Blow off work or blow at work

For a very lucky few, there isn’t much of a trade-off between the amount of work that they can do, and the quality of work they do. They can seemlessly work endlessly, getting lots and lots done. One such person that appears to be able to do this is Syed Balkhis.

For the rest of us freelancers, and indeed, anybody that works, after an extended period of working hard, burnout sets in.

At that point, it becomes a decision. Should we blow off work, take some time off? Or should we trudge along and blow at work?

In a state of burnout, doing simple tasks take longer, planning bigger tasks gets harder, getting started is harder, we aren’t as fulfilled when we finish work, and procrastination sets in.

My firm belief is that when I reach a state of burnout, blowing off work is far better than blowing at work.

• I would rather work 3 hours at three times the intensity than 6 hours at a slower pace
• I would rather feel excited about work that I’m doing
• I would rather keep a client waiting if that meant a better quality result
• I would rather spend some time doing what I feel like, even if that’s watching season 2 of Angel for the day

In short, I’d rather blow off work than blow at work.

It’s our option as freelancers, and one of the key reasons I feel that we can be more productive than our cubicle cousins.

Related posts:

• The two to-dos system for organizing tasks and being productive
• Growing by turning down work
• Procrastination – The bane of a freelancer’s existance
• Getting back into the swing of freelancing after holidays
• Freelance Philosophy Friday #2: Make it easy to work with you