Taking a Break From Writing: How To Do It Right

Last Updated on 2 years by Christopher Jan Benitez

Freelance writing can be a stressful job. Not only are you responsible for creating great content for your clients, but you also have to find said clients.

You always have to keep marketing your services hoping to get clients that will provide you with consistent work and the job security you need.

Worst of all, you’re lucky if you don’t encounter clients who don’t pay on time, if at all. So you have to chase them with emails and private messages to get the payment in full.

Combine all these things over a period and it’s no wonder why you eventually feel burnt out.

That’s why you need to learn the art of taking a break from writing, which is what I’ll be discussing in this post.

I’ll be discussing how you can take breaks in between writing and how to spend your time wisely while away from work. This way, you can always approach writing for clients with vigor.

Plan your week ahead of time

Before ending the week, I usually schedule the things I need to do for next week. Even if you do not understand what you’ll do for the coming week, at least block the times when you think you’ll be working in your calendar.

Setting a schedule also determines the times when you’ll be having your breaks. Therefore, it’s good to space out the breaks in between writing so you don’t overexert yourself.  

For planning the week ahead, I use Clickup to help me organize my projects and set the tasks for each.

You can even enter the start and end time for each task. The tool will then remind you via email if there’s something you need to finish for the day and what time.

If you’re not into project management tools, you can use Google Calendar to do this. In fact, even writing it on a planner should suffice.

Ultimately, where you write or type your schedule doesn’t matter. The point is for you to set expectations on what you must finish for next week so you can take breaks appropriately.

Use productivity techniques

One of the major causes why people need taking a break from writing is burnout. And to avoid burnout, you need to make the most of your time working.

That doesn’t mean you should squeeze in as much work as possible when writing.

Instead, you must maintain consistent levels of productivity over time. And you can only achieve this if you can practice productivity techniques when writing.

Much has been said about the Pomodoro Technique so I won’t have to discuss that here. Also, there are other tactics you can implement to help you keep up with the writing demand of clients without feeling burned out.

Jerry Seinfield’s monthly streak is a simple but effective way to keep your productivity going. You must set up a one-page calendar on your wall and mark the days when you’ve finished your writing tasks for that day.

The goal is to keep finishing your tasks consecutively, forming a chain of marked dates on your calendar. It encourages you to build a habit of completing your task in the calendar. As a result, you can deliver your work for your clients on time.

Reserve a “no writing day”

As a freelance writer, it’s common for us to write even during the weekends when we don’t have to work. It’s an occupational hazard for sure, and it’s not exclusive to just writers.

Since you don’t work a 9-5 job like the general workforce does, your freelance work spills over time when you’re supposed to be taking a break.

That said, you should be able to block at least a day without writing. Taking this when planning your week into consideration.

Use your breaks wisely

There is no right or wrong way to spend your time away from writing. Any activity that allows you to disengage from your work is time well-spent.

However, there are optimum ways for taking a break from writing.

A great example is taking a walk in the park or by going outside. This helps clear your mind and gives you a fresh perspective when you write again.

Even watching shows and movies from streaming services can be a good idea. If you want to watch the latest episode of Killing Eve or What We Watch in the Shadows, for example, you can watch BBC iPlayer outside the UK.

Take writing prompt challenges

When taking a long time away from writing because of vacations with family and friends, getting back to work can be quite difficult.

When not using a particular skill, you become rusty with it. The same thing goes with writing – you can’t expect to write epic content after weeks or months away from work.

My approach to this issue is to draft creative writing prompts.

Most of these prompts will recommend you to join the content by submitting your written work. Here, I treat writing prompts as greasing the nuts and bolts of my writing engine.

Take as many prompts as you need and just write away. You don’t have to edit yourself when writing – let the ideas and words flow. Once you get in the groove of writing, then you know you’re ready to get back in the saddle of work.

Taking a Break from Writing: Conclusion

By following the unique ways of taking a break from writing correctly, you can boost your productivity and accomplish your goals without feeling tired.

Just practice the tips above consistently until you turn them into habits that are hard to break.