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[lit lighter*] |
Entrepreneurs, especially freelancers, lack an external framework to
limit hours. Employers have legal limits in determining the number of hours they
can make their employees work with most companies restricting the amount of overtime
any employee can take on. Store owners may work long hours but most non-chains
are not open 24 hours a day or even 7 days a week. Germany probably has the
most extreme restrictions with the vast majority of stores closed in the early
evening and generally on Sunday. Freelancers, solely responsible for their own
success and generally highly motivated to work, often equate downtime with
reduced income, ignoring the short- and long-term effects of overwork. However,
by creating some consistent limits on daily and weekly work hours and proper
management of workloads, freelancers can sustain a high level of productivity
and enjoy life.
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[character lifting weights]
|
First, it is necessary to define work. Judaism, due its Shabbat laws,
has quite a volume of writings on this subject but instead I will use a Jewish
joke to provide a workable definition. The story goes that two priests were
discussing whether sex was work or pleasure and decided to consult their rabbi
colleague, who had much more practical experience in the matter. Upon hearing
the question, he immediately and unhesitatingly stated that sex was pleasure.
When pressed for an explanation, he simply noted that if sex were work, his
wife would have the maid do it for her. Consistent with that definition, work is
any task that a person would have no issue having somebody else do in his/her
stead while pleasure is a task that a person saves for him/herself. For
example, while I do not translate on Saturday, I do write posts because I
enjoy, even relish, the process of writing. Thus, on Shabbat, I do what pleases
me, which happens to include writing posts. Therefore, for the purpose of this
article, work is any task that you would not choose to do on a day off. |
[up and down graph] |
While at the surface it would be logical to think that more hours lead
to more income, at a certain stage, the returns not only diminish but also
decline. The first sign of overwork is reduced productivity and increased
errors. Over time, it requires longer time to produce the same quantity of
work, accompanied by every increasing number of errors. Reasons for this
decline include reduced patience and increased mental fatigue. Fortunately, a nice evening out generally
recharges the battery. If a person ignores this overload for too long, burnout
begins to develop, often expressed in less enthusiasm to start the day or a reluctance
to take on challenges. When the brain goes on strike, it becomes necessary to
take a few days off. Complete denial of overwork can lead to mental and/or
physical collapse. The cost is heavy as many writing in Mental Health Week
posts noted. The financial loss from the complete inability to function is much
heavier than any associated with a short break from work, not to mention the
harm caused to the relations with family and friends. In short, overwork is a
preventable issue that is ignored at one’s peril.
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[international clocks] |
The first element of proper work management is the length of the work
day. It is clear that the vast majority of entrepreneurs do not work from 9-5
or even 8-6. There are simply too many tasks to accomplish on most days. Freelancers
working with customers with multiple time zones find themselves connected
almost 24 hours a day. In practice, aside from being physically impossible over
an extended time, such dedication to work turns a person into a robot, with no
time or energy for family and friends. In order to balance the need for mental
and physical health with the requirements of running of business, it is first
necessary to identify and set hours for full business activity and those for
monitoring communication. Specifically, as each person has individual peak
times for thinking, such as early morning or late night, it is advisable to
perform high concentration tasks during the most productive hours as much as
circumstances allow. The freelancer should handle the lighter tasks in the tail
periods. The actual length of the working day clearly varies by person as age
and experience create different endurance capacity. I personally take a nap
every day, allowing me to extend my work day to better cope with the time zone
issues. As for responding to emails, it is perfectly legitimate not to respond
to correspondence in the late evening as most people do not expect an immediate
answer during those hours, with some exceptions. By limiting active working
hours and allowing oneself not to respond, the freelancer gains several hours
of downtime each day, a key for long-term health.
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[Cat sitting in a bowl] |
It should be clear that working seven days a week is not sustainable
over a year. The problem is that special cases requiring us to work an entire
week without a day off become the rule, not the exception. The only way for an
independent entrepreneur to take a day off is to schedule it. The actual day of
the week is not important but at least 24 hours without work is vital for
sustainable work. For example, my wife and I have decided that we do not work
from Friday night to Saturday night except in extreme circumstances. Our reason
for keeping the Jewish Sabbath is not religious but instead practical as nobody
in Israel or abroad expects us to work on Saturday, meaning we do not generally
receive requests, thus facilitating our decision. I also do not work on Sunday
nights as I watch US football and baseball but, again, it is easy to take
Sunday night off as the whole world is recovering from the weekend. In
practice, all that a freelancer needs to do to have regular days off is make a
firm decision, which is admittedly easier said than done. However, insistence
on at least one day of rest pays long-term dividends.
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[stress attacks] |
The last scheduling choice is the actual workload. Freelance business
tends to be feast or famine, i.e., too much or too little. While the latter may
not be healthy for the bank account, the former has the potential to harm the
person. It is difficult, if not impossible, to define “too much work” as individual
capacities and technological skill vary from person to person as does the
effect of stress. Some people only perform at the best when they face a tight
schedule. However, everyone does have a point beyond which the pressure created
by the workload begins to create harmful physical and mental health. The key is
to identify that point and be ready to schedule work in a manner that does
avoid that point, even at the price of losing a project. I suffered from years
from irregular heartbeat, which was aggravated by stress. One benefit was that it
taught me to listen for the signs of stress and schedule work in such a manner
that I feel confident in my ability to meet the deadline without killing
myself. If a potential project creates uncomfortable stress, I state a deadline
that fits my needs even at the risk of losing the project as my health is more
important any specific project. Daily work scheduling is not a science but instead
the art of managing the possible.
The results of overwork are financially, physically and emotionally disastrous.
Entrepreneurs, especially, freelancers, should schedule the work day, work week
and work load in such a manner that the they can sustain the pace and enjoy the
money they earn. After all, money is a means for a goal, not the goal itself.
* Captions allow the blind to fully access the Internet.
All pictures from Pixabay.
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