Time out, time off

[greyghost]

I know I started a thread a few weeks back on this topic. I thought it bore revisiting - because I saw clearly it was not just me with this problem.

We are creative people. Creativity requires a lot of energy, and it can be exhausting. So for us, if we are working practically around the clock, starting at 5:30 in the morning and working until midnight or 1am, every day, with no day off or the half day off being laundry and housecleaning and rake the yard day... it isn't sustainable.

I've done this for a few months now. And I have hit a wall, and there is no way around it. Our batteries need time to recharge. Whether our clients and their demands understand it or not. WE need to understand this, and not work ourselves to death.

I took most of Labor Day weekend off. It helped so much. I composed some of the best emails to clients ever on Tuesday morning, professional, friendly, to the point... sounding more like someone I would want to work with, rather than just professional and to the point like they usually are. Tuesday, I had my old calm center back. It was great.

By Saturday afternoon though, I had long lost that calm center. Too much stress, not enough sleep. I threw things. I broke down (a rare thing, really). I broke down twice. And then I got in the car and went to a garden center owned by some friends of mine. Sat in some rockers enjoying the breeze and a soda, talking, just trying to unwind.

I worked yesterday, from 2pm to 11:30. Got up at my usual 5:30 this morning - but I feel better, I feel like I can tackle the pile better now. And I am realizing that at least ONE day off is a necessity, not an option.

So that is a new priority in my business. Maybe someday I can make it so I have a whole weekend off - Saturday and Sunday.

[reuber1]

Designers need life experiences to draw from. That's not a lame excuse to not work, honestly any creative can attest to this. Not sure if that even needs more elaboration than that.

[Samakimoto Graphics]

Taking time off as a freelancer is difficult. You find you need a consciously caculated decision to take a break. I guess it's the flexibility of owning your own time.

[CamarotaDesign]

i definately need to take time off certain jobs. I have a decent work schedule, 8am - 5pm. Thats not a problem, but sometimes I have to work on the same job for 3 4 days at a time with no side tracking, and it kills me. I'm glad to know that designing makes other people tired as well. I couldn't figure out why I would be coming home from work tired when I've just been sitting in a chair for most of the day.

addition: This just made me think about something.

How much do you guys spend just surfing through design related sites, getting info on programs/designs etc, looking at various designer's portfolios for inspiration....reading this forum.

I always feel like im not working when I'm doing this type of stuff, (cause its so fun) but I also feel it's necessary, its like throwing kindling onto the creative fire. What do you guys think is a reasonable amount of time per day to do stuff like this?

[reuber1]

Isn't it common for most creative types to sleep the most (or need sleep the most, rather)? Artists, designers, writers, etc.? I mean, we're really using our minds to a pretty high potential, and generally when you're brain is tired, you're tired. Physical exhaustion is different...there would be days I'd get off work at the last job after running around for 9 hours straight where my feet would be tired, but I would be a ways from being tired.

[CamarotaDesign]

^good observation reuber.

I think I've been hurting from having to get up at 7am every morning because I tend to get more ideas later at night. I always get a second wind around 11:30pm and want to stay up late.

Before this job, I was staying up very late working on designs and sleeping in but also getting a full nights sleep. I rarely felt as tired as I do at the end of the day now.

I say out of principle, a design firm should not require it's creative department to be at work earlier than 10am unless they want to.

[Broacher]

Not enough bosses, clients, and even creatives themselves appreciate the true creative power of the most useful, but rarely acknowledged tools out there: pausing. I think that most of my best work comes from this simple recipe: immmersion in the problem (briefing, research, reference, mindmapping, thumbnails and so on) til you're practically sick of it; and then a sufficient PAUSE (even if it's only a 20 minute walk); and then return to the problem with hopefully fresh brain cells. I find that different projects require different pause lengths. I also find that not everyone wants to accommodate this method!

And then there are the creatively nourishing pauses. The trip to the museum. A magazine, any sort of artistic-mud-bath you can soak in for a few hours to settle the brain cells.

As for freelancing, yeah-- it's a bear to schedule this kind of stuff. You've got only one thing that you can really sell: your time. And it's so easy to go into overdraft and put the rest of your life out of whack. But it is YOUR life, you decide how to spread it around. Too much? Maybe you need to examine how you structure your schedule and your fees.

Here's a good time (and place!) to introduce this board to Lisa's (aka Halftone Dot) neat little online 'Marketing 101' blog series called 'Dot's Market'.

http://dotsmarket.blogspot.com/

Simple Simon sees covers the fee calculation/scheduling issue quite nicely, and be sure to check out the rest of her articles.

Dot is a super nice, and very generous designer who's been around-- a lot. Right up there with Jeff Fisher in her ability to instruct and inspire with her career and experience.

[Virgo Nightingale]

Isn't it common for most creative types to sleep the most (or need sleep the most, rather)? Artists, designers, writers, etc.? I mean, we're really using our minds to a pretty high potential, and generally when you're brain is tired, you're tired. Physical exhaustion is different...there would be days I'd get off work at the last job after running around for 9 hours straight where my feet would be tired, but I would be a ways from being tired.
That's very true, for me at least. When I was waitressing full time and getting out of work at 11pm, the last thing I'd be able to do was sleep. All the running around got my adrenaline going and I was usually up until 5am. Now that I'm doing the graphic design thing during "normal" hours, I come home much more tired. Sometimes it takes serious effort to NOT go to sleep before 10:30.

[budafist]

I'm taking time off when I'm sleeping...

[aid4design]

There's something to be said here for eye-strain. Staring at a monitor day in and day out WILL exhaust you. Your eyes need time to recoup. Anyone else feel like we(computer age "workers") are a part of the guinea pig era? There's no telling how biology, evolution, etc etc will shift after 100, 200, 500 yrs worth of staring at a monitor... breaks during work hours NEED to be taken frequently. Even if it's just to look away and focus on something else for 20 minutes. :)

[reuber1]

Yeah, eye strain definitely contributes. I noticed this since working this job. "MY EYES, THE GOGGLES DO NOTHING!"

[aid4design]

"MY EYES, THE GOGGLES DO NOTHING!"


:D Classic Simpsons. Love that episode!! :cool:

I had a problem with getting migrains a few weeks back and have since forced myself to start looking away for 20 minutes every couple hours when I am THAT busy. You would not believe the difference it makes... well unless youre already practicing this;) Seriously though eye strain can make your entire body feel weak and frail, and just flat worn out.

[Logo-Mechanix]

I always arrange my time frame for completion of a project so as to have time to spend with my family. Maybe not being strictly freelance allows me to do this to an extent but I tell my clients this is how long this is going to take. Most are understanding, they have families too, and if they really need it sooner they pay for a rush.