeks of November, make sure to inform your client a month in advance. Both of you need the prep time leading up to your vacation date. This can be done by sending a friendly FYI email to the client. Make sure that you wrap up all your deadlines before the start of your vacation. Then remind the client regularly via email or with every deadline you meet going towards the last week of October that you will be out of the office from November 1 - 14 so any additional work falling during those days will need to be placed on hold or, a new deadline needs to be set. Inform the client of the start of your office leave and the date they can expect you to be back. Upon your return, send out an all points "I'm back!" email to the same clients. If the client proves to be unreasonable about your time off request, then be prepared to severe ties with that client. No client who treats a freelance writer like a slave is worth keeping.

Social Media Has Auto Settings

If you are the kind of freelancer who relies heavily on social media for promotions and work considerations, then you can easily schedule a blog release or Instagram update. Simple work on the content in advance of your vacation, upload it to the social media site, then schedule the uploading schedule for every file. Your potential clients and social media followers, who did not receive an OOO won't know you were ever away.

Hire a Go-To Person for the Time Period

If you are the paranoid kind who is afraid to lose clients by taking a vacation, then find someone who can take over the job from you while you are away. That way deadlines will always be met, client's will always have someone to email, and you will be able to help-out a freelance writer friend in need. Word of caution though, don't kick yourself if you end up losing clients to your stop gap person during your vacation.

Taking a regularly scheduled vacation is something that everyone who works needs. More so those who do not work within a fixed schedule as office workers do. It is important to put your health needs ahead of your financial needs in some instances. Don't wait for your body to punish you for pushing it to the limits, give it a rest, it never hurts.

Or just don't take a vacation during the rush season. I can usually always spend a week or two during August without having to worry too much. Although my laptop never leaves my side, and I never go anywhere with poor wi-fi reception.

I've only taken 3 vacations in the last 15 years that weren't just "staycations" and I ended up writing projects all 3 times, (including en route at 30,000 feet): once in Florida and twice in Switzerland. If existing customers have emergencies, I can't really just leave them hanging if someone I'd trust as a backup writer is unavailable. If it's for new customers, I just can't afford to lose all their future business (possibly for the next several years). Rather just skip one day in the sun or miss seeing one Alp. If you expect regular scheduled vacations (or even regular days off, for that matter), this is the wrong business for you.

I've taken a few short breaks mostly for family events (weddings, graduations, etc.), but I haven't taken a real vacation in about 10 years. Even those short breaks have been literally SHORT... I'm talking about driving there and back the same day or the next at most. I'd love a full week to unplug and relax but, like you said, if a customer needs us and no one trustworthy is available to step in, we have to do what we have to do. It's the job we chose. :)

I guess it is different for each one of us working in this profession. Personally, I find value in the article provided because my personal physician advised me to regularly take time off from the academic freelance writing work in order to first, give my brain a rest, and second, allow my body to recharge since the work is quite demanding. After a serious illness almost sidelined me permanently, I acknowledged that my doctor was right and began scheduling regular rest periods.

At that time, I was taking weekend vacations and one long vacation once a year, usually during the holiday season when most of my student clients were off on vacation as well. I would take the whole week leading up to Christmas and a few days after the New Year to totally unplug and just rest. Yes, I did most of the things that is advised by the OP during that vacation period. Did I lose some income? Maybe, then again, I won't miss what I never had.

Now, because my business has evolved, I can accommodate one project and take a week or a month off after, spending money and still having money to spare for my retirement account. I am a healthier and more productive person because I choose to take a vacation every so often and yes, I am in the right line of work for myself as I am sure the other freelancer writers are.

You also have to consider how far or deep you are in the writing business. I, for instance, can't afford taking these breaks because I'll be thinking too much about the next writing project nonetheless. Of course, if you have already established yourself in the field, then finding time to unwind will be relatively easy. I do agree with what the others here have mentioned. It's quite tough to take breaks given that the writing profession requires you to make revisions from time to time. This can be the dragging part. However, I do think that for as long as you stop taking in hefty orders within your vacation period, it's alright to every once in a while open your laptop to polish some writing work.

All writers need a vacation, regardless of the writing season. The stress of the job is such that any writer will burn out if he is not given a break sometime in the middle of the current academic year. I rotate my writer's vacation time. I offer them the opportunity to file for vacation time at the office. All they have to do is inform that they will not be accepting any work at the moment and they are considered on leave. The no work, no pay policy applies of course. I do not mind the writers going on leave because they come back fresh, rested, and ready to work.

Avoiding writer burn out is a high priority for my HR team so when they see that a writer hasn't take any leave time yet during the year, they force the writer to take 1 week off. If the writer doesn't want the leave, we force it by simply not assigning papers to him. He gets a vacation, whether he likes it or not. The veiled vacation time usually works and they never know they were forced to take a rest from their jobs. The result? A writing team in peak health, ready to take on any paper thrown their way.