3 in 4 people are totally tired of working

Freelancers: read this before Jan 1 arrives and nothing changes >> ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  A whopping 92% of freelancers report that they work while they are on vacation. In 2020, 76% of workers experienced burnout. Meanwhile, the subreddit FIRE ("financial independence, retire early") has blown up in the last couple of years. And then there's the whole Great Resignation thing. It's pretty clear: At least 3 in 4 people are totally tired of working. Yet you keep working all the time. Which makes you more tired of working. Bringing you dangerously close to burnout. Yet - as much as you'd like to live and work on your own terms - the whole move-to-the-beach / FIRE thing seems pretty impossible, doesn't it? When you hear about people surfing with their kids all day, while you chip away at paying your car lease, you can't help but scoff. You'd have to give up everything to live that life. But, at the risk of going all Dr Phil on you, what are you giving up to live this life? That's a question freelance copywriter Ashley Cummings was forced to answer recently - and [here's what happened]( I had absolutely no time for myself and you can probably guess what happened: I cracked. I burnt out to the point where I was stressed, depressed and ready to quit freelancing entirely. But instead of going off the deep end… I went surfing. I spent the early hours of my day watching the sun rise as I walked along the gorgeous Paseo Lineal in 80 degree weather. (Then, I worked.) I finished my days by taking surfing lessons with my children and reading on the beach. Wondering how? I changed my priorities and: - Moved my family to a warmer climate in a later time zone (this meant I could work uninterrupted for 4 hours in the morning – before my husband’s job even started – and he could take over homeschooling) - Fired clients that weren’t a good fit - Compartmentalized my time so I could focus on writing for 4 hours straight – uninterrupted - Refocused my writing goals to include creative projects - Committed to engaging more in activities that bring me joy – like reading, surfing and hiking As soon as I took these steps to manage my burnout, I accomplished long-held career goals. For example: - I rarely work more than 5 hours a day - I boosted my rates - I finally created digital assets for other freelance writers – something I'd wanted to do for years - I focused on my newsletter and gained 2,000+ subscribers (and counting) - I wrote my first TV pilot, submitted it to the Austin Film Festival, and it made it through as a “Second Rounder” More importantly: - I freed up time to exercise, eat right and lose the 45 lbs I'd gained during pregnancy - I stopped over-caffeinating and started sleeping for 8 hours - I made new, interesting friends on the beach - I read 15 books in January 2021 alone - And, as you’ve already read, surfing with my family While my days still include 4-5 hours of researching and writing about the latest ecomm trends, they also include regular exercise, watching my kids learn to swim and surf and the occasional whale sighting. And I accomplished all of this by shifting my life to center around joy – not work. It made me wonder: Why isn’t everyone doing what I’m doing? [Read this new article on Copyhackers](  [Click here to manage your subscriptions]( [Click here to unsubscribe]( Copyhackers, 10158 103 St NW Unit 200, Edmonton, Alberta T5J 0X6, Canada